Drying Long Hair

[cobden 28]

Out of curiosity, how do other long-haired ladies dry their hair?

I always let my hair dry naturally - after towel-drying as much as possible, of course - even in the depths of winter. I look at my teenage daughter with her hair the consistency of straw through using straighteners every day and dying her hair, and have the horrors of my hair ending up like that.

Usually I brush my hair back from my face, wear an Alice band to keep it off my face and then tie it in a ponytail at the base of my neck; it takes almost a whole day to dry thoroughly, though. Today, because the weather is unseasonable hot & sunny, I've washed my hair and just have the Alice band in, no ponytail.

[Bene]

It depends on the long haired person, what works for their hair type/texture, and what they want their hair to look like. Some do what you do, some damp bun, some use a blow dryer. There's no one way to do it.

[Jomo]

Even if I was comfortable with using heat on my hair, I'm absolutely abysmal at using a blow dryer :P I just wrap my hair in a towel for 20 mins or so until the worst of the moisture is wicked out, then have to grit my teeth and leave it a tangled, ratty mess down my back until it's mostly dry. When it's just slightly damp I work a couple of drops of olive oil into the bottom half of the length. Since I've sworn off wet combing, drying my hair has become a trial, but hopefully it will help it grow even faster and reduce breakage.

[Firefox7275]

I used to towel turban, brush and ponytail when wet, I now have a lot of breakage. :( Now I leave my hair wetter, scrunch in conditioner and air dry: doesn't take any longer but less fluffy! If my hair is getting in my face I use a couple of kirby grips (bobby pins).

[Mesmerise]

After showering I wrap my hair in a towel turban until I'm dressed, then I comb my hair and then leave it usually! I sometimes will put it up, sometimes leave it down until it's dry and then put it up.

[vanity_acefake]

On a good day I air dry it outside in the garden. Especially if it is windy.
Otherwisei air dry it inside but it takes much longer.
I must look like a right nutter standing in the garden in the wind!

[Theobroma]

I generally let my hair airdry after using a blowdryer on low heat to get the back of my head mostly dry. I live in a cool climate and I simply can't sit around with a wet head for hours or I'll get sick, so I usually have to help things along a little unless it's the height of summer.

I haven't noticed any damage from using the blowdryer in this way, though I'm thinking about getting a diffuser as I'd like to minimise the frizz that blowdrying creates.

[sharicat]

I wrap it in a turbie, then let it air dry until it's almost dry, and finish with a hair dryer on the coolest setting. If I'm not going anywhere special that day I'll just let it air dry but it's then a riot :p

[fairystar32]

I mix and match.. sometimes I let it dry by itself, but If I want to look half decent, I need to blow dry..

[Quahatundightu]

I wrap mine straight away in an old tshirt, let that sit for 15 - 20 min and then take it out and let air dry. I try not to touch it at all so it will go curlier! Sometimes I scrunch in gel or other leave in, then air dry.

When I go swimming I try to blow dry my hair but it takes so long I always give up before I've finished! Hehehe :)

[jojo]

I used to let my dry dripping wet but nowadays I blot with a towel, comb gently through and air dry. I do occasionally blowdry on a cool setting if I am in a rush!

[spidermom]

Brushing wet hair isn't a good idea.

I drop mine into a flannel pillowcase for awhile, remove the pillowcase, do a back and forth head swooping motion (like head banging) to get it all aligned and un-clump it a bit, then let it air dry. I used to blow-dry it on warm and cool from time to time, but my hair dryer died a week ago, and I have no plans to replace it. I'm curious to see if I will have fewer split ends without it.

[Madora]

Here goes: moderately thick hair, ranging from 40 to 42 inches:

1) Gently squeeze out the excess water with your palms
2) Take a towel, hold it vertically, wrap it around hair
3) Pat towel gently
4) Pin towel around head. let sit 10 minutes then undo
5) Gently bring all hair in front of me and make a part from the
nape to the forehead.
6) Band one portion aside to keep it out of the way
7) Take the other side and gently detangle it with a wide tooth
comb, working from the ends of the strands to the scalp
8) Undo the other section of hair and repeat # 7

Fanning technique: I've used this technique for years because long hair needs AIR to dry quickly. It won't dry quickly if it just sits on a towel hanging down your back..or up in a towel on your head. You've must circulate the air thru the hair..AND NO BLOW DRYING. Not ever.

9) Take a small bit of hair in your hand.
10) Lift it up towards your eyebrow and release it.
You've just "fanned" your first section
11) Repeat with all your hair..and repeat...and repeat

Every once and a while check for tangles

It takes me about 20 minutes to dry my hair (outside) doing it this way.

SPECIAL NOTE: When you are thru detangling and fanning, DO NOT TOSS/FLING/THROW your hair over your head or shoulders! This just makes more tangles.

Instead, grasp the hair at the ends and bring it up and gently put it behind your shoulders (I find that if you center part your hair before doing this that it is easier to move back and down your back).

Once all the hair is down your back, check once again for tangles, then style as desired.

I loathe tangles/snarls/mats with a passion, and I've found that the method described above helps diminish the chances of tangles occuring.

I use a tiny bit of coconut oil (rubbing it between the palms of my hands) and then apply to the last 2 inches. Any residual oil on my palms I rub down my length.

[RocketDog]

I recently cut in a bit of fringe(I'm in an awkward growth phase right now and cutting in fringe gives me something to fuss over while I ignore the rest of it!) and with my hairtype I can't get a smooth, straight fringe without heat so the fringe gets hit with a blowdrier for a minute or so until it's set and dry. I don't blowdry my whole head because all that leads to is major tangles and all my new baby hairs sproinging out of my head in all directions. I prefer putting my hair up damp anyways, my updos look best that way.

[Imeera]

I never blow dry, never use anything "man made" like gell or spray in my hair. My hair hates it. I give it a rub with the towel to stop it dripping then let it dry naturally loose or in a plat. Then I brush it once its dry. If I am in a rush, it goes into a plat and stays like that until I get back!

[zaramamma]

I let my hair air dry or just stand in front of a fan.
I gave up blow drying a year ago.

[Viechen]

I towel dry and then do all my pre-bed things to waste about 20 minutes and then go to bed with it slightly damp. I dont know if this happens to anyone else but this my most reliable way of ending up with slightly wavy, decent looking hair... If I got something gross in my hair I towel dry and then blow dry it, switching between the warm and cold setting. This results in my hair being straighter and easier to manage but I still prefer the going-to-bed-with-it-damp method because I am as lazy as can be :) Sometimes I braid for AM braidwaves but not too often...

[littlenvy]

:p funny you asked.
I like the 'beat it' method ;)

After washing I gently sqeeze out the water with my hands.
Put a towel on for veil style until I'm done drying and dressing. I don't squeeze or rub.
If I'm not in a hurry I will just let it dry like that naturally.
If I'm in a hurry I will grab the ends of my hair and whip it back and forth to air it as much as possible.
Only brush it after its totally dry. Detangling with wide tooth wooden comb. It glides through very easy after its dry.

[Aliped]

I generally let my hair airdry after using a blowdryer on low heat to get the back of my head mostly dry..

That's what I do in the mornings, especially in winter. I blow dry using a medium heat setting and moving the hairdryer around as much as possible, so as not to overheat one area. Then I let it air dry for as long as possible, which might only be 15-20 minutes, depending on my schedule. Then I damp bun.

If I want to save time in the morning, I wash the night before and let it air dry whilst sleeping (spread out over my pillow).

If it's the weekend and it's warm. I'll wash it during the day and let it air dry without any heat at all.

[Sundial]

I usually wrap mine in a towel while I get dressed, then leave it to airdry the rest of the way. However I have noticed recently that my hair is getting too long for my towel so I may think about switching to oversized tee shirts

[Arya]

Err...I have this weird thing that detangles my wet hair perfectly. I find that if I towel dry a little bit till it's very damp instead of soaked, then lean forward and whip my hair around a few times both directions, it magically detangles perfectly, and dries way faster. Has anyone else ever done this?I'm sure it looks pretty bizarre.

[TrudieCat]

Err...I have this weird thing that detangles my wet hair perfectly. I find that if I towel dry a little bit till it's very damp instead of soaked, then lean forward and whip my hair around a few times both directions, it magically detangles perfectly, and dries way faster. Has anyone else ever done this?I'm sure it looks pretty bizarre.

Yep. I do sort of a headbanging motion. :D Works great!

[Arya]

Yep. I do sort of a headbanging motion. :D Works great!

Good to hear! I'm glad I'm not alone! So much less embarrassing. XD

[Othala]

I always air dry after blotting my hair with a microfibre towel.

[ashke50]

I have always just left it to air dry. If I wash it late and need to sleep I will plait it damp and sleep like that. If I have to go out before it is dry I will plait it and then bun it. Otherwise I leave it hanging down my back till it is dry, and then run my fingers through to detangle it.

[santie]

I usually wrap my hair in a towel once I get out of the shower (I know, it's bad!) for a couple of minutes, and then I let it air dry. Usually I'll sleep with it wet, since I wash my hair before bed. I find that I wake up with crazy bouncy curls if I sleep with it wet!

[CaityBear]

I usually wrap in a towel until I get my body dried off then I squish out as much water as possible and usually try to let it try fully while it's down. If I absolutely have to I'll put my hair into a bun once it's mostly dry.

I do find if I sleep on damp hair then I wake up with greasy looking hair...:( I never used to have this problem. I used to shower before bed all the time but now I can't...it's the same thing with putting damp hair into a bun...

[Lee's Girl]

I've always wrapped in a towel, but now it's too long for the towel. I'm thinking I'll try the t-shirt method.

[Firefly]

I gently squeeze out the excess water, then (also gently) blot it a few times with a towel as I dress. Then I use a wide tooth comb to carefully detangle, put on my big cotton sweatshirt that I use just for this purpose, and let it air dry for a bit until it's not uncomfortable to wear down my back in my regular clothes. If I have to go out I will lightly clamp it up in a twist, just to keep it off my back when it's soaking wet.

[SwordWomanRiona]

This is working quite well for me:
I squeeze out the excess of water (gently! though I must admit I wring it just a little little bit :o). While I'm dressing after washing, I let my hair drip over a towel. Sometimes, I bundle it up on top of my head (with a towel, of course :)).
Then I blow-dry my hair up to shoulder length. Don't start at me, please, I'm VERY propense to sore throats and colds, and every time I don't do this I fall ill :(. I've improved, before LHC I blow-dryed more. My ends have thanked me ;)
When my roots are fairly dry, I let the length air-dry while finger-detangling it, very gently and slowly. It takes me some three or four rounds of finger-detangling until my hair's dry.
And then I brush it.

[spidermom]

All you people who say you rub with the towel - don't. Towels are too rough to be rubbing over your hair.

[Fizz]

I use *lots* of turban style towels.. at least 4 or 5, then I let it air dry.
I only use a hairdryer on my fringe (bangs) as I have a cow lick that has to be tamed! :)

[haibane]

When my hair is sopping wet I carefully squeeze conditioner into the length as leave in. Then I do nothing and let it dry from dripping wet down my back without touching.
I wear a piece of synthetic satin as a superhero cape around my neck to avoid my hair rubbing up directly on the towel, and underneath that a towel for soaking up the water. I switch out the towel a few times. Takes 5-6 hours for my thin hair to dry this way, but it comes out super duper soft and happy.

[dulce]

1 use a soft plush bathrobe to initially remove excess water-

[Eden75]

If I have washed it in the morning, before work:

1. CWC, veil wrap in a towel. No more turbans. I stopped those about 6 months ago and it has lessened the curl frizz.
2. Use a pick to get most of the tangles out and put in leave-in.
3. (Everyone cringe now) Blow dry straight, most days. Sorry, but in the winter (6-8 months of the year here) when it's -40 Celsius, I am NOT going outside with wet hair. It freezes, rock solid.
4. Coat with Biosilk and go (also great for your skin, especially hands and feet).

If I washed it in the evening it was air dried, it has turned into a strange half flat, half curl disaster, silk or satin pillowcases be damned. Pony and bun all the way.

Days like today:

1. CWC, Bumble and Bumble Hair Masque while I shave and wash. Rinse with not as hot of water as I washed myself in.
2. Veil cover and blot dry.
3. Curl creme and air dry. I rub the roots only throughout the 4-5 hours it takes to dry to give it lift.
4. AVG the fly aways along the top and the ends.

[lara grace]

I must look like a right nutter standing in the garden in the wind!

Hahaha I do this too, standing there for 10 minutes shaking out my hair in the wind, I do wonder what my neighbours think. It works really well though.

[long&blonde]

After washing, currently using a rosemary/peppermint shampoo, & same rinse out conditioner: I turban in a bath towel;but love over-sized t-shirt idea,as too much hair for towel now, will try tomorrow. I then rub a half dollar sized amount of Garnier sleek & shine leave in(I never can find the Long & Strong kind),conditioner, comb thru w/wide toothed comb to remove tangles, & make my part. I then flip my head back,comb it all straight down, & yep:blow it till nearly dry w/heat. I spray on leave-in proteinizer, and stand in front of my airconditioner for around 2 minutes. Even in winter. The dry cool air adds a nice finish. I wear it down day one only. Since this is the longest my hairs ever been,believe I am at tailbone, I only wash it once weekly, braid or braided bun the rest of the week. My hair is appreciating the only once a week wash and drys. Plus the last blonde color I got at the salon, matchs my grey white roots coming in really nicely, so it's been 6 months since that last color! Even tho I confess to a weekly blowdry w/heat;at least up till now;this is the kindest I've been to my hair;Ever! Thanks to LHC!

[Fairlight63]

After washing my hair I put it in a turbie twist for 15 min. or so. Then I put a cream detangler in it then take a pick & starting from the bottom get the tangles out. Then I put it in a half up to keep it out of my face with a plastic hair friendly barrette. The bottom part I gently twist it a bit but not tightly & put it over one shoulder or I gently twist it & put in a cinn. bun. My hair dries really fast, it will be mostly dry in a couple of hrs.

[skyblue]

my hair is so thin all I have to do is pat the top a little with a towel and squeeze the length a little then let it air dry if I keep it down it will dry in about an hour, if I put it up it will take all day to dry but that rarely ever happens, only if I'm in a rush

[x0h_bother]

I would never use a flat iron to dry my hair. I can't see how buns would dry hair- my hair would still be wet. No matter how I wear my hair the roots always linger damply. I wish there was a faster way to dry hair. Turbie twist + product sounds like a viable route.

[Madora]

@ Spiderwoman...

Yes, never rub with a towel. Pat the towel between your palms. Much better for your hair!

[racrane]

I used to towel dry but it made my hair so frizzy. I never use heat. Now, I literally let it air dry, dripping onto a towel I put on my shoulders. My hair is so much better!

[SwordWomanRiona]

@ Spiderwoman...

Yes, never rub with a towel. Pat the towel between your palms. Much better for your hair!

That's what I do, fortunately! :)

[Chetanlaiho]

I squeeze most of the water out, then blot it dry with a tshirt as much as I can, and turban it with said tshirt. I leave that on for about 15 minutes and after that I try to leave it to airdry on my back, when it's halfway dry I'll oil the ends. And yes, I do the headbanging part too, it seems to help? xD

[Delila]

I've always wrapped in a towel, but now it's too long for the towel. I'm thinking I'll try the t-shirt method.

Mine's too long for the towel, so now I pick up my hemline and fold my hair over on itself. Basically makes my hair half as long, so it fits quite nicely in whatever towel I'm using.

I've seen a photo tutorial of this somewhere.

[RebeccaG]

I just drip dry now which doesn't take any longer. I do put a towel around my shoulders though to stop my clothes getting wet!!