How do you dry your hair?

[coffeeandtoast]

I'm a newbie here, so bear with me :)

How do you dry your hair? I don't know if this is nearly blasphemous on these forums, but I blowdry mine... really because of lack of time, but I'm sure that's not a good excuse. I used to let it dry naturally, but it would actually be really freezy that way.

Anyway, just want to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

[krissykins]

Blowdrying! Oh noes! :scared:

Haha, if blowdrying works for you, then that's okay with me. :p I normally squeeze excess moisture from my hair then wrap it in a 100% cotton T-shirt. Works for me!

[Sweet Beat]

I try to let it self-dry as much as possible, but others I Blow it. I try to have not very warm air and always using heat protecting mousse.

[curlymarcia]

I take of the excess of water, put almond oil then mousse and I let it air dry

[Madora]

Air dry. It only took 20 minutes outside using my special "fanning technique". Indoors it took 30 to 40 minutes standing about 3 feet from a portable heater.

You can avoid the frizzies by applying a small amount of coconut oil to your strands and to the ends.

Blow frying is not kind to your hair, unless you take precautions to use a very low heat plus diffuser. Not worth it to me. My hair is worth the time to dry it properly..by airdrying!

[StephanieB]

I don't care how much of a hurry I'm in - if I don't have the time to air-dry it, I don't wash it then. It took me over 10 years to get my hair to it's current length, and I'm not gonna do a single thing that I know will jeopardize it's health and length.

I have to say it now, or someone else will - I'm a homemaker.
But even if I wasn't (and I've worked outside my home in the past), I never did anything to my hair that I knew was bad for it.

My belief is PLAN BETTER if you can't find the time to wash and air-dry your hair once a week. Long hair people can always bun or braid if their hair starts to get oily looking. IMO, a few hours once per week is NOT too much ME-time for myself.

Alternatively, you could always cut your hair just enough to make it more manageable to your lifestyle (whatever it is). I'm looking at doing that right now. Cutting it back a little to better facilitate washing it, since I am physically handicapped with severe spinal problems. I don't have what it takes to lie in bed moaning in pain for half a day - not even once a week - just to wash my longer hair. Too many other things challenge me, and I refuse to waste half a day each week on pain... and for what? Just to have hair longer? Nah, not me.

In your case, it might not be an issue of pain, but of time. Your time is worth quite a lot, isn't it?
What about washing it once a week, letting it air dry for half an hour, and then braiding or bunning it? It'll dry by the end of the day, or overnight as you sleep. The other days of the week, it's clean and you can do whatever styles you like, with clean hair that hasn't been damaged by heat. OR, if your ahir is very oily, then the first day or two or three, this is true - and then you can braid or bun it when it's oilier.


Oh, btw - do you blot your hair dry first, right after stepping out of your shower? I find the Diva hair towels to work great! Blot, wrap, let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes, blot again, and it's on it's way to drying. I don't pile my hair on top of my head; I wrap the towel around my hair as it hangs down, and it soaks up excess water from my scalp all the way down to the ends.

[gogirlanime]

I squeeze out the extra water without twisting or pulling, just squeeze down several times till I reach the ends. Then I take a towel and squeeze gently one more time. Then let it air-dry down without a shirt on (because the fabric will damage my ends). I let it dry half-way then wrap it up in a bun and it will dry in about two hours. You don't want to blow-dry your hair unless absolutely necessary (like you left in oil all night but woke up late for a job interview, that kinda thing haha)

[buttercupmcgee]

Wash at night, and do a quick rinse off in the morning

[ooo]

Air dry. It only took 20 minutes outside using my special "fanning technique". Indoors it took 30 to 40 minutes standing about 3 feet from a portable heater.

ok, now I'm curious. What's the special fanning technique?

[islandboo]

I air dry after using a microfiber towel to get rid of a lot of the excess water. (One of those turban thingies - I bend at the waist and let my hair drape over my shoulder, then close the tail of the wrap around the hair and twist just enough to keep it closed.) I keep it on while I finish post shower things like deodorant and lotions and get dressed, then let my hair air dry until I'm ready to leave for work and put it up since I don't loose ends in the car. Sometimes it is completely dry, sometimes it is still a bit damp when I bun it (my hair is thin and fine and usually dries in under an hour)

[TheMechaGinger]

I towel dry mine a good bit, no rubbing or anything just blotting I guess you would call it. I live in the desert though, so by the time I leave the house my hair is dry by the time I get to wherever I'm going. A little light coating of oil really helps get rid of frizzies for me, maybe you could look into something like that?

[Annibelle]

I'm a teacher and student, so believe me, I definitely don't have time to spare, either! What I do is wash my hair twice a week, and each time, it's in the evening-- not night, so it still has time to air-dry before bed. I towel-blot it and then get dressed and comb it. (Combing is bad for some hair while wet, but I've never had a tangle, wet OR dry, so it works for me.) If I'm wearing something flimsy, I'll put the towel around my shoulders and let it catch the excess moisture, but usually I just let it do its thing. It only takes my hair about an hour to dry completely, though...

[cowgirllong]

I let my hair air dry. If I don't have time, I put in a bun damp. Unlike some other posters in this thread, my hair will not dry in a bun. It may in a braid. I would say my hair is dry in 2 hours when left down to air dry, which is what usually happens.

[Roseate]

ok, now I'm curious. What's the special fanning technique?

Here's a link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1583767&postcount=13) to a post of Madora's where she describes the techinque.

This technique doesn't work for me, but it sounds like it's great for some; worth a try! (With my texture, manipulating it like this as it dries messes up my wave pattern into a giant puffball.)

[Silverdragn7385]

I squeeze my hair gently with a towel, and after I put on my makeup and clothes I either: 1.) Blowdry it until completely dry (only when I plan to wear it down which is once, sometimes twice a week) or 2.) Blowdry the very top of my head so I can style my bangs and throw the damp portion into a bun for the rest of the day.

[mistik]

put wet hair in a turban, get dressed, remove, air dry... Even in the winter. It's board straight, so don't have to worry about frizz.

[growingpains]

I airdry (but I used to be a blow fry addict).

My method is as follows:
-I get out of the shower and gently wrap a scarf or towel around the length and squeeze/blot the drips out. Then I pat my head to absorb water.
-then I bend over, put the towel/scarf around my head in a turban. I make sure when I do this my hair lies in one direction to avoid tangles.
-then get ready/get dressed/etc for about ten minutes.
-I then take out the turban and the hair is very damp as opposed to wet.
-I go about my business getting ready
-in another ten minutes I blot my hair with the towel or scarf again to absorb more water
-I finger comb or comb when dry
-the whole thing takes max an hour...(?? not positive, but it feels bout that).

In the winter I will admit I was blow drying, though even when I did this I made sure to drip dry most the way and blow dry just at the end.

I also generally don't leave the house till my hair is dry. It's cold where I live most the year. Also I find my wet/damp unrushed/uncombed hair is embarrassing. It looks terrible till fully dry.

As a rule I wash less often. I do this to prevent damage, but also because I am lazy and air drying is a pain.

[Ermine]

Well, I'm a noob too, and I'm still at the point that my hair will dry by itself in about 20-30 min, but for the sake of styling, I blowdry my hair on the cool setting, doing a combination of finger combing and a round brush. That way it only takes 5 min. at most.

[elbow chic]

Air-drier here, too. I'm a housewife and a recluse AND I don't object to being seen with damp hair so it's not really a hardship for me, though.

I've heard diffusers are less-bad than standard blowdryers.

I used to be a blow-dryer, too, back in my working days, and I'd crank that thing up to high to get it over with fast. Terrible habit!

Would it work to wash your hair in the evening, braid it for bed, wake up in the morning and then damp-bun the hair for the day? It looks really smooth that way, imo. Then you could finish drying it loose when you got home.

That's actually my usual routine, but it doesn't bother me to have damp hair for the better part of 24 hours. Some people really hate having damp hair.

[DreamDance]

I wash my hair in the evening (right after work) on a non-weekend day so I can relax and not worry about what my hair looks. I hate blow drying my hair even when I'm not trying to grow my hair out. I find a cold rinse at the end of my shower makes my hair dry faster, which I feel is counter-intuitive, but whatever.

When I get out of the shower I bot dry it with an old t-shirt and gently detangle my hair. Then I go do something else so I don't obsess over how fast or slow it dries (mine tends to take 2-3 hours even at APL)

[gthlvrmx]

I squeeze my hair bit by bit to let all the excess water fall out (makes drying time faster), gently blot down with towl, add little bit of EVOO on the ends, and air dry. Generally takes 2 hours.

[coffeeandtoast]

Thanks all. Your ideas are great. I've let it air dry my entire life, but lately with work, an infant, taking care of a house (you know the drill), I find myself with limited time to get ready. I think the trick is to not wash my hair an hour or two before I go out, because my hair takes FOREVER to dry... like 2-3 hours.

[gthlvrmx]

Yes, wash days are usually on weekends for me when i am not going out and i wash in the morning to have it dry for the rest of day and not sleep on wet hair.

[monsterna]

I stopped blow drying a few months ago. The only time I do anymore is if I need to on my bangs if they look particularly crappy, but this is rare. I've gotten used to bobby pinning them now, so I don't have to worry about the blow fryer.

I shower at night at least every work night, usually somewhere between 9 and 10 (I usually don't go to bed earlier than 11:30). I squeeze my hair out hand-over-hand until I reach the ends. Then I fluff out my hair with my fingers to let more air through it and repeat the squeezing to get more water out. Then I blot it with a towel. Nothing special, a regular towel. I don't rub the thing all over my head as I used to do pre-LHC, but I put it on top and blot it by gently scrunching my fingers all around my scalp. For the length, I just use the same squeezing method only I do it with the towel. I don't wring or slide it.

Then I comb it all out and actually strategically place 6 little barrettes along my bangs. When stretched out, most of them are at chin level, but they are unruly due to many new growth baby hairs all around them and if left alone, they dry in horrible wave curls which is a contrast to the length. So I place 3 on each side so they straighten out more as they dry.

I apply Nightblooming's Panacea Salve while it's damp, and then after it's at least 50% dry, I apply Nightblooming's Triple Moon Oil. I go to sleep with it let down (on a satin pillowcase) either mostly dry or completely dry.

My hair feels SO much better without the blow dryer. I couldn't do this if I showered during the day. But I don't mind -- I get to sleep in a bit later. :D

[NouvelleNymphe2]

Mostly air dry. Sometimes use the bathroom heat fan (rarely though, as this is a form of heat styling - albeit several feet away coming from the ceiling). Use a soft hijab or scarf to blot dry gently. Usually wrap my hair in it for awhile. Then take it down. When damp finger comb. Later use a wide tooth pick. When it's getting dry keep combing with my pick and bamboo brush every 5-10 minutes while I get ready/do other things. When dry I use my fine tooth comb and bbb.

[Jenn of Pence]

I also wash in the evenings, long enough before bed that it'll get adequately dry so I don't sleep on it wet and make weird bumps and stuff. I also squeeze gently, wrap it in a (microfiber) towel, let it absorb while I do other stuff, take it down and detangle, and let it air dry. I have a typical routine of evenings, but often (like tonight, actually!) I'll have an atypical engagement that doesn't leave me much time. Hence, I sometimes "get" to stretch my washes. ;) Or I might wash later at night, or quickly between getting home from work and going on to an event. So I then have a decision to just let it be damp or to hit it with a hair dryer. But when I do decide to blow dry, I always wait until it's already started drying (not dripping), I focus on the roots that take longest to dry, I hold on to the ends if I can to prevent tangling from the breeze, and I spend literally no more than two minutes on warm. Even with my thick hair, I never feel the need to do more than two minutes to be dry enough (not bone dry).

I really think that if you're careful and don't abuse the privilege of drying occasionally, it's fine! Obviously not as great as never drying, but also some people's hair can handle it better than others. So, as usual, everbodY'sMMV. :D


I'm a teacher and student, so believe me, I definitely don't have time to spare, either! What I do is wash my hair twice a week, and each time, it's in the evening-- not night, so it still has time to air-dry before bed. I towel-blot it and then get dressed and comb it. (Combing is bad for some hair while wet, but I've never had a tangle, wet OR dry, so it works for me.) If I'm wearing something flimsy, I'll put the towel around my shoulders and let it catch the excess moisture, but usually I just let it do its thing. It only takes my hair about an hour to dry completely, though...


I wash my hair in the evening (right after work) on a non-weekend day so I can relax and not worry about what my hair looks. I hate blow drying my hair even when I'm not trying to grow my hair out. I find a cold rinse at the end of my shower makes my hair dry faster, which I feel is counter-intuitive, but whatever.

When I get out of the shower I bot dry it with an old t-shirt and gently detangle my hair. Then I go do something else so I don't obsess over how fast or slow it dries (mine tends to take 2-3 hours even at APL)


I stopped blow drying a few months ago. The only time I do anymore is if I need to on my bangs if they look particularly crappy, but this is rare. I've gotten used to bobby pinning them now, so I don't have to worry about the blow fryer.

I shower at night at least every work night, usually somewhere between 9 and 10 (I usually don't go to bed earlier than 11:30). I squeeze my hair out hand-over-hand until I reach the ends. Then I fluff out my hair with my fingers to let more air through it and repeat the squeezing to get more water out. Then I blot it with a towel. Nothing special, a regular towel. I don't rub the thing all over my head as I used to do pre-LHC, but I put it on top and blot it by gently scrunching my fingers all around my scalp. For the length, I just use the same squeezing method only I do it with the towel. I don't wring or slide it.

Then I comb it all out and actually strategically place 6 little barrettes along my bangs. When stretched out, most of them are at chin level, but they are unruly due to many new growth baby hairs all around them and if left alone, they dry in horrible wave curls which is a contrast to the length. So I place 3 on each side so they straighten out more as they dry.

I apply Nightblooming's Panacea Salve while it's damp, and then after it's at least 50% dry, I apply Nightblooming's Triple Moon Oil. I go to sleep with it let down (on a satin pillowcase) either mostly dry or completely dry.

My hair feels SO much better without the blow dryer. I couldn't do this if I showered during the day. But I don't mind -- I get to sleep in a bit later. :D

[HuggyBear]

I squeeze out excess water, wrap in old t-shirt for about 15 minutes, air-dry. If I have to go out with wet hair, I will unless it's really cold.:)

[musicallberrii]

I rarely blow dry. Usually I wrap it in a towel when I get out of the bath and leave it alone for about 15 minutes. Then I let it down and spray in some leave in conditioner, de-tangle with a wide tooth comb, then let it either air dry or just braid it if I'm going to bed.

[growingpains]

I also do it at night most days. And preferably during the week.

[Kathie]

I give my hair a quick squeeze then wrap it up in a towel. After a while I take it down and turn the towel around and then re-turban it.

[christine1989]

I wrap my hair in a towel then air dry or damp bun it (for waves). My hair seems really resistent to drying because it takes hours. :rolleyes: I really don't blame you for blowdrying! :)

[ashke50]

I generally shower in the evenings, after which I squeeze my hair gently when I get out of the shower to get rid of the excess moisture, and then leave a towel round my shoulders and let my hair drip onto it. When I go to bed I plait my hair (which is usually still damp) and by the morning it is dry.

[nobeltonya]

I squeeze, hand-over-hand, the length and wrap it in a turban for about 30 minutes. Then, I bend over to unwrap the towel and pull apart all the clumps of hair that stick together from washing it. Then, pull it back into a low ponytail to dry.

[ooo]

Here's a link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1583767&postcount=13) to a post of Madora's where she describes the techinque.

This technique doesn't work for me, but it sounds like it's great for some; worth a try! (With my texture, manipulating it like this as it dries messes up my wave pattern into a giant puffball.)

thank you :)

[nazzooyzo]

i used to blow dry my hair until it was fairly dry but nowadays i squeeze out all the water, shake my hair lots and just leave it. and usually leave the house with slightly damp hair but by the time i get to work its dry