What kind of towel do you use?

[robynlh87]

I've searched and couldn't find a thread containing this information... so what kind of towel material do you use? I haven't been able to get away from terry cloth :( but I'm looking to make a switch! Just wondering about different ideas or options!

[Amber_Maiden]

I use a t-shirt :)

[Madora]

Very long 100% Egyptian cotton towel (actually two). One to wrap my hair in and the other for towelling off after my shower.

[robynlh87]

I have tried using a t shirt but it drove me crazy how little it absorbed! Do you do anything extra to combat that??

[robynlh87]

Very long 100% Egyptian cotton towel (actually two). One to wrap my hair in and the other for towelling off after my shower.

I've never heard of egyption cotton towels! They look extremely soft and plush!!

[Amber_Maiden]

I have tried using a t shirt but it drove me crazy how little it absorbed! Do you do anything extra to combat that??

I find if I use a 100% cotton t-shirt, and just press it against my head repeatedly, and wrap my hair in it, it absorbs very well- and I have thick hair that takes 2 days on average to dry completely. It's helped a lot!

[Alaia]

I have an 100% cotton towel for myself and a microfiber turbie for my hair. Need to get a new one actually, but this time I might just get a microfiber towel as my hair has outgrown the turbie.

[robynlh87]

I was thinking about giving the t shiort another chance... maybe I'll try a long sleeve so it'll stay out of the way while I do my make up

[robynlh87]

I have an 100% cotton towel for myself and a microfiber turbie for my hair. Need to get a new one actually, but this time I might just get a microfiber towel as my hair has outgrown the turbie.


I've never attempted a microfiber towel... I guess I have always thought for them as kinda "sticky"... am I thinking of the right thing?

[CastaDiva]

I don`t know what kind of towel I use, I just grab a large one:) I have never really thought about what kind of towel I use, maybe I should...

[ellen732]

I use a t-shirt first right out of the shower, then before I detangle I squeeze it a bit with a microfiber towel.

[vendethiel]

I use a large Egyptian cotton towel for my hair, which works quite well. However, I have thought about using microfiber towel, but whenever I touch it I can just see my hair getting stuck to it and becoming a tangled mass. So, I'll watch this thread with interest.

[Joribear]

I found 100% jersey knit sheets on sale, so I bought a set & cut them up for my hair towels. It is great! I can plop at night and wrap the ends around so I can sleep without having a huge knot at the back of my head! :)

[Jenn of Pence]

I use a microfiber towel, and it seems to work pretty well for me. It's thin and light, which is nice, but it seems to absorb enough water. However, I'm outgrowing it...Not complaining or anything. :eyebrows: I have some full-sized bamboo/cotton towels that I might move up to, but they're thick and will probably be heavy. I'm casually browsing for alternatives at the moment; maybe I'll stumble across one one of these days. Any material should be fine as long as it's soft and not grabby and also absorbs as much as you need.

[americanjan1]

I have been using a soft t-shirt after someone suggested it but it doesn't absorb much at ALL. I would like to try microfiber but I want to get the right kind.

[Jenn of Pence]

The "right kind" is just something soft. I wouldn't stress over it too much. I've had luck finding microfiber towels or at least microfiber turbans in the hair stuff sections of TJ Maxx and Ross; might be interesting to just go touch some to see how they feel, for reference.

[rbs22]

I'm just starting on my long hair journey, so up until now have been using just a regular old cotton towel. I was looking at some microfiber ones today, but they seem so tiny! I can't believe they would absorb enough water, but I guess they do.

[Lilli]

I have a microfiber towel and a microfiber turbie but neither is big enough to hold all my length. I got the Aquis microfiber towel like 20 years ago and it is still in great condition! It does not pull out hair and is not sticky. It is so lightweight that it doesn't tug on my scalp which is comfortable and better for my hair.

[Fencai]

I use a t-shirt and have found that the quality of the tshirt makes a BIG difference on how much it absorbs.
The better the quality, the more absorbant it is. Especially the darker color t-shirts. They are usually a heavier weight than the lighter colors.

[Ligeia_13]

I...have no idea :p

[robynlh87]

I found 100% jersey knit sheets on sale, so I bought a set & cut them up for my hair towels. It is great! I can plop at night and wrap the ends around so I can sleep without having a huge knot at the back of my head! :)

Thats a good idea! One issue I've had was that I couldn't wrap or plop my hair in it!! I'll have to check the local sales!!

[curlymarcia]

I tried the microfiber and it didn't work for me (it is so small). I neither like it the t-shirt, but only tried once. Reading that many of you like use t-shirts it's making me thinking about try it again.

[DarkSky]

I use this one and love it! http://www.curlease.com/ Not sure if they changed the product design though since I bought it several years ago. Anyways, it's the only one that is great at getting rid of the drippies without messing up my hair/curls

[Anje]

Same sort I use on my body. I just happen to have two of them on my towel bar, and the one kept on the right goes on my head. I've tried the turbie twist thing, but it was kinda small for my head and doesn't leave my hair any drier because it gets saturated too quickly.

[Macaroni]

I was using the Aquis but now it's too little, so I switched to a heavy terrycloth towel. It was okay but didn't wick any water out of my hair.

The hair board on another site likes this product:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-5pk-Flour-Sack-Kitchen-Towel-White/14938258

Being frugal, I switched to an inexpensive, thin terrycloth towel. Works great!

[Cassie 123]

A bath-sized Aquis microfiber towel. It's the same texture as the original Aquis hair towels, but bigger (and pink).

[Khiwanean]

I use a regular bath towel, but only until my hair stops dripping.

[charalito]

I sewed my own turbie-type using microfiber towels, but not the regular ones (they feel like velcro to me). Found microfiber used to clean glass the automotive section of the store and I like it way better. It's smooth and very absorbent.

The towels I got meassured 16x16inches, so I bought 4 and used 2 for the head part and 2 for the lenght part in the likes of this pattern (http://perfectlittlestitches.com/downloads/HeadWrapProject.pdf) (not exactly that one, but it's a general idea). I left the seams on the outside so there's nothing to grab the hair.

So far, I'm very happy with the results. Just remember not to use fabric softener on microfiber as it limits the absorption.

[cocoahair]

I adore my turbie twist :)

[lovelylaura]

I'm happy I found this thread- My hair is too long now for a turbie twist, and actually for most of the towels at my house. We have some big thick ones but they are so heavy on my head. I like to wear my hair in a towel for a while because I feel like it gives it some body in the front (letting it dry a bit in that position). I'm intrigued by the make-your-own turbie instructions with the auto-mechanic towels (good idea!) and also the towels that Macaroni listed from WalMart. I'm thinking those wouldn't be big enough to put my hair up in though. But maybe to make a turbie. Also good to know they could be used for re-useable diapers as one woman commented on the Wal-Mart website.

[spidermom]

I use soft flannel pillowcases for my hair.

[Covet]

Another vote for the t-shirt! On occasion I'll use a microfiber turbie thing, but that's only rarely.

[lovelylaura]

Spidermom- you aren't able to tie your hair up in the pillowcase are you? Also others who mentioned T-shrits- you can't tie your hair up in that right? But people "plop" right? I tried that once and remember it being difficult to stay on my head.

[CurlySasha]

I use a t-shirt, and I switch it to a new one every 45 minutes or so. I use about three shirts in total!

[nerdymomma]

Why not terrycloth?

I had my mom buy me a large pack of microfiber shop towels at Costco, I trifold them and use them in my cloth diapers. They absorb a ton. But I prefer natural fibers next to my skin. I'd need a good reason to switch from my soft cotton terrycloth.

The jersey sheets idea is a great one. You can often find them at a thrift shop for $0.99.

[WaitingSoLong]

I found 100% jersey knit sheets on sale, so I bought a set & cut them up for my hair towels.

I second this. T-shirts were way too small and saturated too quickly. I had some old jersey sheets (jersey sheets are made of T-shirt material) I cut up. I folded it in half and sewed it that way, my ONE hair towel is huge...sewn in half it measures almost 3' x 3.5'. My hair still peeps out the end, but if I turn it diagonally, it doesn't.

It is so much less bulky than a terry towel and I HATED the microfiber towels and the bulk of anything else. I just wrap my saturated hair up and squeeze, then undo, flip it around to the dry side, and repeat, this time leaving it up to soak water until I ready to do my hair. Then after I detangle, I use the dry parts to gently squeeze the length of my hair before styling or drying.

I have enough material to make at least one more but one is all I need. I take it with me when I travel! It never pills or fuzzes or runs, either. I like how lightweight it is on my head.

[Carolyn]

I've tried several microfiber towels and haven't been at all impressed with them. I actually thought they absorbed less than plain old cotton terry cloth. My favorite towels are from K Mart and were $1.99. Sadly they have been discontinued. I have 6 of them so hopefully they will last a while. They only get used for hair towels so they don't get really hard use. I don't think cotton terry cloth is damaging at all.

[swearnsue]

I have a microfiber and a turbie twist. I don't think it matters as much as how you use your towel, in other words, do not rub your hair with it. I use the microfiber and turbie because they are lighter and easier on my poor old neck.

[nobeltonya]

Just a regular old bath towel [literally old.. probably a few years lol], probably from Wal-Mart.. I just wrap my hair in it for a few minutes after I get out of the shower, then take it down and put my leave-in and comb. Nothing special. :p

[lapushka]

I've tried several microfiber towels and haven't been at all impressed with them. I actually thought they absorbed less than plain old cotton terry cloth. My favorite towels are from K Mart and were $1.99. Sadly they have been discontinued. I have 6 of them so hopefully they will last a while. They only get used for hair towels so they don't get really hard use. I don't think cotton terry cloth is damaging at all.

Same here. I also don't think terry cloth does any damage. I have microfiber turbies and terry cloth ones, and I find there's not really a difference between them (in terms of frizzy hair afterwards). In fact, the terry cloth ones seem to absorb much more water, faster.

[jeanniet]

I squeeze the excess water out, and then wrap my head in a white XL t-shirt. It absorbs water pretty well, and it stays securely. If I need my hair to dry faster, I take off the first t-shirt after it's good and damp and put on a dry one.

I started with the t-shirt thing to reduce frizzing, but I really don't think it makes much difference vs. terry towels or a TurbieTwist. I think the t-shirt stays on better.

[Tota]

I use a 100% organic cotton male XL T-shirts. I only make sure that the one I use wasn't washed with fabric softener (because then it doesn't absorb enough water).

[jeanniet]

My son has gorgeous 3b hair (when he hasn't buzzed it off, that is :mad:), and he uses a TurbieTwist (very cute...don't tell him I said that!). He has big, round curls and doesn't seem to get much frizz at all.

[afu]

for my hair i use a microfibre turbietwist - best thing ive found for my hair as it's soft and super absorbant

[oktobergoud]

for my hair i use a microfibre turbietwist - best thing ive found for my hair as it's soft and super absorbant

+1! Love it :D

[luxepiggy]

I use a PVA towel, which is basically a synthetic chamois, and I LOVE it. In the past I've tried terry towels, t-shirts and several types of microfibre, but the PVA towel is my favourite by far.

[jacqueline101]

I use a cotton towel.

[swearnsue]

I use a PVA towel, which is basically a synthetic chamois, and I LOVE it. In the past I've tried terry towels, t-shirts and several types of microfibre, but the PVA towel is my favourite by far.

What does PVA stand for? Piggy's Very Absorbant towel?:)

[luxepiggy]

What does PVA stand for? Piggy's Very Absorbant towel?:)

LOL! That gave me a good giggle. PVA stands for polyvinyl alcohol - it is a type of synthetic polymer (^(oo)^)v

[Bagginslover]

I have tried microfibre, and t****s, but they just don't get enough water out of my hair.

I squeeze my hair out before wrapping it up in a normal towel, and leave it on for 10-15 mins. When I take it off, I carefully unwrap it, and use the dryer ends of it to squeeze my hair again-no rubbing.

This makes my hair dry enough not to drip, then I just spray on my Aussie leave in, brush it through, and leave to dry ;)

[auburntressed]

Right now, I'm using a turbie twist. I'm liking it. Before, I was just using a cheap Walmart towel.

[WaitingSoLong]

I only make sure that the one I use wasn't washed with fabric softener (because then it doesn't absorb enough water).

Good to point out. Never wash your towels and use fabric softener! Especially cleaning towels (smudgy mirrors!)


I squeeze the excess water out, and then wrap my head in a white XL t-shirt. It absorbs water pretty well, and it stays securely. If I need my hair to dry faster, I take off the first t-shirt after it's good and damp and put on a dry one.

I started with the t-shirt thing to reduce frizzing, but I really don't think it makes much difference vs. terry towels or a TurbieTwist. I think the t-shirt stays on better.

Yes if the T-shirt is not large enough it just gets soaking wet. Mine is so large I can turn it 3 different ways to "start over". I find the absorbing power of jersey knit superior to terry cloth and so much lighter weight. Also, it stays secure. I usully forget I have it on!

For me it was all about absorbtion. I am not sure how wet hair can get frizzy?

[curlyhair]

100% cotton towel or T-Shirt

[Stagecoach]

I use a microfiber towel from Bed Bath and Beyond. it's about 18"x36".