Is air drying really for everyone?

[Cania]

So I tried letting my hair air dry today, and I don't understand how you all manage it!

I washed it this morning, it's 7:15pm now and it's still not dry!! I have to go to college 5 days a week, and I'm usually out at weekends too.. I can't go out with it wet all the time or I'll get a cold :(

So what's up with this? Am I doing something wrong, or is it just not for me?

[Anje]

Why will having your hair wet cause you to become infected with a virus?

[dorkfish]

What I usually do when I don't have time to wait for it to dry all the way, is sit in front of a fan and put it on low. Just the cool air moving will help take the majority of the moisture out of my hair.

It also helps that I live in Louisiana, and it is always so hot outside here.:)

[monsterna]

Why will having your hair wet cause you to become infected with a virus?

This.

I wash my hair in the evening and let it dry before I go to sleep. Or sleep on it slightly damp.

[Khiwanean]

I ususally wrap my hair in a towel until it's done dripping and I usually wash my hair at night and sleep with it spread over my pillow after it's had some time to air dry normally. I know there are some who will sit in front of a fan to speed drying. It could be air drying is just not feasible for you, especially since your hair is so thick, but I thought I'd suggest a few things for you to try before you give up on it altogether.

[akka naeda]

So I tried letting my hair air dry today, and I don't understand how you all manage it!

I washed it this morning, it's 7:15pm now and it's still not dry!! I have to go to college 5 days a week, and I'm usually out at weekends too.. I can't go out with it wet all the time or I'll get a cold :(

So what's up with this? Am I doing something wrong, or is it just not for me?


My hair doesn't dry for over 24 hrs in the winter if I airdry it, so I use a dryer. There have been threads like this before and there are plenty of people on here who use driers to dry their hair totally or partially (allowing it to airdry for the rest of the time).

[Ginny Mae]

You sound like your hair is somewhat similar to mine (i.e. both thick and quite coarse). I've tried the "air drying" experiment several times throughout my life and every single time I've vowed that I'd never try it again because it leaves my hair in incredibly bad condition. The only time it ever works for me is when I'm abroad or the odd time that it's super hot in the UK. My most recent air drying experiment, which lasted for maybe three or four months resulted in terrible split ends.

My hair really does take hours to dry - I can go to bed and wake up with it still wet the next morning (as in wet not just damp), and I think it's leaving my hair wet for long periods of time that dries it out and puts it in bad condition. I remember an interview with Kate Winslet where she said she had to cut all her hair off after Titantic because it was in awful condition after being wet for so long during filming, so maybe I had the same thing going on! But then again if you can find something like a fan that's more gentle than a blowdrier and works for you that would be great.

[Cania]

Sleeping on it doesn't cause me any problems, but my hair tends to snag so I avoid it when I can.
It's because it can be cold/wet here really quite frequently, and it causes me to get a chill and then I'm more likely to get a cold or something similar. Either way, I end up freezing all day and that can't be good for me!

Glad to hear other people have to use hair-dryers too.

[spidermom]

Getting a chill doesn't give you a cold. But do what you're comfortable with. We aren't going to come after you with torches and pitchforks if you choose to use a hair dryer.

[AuburnTresses]

I was considering using a hair dryer because my hair was taking so long to dry, but then someone told me to try a club soda rinse for some waxiness I was experiencing (hard water buildup). It took my drying time from about 12 hours to about 1. I don't know if it would work for you but it made all the difference for me.

[LouLaLa]

I tie half of mine up in a messy bun to let the under layers dry out a bit and then let the rest down when it begins to dry properly. It speeds things upa little IMO.

However my hair is odd and becomes crazy when I use heat appliances, so I have to just put up with the natural drying process.

[Aveyronnaise]

Getting a chill doesn't give you a cold. But do what you're comfortable with. We aren't going to come after you with torches and pitchforks if you choose to use a hair dryer.
I am kind of half drunk and this cracked me up.

[dawnss]

I am kind of half drunk and this cracked me up.

Haha at the half drunk comment.

[dawnss]

In all seriousness though, I understand what you mean about not having wet drippy hair all day. I definately agree with the other posters about washing your hair at night, buns, and fans. You can also braid your hair while wet or use a cotton t shirt. I do want to ask you a question though, do you find that handling dry hair is difficult? If so why not just wash your hair or rinse your hair less often.
Or on your non wash days you can just spray some water on your hair and then apply some oil that way your hair stays moisturized and you do not have to worry about it taking forever and a day to dry.

[BlazingHeart]

I have superthick hair so I have a really long drying time. I have discovered I can halve my drying time.

First, I really thoroughly squeeze the water out of my hair with my hands. I stand in the shower and wait 3 minutes and do it again, because that's long enough for a lot of the remaining water to collect at the tips and be easy to get rid of. Next, I squeeze with a regular towel over and over in different parts of the towel until the whole towel is wet. Then I put on a turbie, wait 15-20 minutes until it's wet through, then put on a second one, wait 15-20 until it's wet through, then put on a third one, give it 20-25 minutes until it's wet through (the last one takes longer because my hair has finally started to dry), and then I fan my hair out over a towel on my pillow if I'm going to sleep, just let it hang down if I'm not.

If I sit in front of a fan after that, I can further shorten it, but I have to be willing to sit there with a fan blowing in my face (I find having the fan in front of me minimizes the resulting tangles.

Best of luck finding a method that shortens your drying time!

~Blaze

[MychelleC]

My hair takes a good 12 hours to dry naturally. I usually let it air dry for an hour or so then hit it with the blow dryer to get the major wetness out. When it is only slightly damp I twist it up in a clip and by the time I get to my destination it's all wavy and smooth. I just can't walk around with wet hair all day, especially in winter.

[Peter]

I wrap my hair in a towel for 10-15 minutes during after-shower duties, then blowdry ("warm" setting, not "hot") until it's mostly dry and put it in a loose braid. If I do this at night, it's dry when I wake up. I've been doing this for a few months now and haven't noticed my hair being in any worse condition than before.

I should note that I usually do scalp washes, which means I only blowdry my roots (since my length and ends stay dry). I only blowdry the length when I do a full wash, which is 2-3 times a month.

[swearnsue]

You know how hair driers have two settings, very hot and too hot? Hair dryers made for pets have really low heat and come with stands. Just a thought, you could get one of those and put it one the stand so you don't have to hold it and you could study while your hair gently dries. Pet driers are made to be quiet too so that it doesn't scare them.

P.S. I'm sober right now, just FYI....

[frodolaughs]

My hair dries quite quickly, so I never use a hair dryer. I put it in a towel turban immediately after my shower while I brush my teeth, etc. That mops up a lot of moisture. Then I comb it and re-wrap it for a few minutes while I make the bed. I think combing it gets more of the water to the surface, and more gets absorbed by the towel than if I just left it in the original turban. If I damp-bun at this point it will stay damp all day, but most of the dampness is away from my head and doesn't bother me. If I take it out of the turban and comb it again it will be dry in an hour or so.

I don't think there is any single hair-care technique which is 'for everyone.' It all depends on you, your hair, and what you want.

[kidari]

I wash daily so it's really important to me that my hair dries fast and I wouldn't want to use a blow dryer every time after I wash everyday. I put oil in my hair before I wash, I feel like this helps speed drying time. In the shower I comb out the conditioner with a wide-toothed comb carefully while it's rinsing out and I start from the ends up and make sure to thouroughly rinse everything out. I gently squeeze the water out of my hair from roots to ends a couple times. I plop my hair in a microfiber hair turban for about 10-15 minutes after the shower and then let it air dry. Every once in a while I will rearrange the part, flip my head upside and fluff up the crown area gently and shake things around. It really helps to dry fast. If I wear my hair down I put a tiny bit of Paul Mitchell super skinny serum (I love cones) into the ends to help protect them, but I noticed it says that it helps speed drying time as well.

[mrs_coffee]

I use a hair dryer on medium heat, not too close to my head, just to get me past the really wet stage to the damp stage. I don't mind letting my hair air dry from there, but I cannot tolerate wet hair on my neck, shoulders, back, etc. It drives me crazy.

[Copasetic]

Why will having your hair wet cause you to become infected with a virus?

Thank you!


The crazy amount of time that it takes for long hair to dry is exactly why many people with long hair only wet the full length of their hair when they feel that they need to. Some do it every couple of days, some do it once a week.

[deko]

In the winter I wash my hair as soon I am home, so it will have a plenty of time to dty.

If the outside weather is between plus 10 C to minus 15 C (normal weather) I wash my hair when I feel like it. It dryes in no time and it's not doing to do any harm.

[SoulOfTheSea]

Well you could try washing your hair at night instead, so that you don't feel so cold in the mornings. Then, if you REALLY need a wash in the morning, you could use a shower cap (I use one all the time), and then give your body a good washing. But if you must wash your hair in the morning, I would recommend putting it up with hair sticks, or French braid it, or any type of braid really. If you use braids of some sort, you could put your beanie or hat over that, to help protect from the cold. :)

[spidermom]

I generally wash my hair in the evening and spread it over the top of the pillow when I go to bed. It's still somewhat wet when I get up, but it dries pretty fast after that.

[mathnerd]

You know how hair driers have two settings, very hot and too hot? Hair dryers made for pets have really low heat and come with stands. Just a thought, you could get one of those and put it one the stand so you don't have to hold it and you could study while your hair gently dries. Pet driers are made to be quiet too so that it doesn't scare them.

Now I'm super intrigued by this. lol Might have to check this out the next time I'm near a pet store. I tend to experiment with the whole air dry thing in the summer months when it's too warm to stand and dry my hair. But realistically, it's probably not going to work in the winter, since it gets pretty cold here (I also don't use a lot of heat in my apartment, since it makes my allergies flare up).

Has anyone ever tried the pet dryers before?

[luthein]

In the winter, I sit about 5-feet away from a mini space heater. It's just enough warmth to stop any chilliness and help aid drying.

[Desideira]

Sleeping on it doesn't cause me any problems, but my hair tends to snag so I avoid it when I can.
It's because it can be cold/wet here really quite frequently, and it causes me to get a chill and then I'm more likely to get a cold or something similar. Either way, I end up freezing all day and that can't be good for me!

Glad to hear other people have to use hair-dryers too.

what i normaly do to seepd up natural drying time is:

I first before steping put of the shower sqeze gently the excess water

thne i use very fluffy towel and make a truban and let is stay there for five minutes

you can sue hair dryer tha thave cool air setting. I use remington. I swich turbo setting with cool air.:)

On most days i skip dryer but soetimes i just have to.

I hope this helps:)

[Guenhwyvar]

My hair takes ages to air dry. I used to just go to school with it wet. Could you not shower as soon as you get home so it can air dry as much as possible before bed?

[pink.sara]

I sadly dont think airdrying is for everyone. I tried it last summer/winter and on hot days with sun, a lot of agitating and flipping it around it can be dry in a few hours. But normally it will take all day. On one day when I went to bed with wet hair it was still wet in the morning and on the way to work it froze! despite being in a hat :(
I gave up then.
I do the multiple towel and squeezing it until the towel is soaked then getting a new one thing, then hairdry on the lowest heat (my hairdryer has a coolshot setting) until its at least 50% dry.
I cant stand going to bed with wet hair as I wont sleep and it wont dry, just makes for mouldy pillows!!
Thick hair is a pain in the *** this way. That's why I try to only wash it 3 times a week!

[slz]

Getting a chill doesn't give you a cold. But do what you're comfortable with. We aren't going to come after you with torches and pitchforks if you choose to use a hair dryer.
Oh come on, we all know it's a short cut, but in the end that's what it comes to : feeling cold will lower your immune system thus making you more susceptible to catch any virus that might cross your path at the moment. There, better ? Besides, even if it didn't, nobody wants to feel cold most of the time.


The crazy amount of time that it takes for long hair to dry is exactly why many people with long hair only wet the full length of their hair when they feel that they need to. Some do it every couple of days, some do it once a week.
Yup - if I'd wash everyday, besides reducing my sleep time at least an hour, I would walk around with wet hair 24/7 . Not my definition of healthy, fun, or anything.
To reduce drying time, I use two towels - turban, wait 10 minutes, take off towel and "fluff" hair to let air in, then turban with another towel. In winter, towels would have seated on a heater beforehand. Then for the drying itself, combing outside with some sun and wind would de perfect, which only happens 4 months a year at best here. Combing in front of a fan might mimic that.

[Alaia]

I generally wash my hair in the evening and spread it over the top of the pillow when I go to bed. It's still somewhat wet when I get up, but it dries pretty fast after that.

This.

I also find that using a microfiber turbie or towel speeds up my drying process as well.

[hibiscus]

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[Lianna]

Not for everyone. The past year I washed my hair everyday and went out with it in a damp bun. People saw me with damp hair everyday, all day I was out (it's only dry by night). I'm pretty tired of it. The only way I found to dry it faster was not use conditioner, and I don't wanna do that often.

Heat tools are in my near future.

ETA: Also, my future job will require a very professional look, and even though I don't agree with this, damp hair isn't it. I can't wash at night, where I live is very hot and I need to wet my head in the morning (I actually wet it at night too...so I can sleep feeling fresh). If I let it dry over a pillow it looks horrible, all over the place.

[WaitingSoLong]

I put oil in my hair before I wash, I feel like this helps speed drying time.
...

If I wear my hair down I put a tiny bit of Paul Mitchell super skinny serum (I love cones) into the ends to help protect them, but I noticed it says that it helps speed drying time as well.

I second this. I use a serum, too, and this definitely speeds drying for some reason (that I don't wish to know).

I also use a hair dryer maybe once a month. I just don't always have time to let my hair dry. I don't put it next to my head and I am not worried about the heat because it is too far away. I use it quite a bit more in the winter because I abhor being cold.

Some time ago in a thread here I posted that I made a towel from T-shirt material. I used a "jersey" bed sheet because no T-shirt is big enough for my hair. I cut a piece and it is sewn in half (two ply, if you will) and this is, bar-none, the most absorbant hair towel I have ever used. By the time I am done squeezing my hair with it, the towel is saturated and it is about 3' x 4'. It has made a huge difference in how much water I can coax out of my hair without using a dryer.

But regardless, some looks can only be obtained by hair dryers.

And I only wash twice a week. Even with a dryer my hair takes forever to dry. But when I had short hair I had to basically wash my hiar daily to "reset" it from the dreaded bedhead.

Also, if I am in a hurry, I will just dry the roots so my head doesn't feel cold then braid the length wet. It never really dries completely this way but the outside of the braid dries enough to keep my shirt from getting wet and the rest will dry at night when I take my braid down. Or if I sleep in the braid, next morning I have lovely braid waves.

[Becky9679]

My whole adult life (my mum did use a dryer on me when I was little) I have only owned a hair dryer for a few months before deciding that using one was actually more hassle! Seriously, I hate them, it seems to take ages and my hair always ends up horribly tangled afterward. I know that air drying takes a lot longer really but you can do other stuff in the meantime.

My routine has always been to wash it in the evening, wrap in a towel or turbie-twist for however long it is between hair washing and bedtime then take the towel off and put on my nightcap over the wet hair (by 'nightcap' I mean an inside out pair of satin pyjama bottoms :D). It often is still damp in the morning but not much, brush or comb it for a while and it's mostly dry.

If I have to wash it any earlier in the day I just leave it in the towel for longer, or if I happen to be going out I'll put it up wet. This has the added bonus of giving me lovely curls and waves when I take it down!

BTW, my gran has told me for years that I'll get a cold from sleeping on wet hair and it's never happened. Obviously I have had colds but I really don't think it's because of that - if it was I'd have one constantly!

[Melon Collie]

I wash my hair in the evening and let it dry before I go to sleep. Or sleep on it slightly damp.

Exactly.

And, no, air drying isn't for everyone. When my hair was chin to shoulder length I used to blow fry it to keep my hemline curled under.

[spidermom]

just makes for mouldy pillows!!
Thick hair is a pain in the *** this way. That's why I try to only wash it 3 times a week!

All these years of going to bed with (and getting up with) wet hair, and I haven't seen a trace of mold on the pillow (or pillowcases or sheets or mattress). I live in a wet climate 9-10 months of the year, too.

[spidermom]

Oh come on, we all know it's a short cut, but in the end that's what it comes to : feeling cold will lower your immune system thus making you more susceptible to catch any virus that might cross your path at the moment.

Nope - can't agree. I've been cold many times, and everybody else who lives here has been sick many times, but I rarely catch a virus. So there are other factors involved, not just being cold and being exposed to a virus.

[Buggheart]

Nope - can't agree. I've been cold many times, and everybody else who lives here has been sick many times, but I rarely catch a virus. So there are other factors involved, not just being cold and being exposed to a virus.

I agree. People get colds/illnesses from other sick people, not from cold temperatures. But it is no fun to walk around with cold, wet hair on a cold day. However the 2 are unrelated. I think the latter just makes one feel bad.

[headtrip_honey]

Nope - can't agree. I've been cold many times, and everybody else who lives here has been sick many times, but I rarely catch a virus. So there are other factors involved, not just being cold and being exposed to a virus.

Ditto.

People are more apt to get colds/general yuck in the winter because everyone is stuck inside together, thus allowing for more transfer of germs.

Also, when you're cold, many people's noses run, which may have propagated the myth that getting physically cold = getting a cold.

[Lady Dragon]

I air dry most of the time, but sometimes use a hair dryer on low to speed it up. Especially in the winter... I've had still wet hair freeze and break before. Not fun!

[slz]

Nope - can't agree. I've been cold many times, and everybody else who lives here has been sick many times, but I rarely catch a virus. So there are other factors involved, not just being cold and being exposed to a virus.


I agree. People get colds/illnesses from other sick people, not from cold temperatures. But it is no fun to walk around with cold, wet hair on a cold day. However the 2 are unrelated. I think the latter just makes one feel bad.
Of course there are other factors : your immune system, and anything that can cause it to be "up" or "down" at any given moment. And being cold is one of those factors (read : not the only one, but one of those) that will make your body less able to defend itself against infections.

[Ostelot]

Of course there are other factors : your immune system, and anything that can cause it to be "up" or "down" at any given moment. And being cold is one of those factors (read : not the only one, but one of those) that will make your body less able to defend itself against infections.

Actually I don't think it's any of those factors causing a flu etc. I've never seen a research proving that feeling cold would effect on infections through the immune system. Just rumours and stories. Can you provide a valuable source? I'm also a living example of person who doesn't get any infections easily in the cold environment. Like spidermom seems to be. Here's very cold climate and I usually wear very little amount of clothes, also in the winter. :D Sometimes I might feel cold, usually not. But others keep telling me how cold it is on their opinion. If a person gets infections very easily, I think it's about genetics, serious illnesses or usually simply by living habits (nutrition!). :) Headtrip_Honey explained well why cold can be confused as the main reason.

[Milui Elenath]

I agree with slz temperature fluctuations do have an effect on the immune system and the overall body functions. Which is why the immune system raises body temperature to assist fighting off illness.

Also I don't buy into the we're all inside in winter therefore we get more germs because frankly I am with those same people (work) in summer, inside because it's too hot!

But back on topic. I personally hate wet hair. I would be cold all night if I went to bed with wet hair (in winter ;) )

What I do is the series of towels and then a sunny window, if I am unable to time my washes to a sunny day or day time I will sit in a warmed room (fireplace) but not with my hair close to the heat source. It speeds up drying a little and keeps me comfortable.

This way washing/drying my hair becomes me time, something for myself that makes me relax.

In summer drying hair is taken for granted. :sun:

[Mirsha]

I started using my blowdryer after LHC taught me how, and now I'm considering buying another one with 6 heat settings just because. lol.

I blowdry after swimming because if my hair is not freshly washed it will take ages and ages, while looking super greasy.

I remember going out with wet hair in winter and it just made me feel pathetic. It takes some serious hot tea to get me warm again, not something I'd like to do on a regular basis.

[Medusa]

I started air drying almost exclusively a year ago, when I started working from home and didn't have to "do" my hair everyday. My hair has never been in better shape, despite coloring and using other heat appliances on it (it's still dry and somewhat damaged, but not nearly as much as when I used a hair dryer). On the rare occasion I blow dry it now, I end up with a head full of frizz.

I have found sitting in front of a fan helps speed the process, as does using a t-shirt to dry hair after a shower. I also use my dryer on the cool, air only setting if I'm need to speed things up a little. My hair is somewhat thick, it seems to take about 8 hours to dry fully. I can't sleep with wet or even damp hair, I look like the bride of Frankenstein the next day.

[Ashenputtel]

I do like most people here, wash at night, let it dry and sometimes sleed with my hair slightly damp.

When I blow dry it I just slightly do the roots than wait for the rest. I always hated hair dryer. Never used one on a regular basis.

[bluesnowflake]

You could try washing it at night. I wash it at night and then bun it to sleep (you could also braid, I wouldn't recommend leaving it down. Usually it's dry enough by morning that I can leave it down for 5 or so minutes and have it 90% dry.

[GourmetChica]

I hate having my hair wet too, I live at high altitude where it is very dry though. There are tons of blow dryers now with cool settings, and if you are willing to spend the money on some high tech goodness, the new ionic ceramic dryers are amazingly fast to dry your hair and also gentle. I have a babyliss pro (from folica.com) and I can dry my mid back hair in 5 minutes on the cool setting. It doesn't even compare to a drugstore brand, I used to use cheap dryers and blow drying took forever. Very worth the investment even if you are only drying once or twice per week.

As I said I do live in a dry climate, and I wait about 30 minutes after washing so it is partially dry before I even start. Also a coney serum like Moroccan oil serum or the cheaper Garnier version will help speed drying time too if you're not opposed to that.

It's all a matter of figuring out what works for you, which you will!

[Cania]

Okay, so I'll concede that maybe I am just being naive about the wet hair leading to illness things. But I was told that it was based on soldiers during WWI - those in wet trenches got colds much more frequently than those who were able to sleep in dry conditions. I thought it wasn't the cold so much as the damp, so clothing wouldn't have much to do with it. Maybe I'm just gullible because of my age, I don't know, or maybe because my immune system is already so poor I'm just covering all my bases just in case. But I'm not sure if I'm just reading some responses with a tone that isn't there, but some people seem irritated by my posts, which was never my intention and I'm really sorry if I have annoyed anyone through ignorance. But either way, I would be physically cold all day which is unpleasant, so just tying it up and leaving it is really out of the question.

Bluesnowflake - unfortunately if I sleep on it wet with any kind of up-do it's still extremely wet in the morning! Thank you for the tip though :)

swearnsue and GourmetChica - interesting tips with the hair-dryers, I'll look into that, thanks! I use a cheap hair-dryer at the moment and the cold setting takes hours to dry my hair, my old straighters are babyliss pro, so maybe that's the brand to look for :P


It's been interesting reading everyone's tips, thank you, I'll be sure to try some of these.

[headtrip_honey]

Okay, so I'll concede that maybe I am just being naive about the wet hair leading to illness things. But I was told that it was based on soldiers during WWI - those in wet trenches got colds much more frequently than those who were able to sleep in dry conditions. I thought it wasn't the cold so much as the damp, so clothing wouldn't have much to do with it. Maybe I'm just gullible because of my age, I don't know, or maybe because my immune system is already so poor I'm just covering all my bases just in case. But I'm not sure if I'm just reading some responses with a tone that isn't there, but some people seem irritated by my posts, which was never my intention and I'm really sorry if I have annoyed anyone through ignorance. But either way, I would be physically cold all day which is unpleasant, so just tying it up and leaving it is really out of the question.

Bluesnowflake - unfortunately if I sleep on it wet with any kind of up-do it's still extremely wet in the morning! Thank you for the tip though :)

swearnsue and GourmetChica - interesting tips with the hair-dryers, I'll look into that, thanks! I use a cheap hair-dryer at the moment and the cold setting takes hours to dry my hair, my old straighters are babyliss pro, so maybe that's the brand to look for :P


It's been interesting reading everyone's tips, thank you, I'll be sure to try some of these.

There is some scientific data to support that being cold lowers your immune response (because your body's energy goes towards warming you up instead of bolstering your general health), however goes out with wet hair every now and again isn't enough to damage your immune system. :) But I can definitely see it being uncomfortable and annoying.

Re: soldiers in trenches - bacteria and viruses LOVE wet environments, so I'm not surprised the ones that were in wet trenches vs. dry got sick more.

[Venefica]

Nothing is for everyone, however for me air drying works allot better than applying heat to my hair, however if the alternative is to freeze, sometimes you have no choice, well I do not own a blow dryer, but if I did I would rather use it then freeze, however I usually wash my hair late in the night so I do not have to go out before it is dry.

[wildroses]

I also rarely use a blow dryer on my hair and typically wash it at night, braid it and go to bed allowing it to air dry. I find that I have less breakage and my hair is silkier when I use this method of drying.

[luxepiggy]

Air drying is not for piggies. My hair dryer is my friend (^(oo)^)v

[GourmetChica]

Okay, so I'll concede that maybe I am just being naive about the wet hair leading to illness things. But I was told that it was based on soldiers during WWI - those in wet trenches got colds much more frequently than those who were able to sleep in dry conditions. I thought it wasn't the cold so much as the damp, so clothing wouldn't have much to do with it. Maybe I'm just gullible because of my age, I don't know, or maybe because my immune system is already so poor I'm just covering all my bases just in case. But I'm not sure if I'm just reading some responses with a tone that isn't there, but some people seem irritated by my posts, which was never my intention and I'm really sorry if I have annoyed anyone through ignorance. But either way, I would be physically cold all day which is unpleasant, so just tying it up and leaving it is really out of the question.

Bluesnowflake - unfortunately if I sleep on it wet with any kind of up-do it's still extremely wet in the morning! Thank you for the tip though :)

swearnsue and GourmetChica - interesting tips with the hair-dryers, I'll look into that, thanks! I use a cheap hair-dryer at the moment and the cold setting takes hours to dry my hair, my old straighters are babyliss pro, so maybe that's the brand to look for :P


It's been interesting reading everyone's tips, thank you, I'll be sure to try some of these.

You're welcome! I think blow dryers get a bad rap because so many people used the older or cheaper ones with bad technique. If you do decide to splurge, it's really helpful to read the reviews at Folica, and also look for coupon codes.

I wanted to add that the cool setting is not exactly cool like air conditioning, but maybe 80 or 90 something degrees F. So it's not unlike sitting outside in the wind on a summer day. If you keep the blow dryer moving, and some good inches away from your head, as long as your hair is not crazy thick it really shouldn't take long at all. You can always use a heat protectant as I mentioned earlier or coney serum, which speed drying times even more if you wish. (I use either Purology's or Joico's, but there are tons available. Nexxus makes a good one that you can usually find in the drugstore.)

And the day my hair starts affecting my quality of life is the day I get rid of it!

xo

[cheshire90]

I guess it depends on the weather, if its cold it takes longer

[luvlaughlin]

Two words: Argan Oil :)

Your hair will dry in minutes literally.