Air-drying Techniques?

[SoulOfTheSea]

I have been wondering for a long time what are the air-drying techniques that people on the LHC like to use. However, last night in particular made me even MORE curious. Let me explain. :rolleyes:

Well yesterday was wash day for me, and I usually let my hair air-dry down. I thought it was drying pretty frizz-free yesterday (which is just almost impossible, ugh.) but then something happened. I went to a party last night and I decided to just clip my hair into a half-up style, so I could show off some of the wave and body I get on wash day. Then, I hit the dance floor. *Poof* went my hair, and when I got home I had the worst tangles and poof I have had in a while... :demon:

My point: I really need a new air-drying technique. I know about damp-bunning and such, I just don't know if it's damaging or not. :/ Anybody have a technique that works and isn't damaging? I would so GREATLY appreciate it! :cheese:

Oh, and if you would just like to share your technique for the sake of sharing, I'd love to hear it as well! There can never be enough experimenting, just as us LHC-ers should know! :toast:

[Jcv-Shelley]

This isn't much, but I know you can part your hair in a zig-zag pattern for lift. Another thing I'd suggest is a leave-in conditioner, gel, or serum (if your not against cones) to help frizz. Have you heard of damp braiding? It's used to help define curls. And of course, their is also scrunching.

[Madora]

Hi! I developed this technique for air drying after years of battling with snarls, etc. with my thick, long hair.

1) Bend at the waist and bring all hair in front of you, like a curtain.

2) Take a SMALL, THIN, section of hair, and using a wide tooth comb, start at the ends at gently comb out a small portion. If you feel a snarl, stop immediately and use your FINGERS to undo the snarl. If the snarl is tight, use a bit of oil or water to loosen it.

3) Continue to gently comb up the strands until you reach the scalp.

4) Take another thin, small section of hair and repeat steps 2 and 3 until all the hair has been completely detangled.

5) Part your hair from nape to crown so that it is in two sections. Secure one section with a scrunchie so that it is out of the way.

6) Stand erect.

7) Take a small, thin section of hair in your hand and bring your hand up to your eyebrow, then extend your hand all the way out to the side, and let the hair drop down. You have just "fanned" your first bunch of strands.

8) Repeat step 7 - and keep repeating with all the hair on that side

9) When the hair becomes partially dry, you can use your wide tooth comb, in a sort of slow motion style, by pressing the tines gently against your scalp, lifting up the hair an inch or two, then S L O W L Y bring out the hair laden comb in front of you and combing down the length.

10) Continue to "fan the strands" until all the hair has been dried.

This method dries my hair in 20 minutes outdoors and takes 45 minutes indoors (with the aid of a portable electric heater).

The thing to remember about drying hair quickly is this: air MUST circulate among the strands in order for hair to dry fast.

Your hair will not dry quickly if it sits on a towel down your back, or up in a bun on your head.

My technique was born out of frustration about having to wait forever using the "hair on a towel down my back" scenario. It took forever. Then I saw an ad on tv for copier paper, of all things, and the announcer bragged about how each piece of paper was crisp and clean and ideally suited for its purpose..and he fanned that ream of paper like nobodys business..and I thought, I wonder if "fanning" would speed the drying process. And so I tried it, and was thrilled. It worked..even on my very thick, long hair.

I've been using this method for over 40 years and it sure beats waiting around forever!

[InTheCity]

Soul, you and I have similar hair so here's what I do.

I almost never let my hair air dry untouched. I will end up with a fro: some curls, some straight and all ugly.

My easy way is to part, pull my hair half back in a low-ish clip, so the top lays flat and the bottom curls or waves.

Last night, I parted and combed my hair back, as if I was making a low ponytail but I wrapped this little open-top hair wrap around my head. I had ringlets coming out of the bottom like a curly mullet. When it dried and I took the wrap off and loosened with my fingers a bit, I had hair like the character of Mal in Inception.

[SoulOfTheSea]

Madora- Is that damaging in any way? I try not to touch my hair at all when it air dries.. and that seems like a lot of contact and I want to minimize that as much as possible.

Jcv-Shelley- I try using leave-ins like AVG, or jojoba oil, but I really want to try coconut oil, I just need to get the guts to spend the $10 on it. :o

InTheCity- I actually do that a lot, but my hair still dries frizzy and poofy...

[Cassie 123]

I wrap my hair with a microfiber towel for a little while to pull out as much water as possible, and then I damp-bun or damp-french braid. I don't think it's particularly damaging as long as you treat your hair with the usual LHC TLC. For the bun, I use a cinnabun, not especially tight or loose, secured with two spin pins. I put it ballerina-high if I am going to sleep this way. The bun or braid does remain damp on the inside until I take it down, but then when I put it back up into a new braid or bun (in the morning, say) it dries quickly. But: I have less hair and I live in dry, dry Southern California. If you are dealing with Honolulu humidity or something, I can see how a big wet bun might not work out so well.

You might want to try the coconut oil shampoo method (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=191); it decreases drying time. Also, for reducing frizz, you might want to try a diluted lemon rinse (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53745).

[Arya]

I wait till it's 90% dry, and then damp bun or do two dutch braids. It takes about 5 hours to dry that way, but the results are so great, I don't care. Plus, it's off my face. It depends on whether your hair dislikes being manipulated wet. For me, it's the only way to style my hair. It escapes all attempts at styling once fully dried.

[jojo]

I just wash, condition, finger comb and let it dry! if I am going out I let it dry to damp and put it in a sock bun, rolling the hair round the sock and leave overnight and I get lovely curls that last.

[Madora]

Madora- Is that damaging in any way? I try not to touch my hair at all when it air dries.. and that seems like a lot of contact and I want to minimize that as much as possible.

Jcv-Shelley- I try using leave-ins like AVG, or jojoba oil, but I really want to try coconut oil, I just need to get the guts to spend the $10 on it. :o

InTheCity- I actually do that a lot, but my hair still dries frizzy and poofy...

SoulOfTheSea, No, my method is not damaging, provided you do it slowly. Please visit my hair album and view my pics and you'll see the condition of my hair.

However, if you don't feel comfortable touching your hair at all when it dries, then perhaps another method would be more appealing. Good luck!

[Arya]

Madora, I kinda wanted to ask your opinion on whether you thought my weird technique is damaging...
I detangle in the shower, so there are never any big knots...but when my hair is about 50% dry, I tilt my head down, and whip my hair around in a circle a few times.

I never hear any snapping noises or have short hairs fall to the ground, and it seems to be *perfectly* detangled afterwards. Not the slightest knot or tangle. I haven't done it as much since I passed waist, but it seems to work incredibly well, for me at least. I think it's my most hair friendly method of detangling, and it gets sooo dry sooooo fast! I think mine is a more extreme method of fanning!

[Madora]

Madora, I kinda wanted to ask your opinion on whether you thought my weird technique is damaging...
I detangle in the shower, so there are never any big knots...but when my hair is about 50% dry, I tilt my head down, and whip my hair around in a circle a few times.

I never hear any snapping noises or have short hairs fall to the ground, and it seems to be *perfectly* detangled afterwards. Not the slightest knot or tangle. I haven't done it as much since I passed waist, but it seems to work incredibly well, for me at least. I think it's my most hair friendly method of detangling, and it gets sooo dry sooooo fast! I think mine is a more extreme method of fanning!

If your method works well for you, Arya, that's great. I kinda blanched at the "whipping" motion..but if you don't have any nasty problems with snarls afterwards, then go for it. I also detangle in the shower but take it a step further at the outset of the entire process..i.e. I part my hair from nape to forehead so that there are two sections. One section in placed on my chest on the right, the other section on the left, and I try to keep both sections separated as much as possible throughout the shampooing and conditioning processes. Of course rinsing is a different matter, since I rinse in the head down position, but usually the conditioner has done its work and I'm not troubled with many tangles afterwards.

I had a LOT of thick hair when I was younger and hated the snarls that always ensued on shampooing days..so I finally came up with my "fanning technique".

As long as your drying system is working for you, then I'd say stick with it!

[MychelleC]

I wash, condition, apply a touch of serum and sometimes a sprtiz of detangler if needed. When air-drying I gently comb out the tangles, then flip my head over and shake out my hair. I elt it dry for an hour or two before twisting it up into a clip for a few more hours. I will occasionally let it down, shake it out and re-twist. By mid-day I have soft waves that aren't poufy or frizzy - though my hair is always best on the second day.

[spidermom]

I like washing/conditioning before bed, and then piling my hair into the space above my pillow. I wedge another pillow between mattress and bed frame so that my hair stays in place rather than spilling over the edge.

My hair is still a bit damp when I get up, but it dries pretty quickly.

[Arya]

If your method works well for you, Arya, that's great. I kinda blanched at the "whipping" motion..but if you don't have any nasty problems with snarls afterwards, then go for it. I also detangle in the shower but take it a step further at the outset of the entire process..i.e. I part my hair from nape to forehead so that there are two sections. One section in placed on my chest on the right, the other section on the left, and I try to keep both sections separated as much as possible throughout the shampooing and conditioning processes. Of course rinsing is a different matter, since I rinse in the head down position, but usually the conditioner has done its work and I'm not troubled with many tangles afterwards.

I had a LOT of thick hair when I was younger and hated the snarls that always ensued on shampooing days..so I finally came up with my "fanning technique".

As long as your drying system is working for you, then I'd say stick with it!
Haha, maybe 'whipping is the wrong term, it's actually pretty slow. I just sort of spin my head around, and it seems to separate all the hairs from each other perfectly. For hair lengths shorter than waist, I think it's okay, less centrifugal force XD.

And hey, that's exactly how I wash my hair! It's too heavy to let it flow down my back wet, so bringing it across my chest seems to stop headaches/backaches from heavy wet hair.

[SoulOfTheSea]

SoulOfTheSea, No, my method is not damaging, provided you do it slowly. Please visit my hair album and view my pics and you'll see the condition of my hair.

However, if you don't feel comfortable touching your hair at all when it dries, then perhaps another method would be more appealing. Good luck!

You have lovely hair, so I can definitely trust that the method is successful. I might try it. =) Thanks for telling me it!

And thank you to everyone else as well, I do damp braid occasionally with rope braids and Kimberlily's defrizz spray... but I have never tried damp braiding with washed hair...

[dRummie]

Sleeping with wet hair is my go-to when I can't ensure that it will be able to dry untouched during the day. If yours goes crazy frizzy from tossing on the pillow (as mine does), you could try using a hair net. It restricts movement, much like a bun, but lets in a lot more air, so your hair should dry faster.

[Kathie]

If I want my hair to look nice down I carefully comb my hair dry- there's no snarling, snagging, or breaking. I just take my time. Yeah it takes a while- but I don't do it very often.

[Juneii]

hmm, I just towel dry my hair, run my fingers though and fluff it at the roots, and periodically towel dry the ends of my hair. Once it is dry enough I detangle and leave it to completely dry before putting it up.

[florenonite]

My usual method of drying my hair involves squeezing it out in the shower, wrapping it in a towel for 5-10 minutes, squeezing it out some more, and then gently whipping it back and forth (kind of like what Arya does but forwards and backwards) and leaving it to dry. At APL this takes more than 3 hours (I've never really timed it). After having read Madora's posts in this thread I decided to try something similar. Her method seemed rather time consuming, but after doing all my usual steps I bent my head forward and gently combed through it. I stood up straight and finger-combed a bit as it was standing out from my head a good two inches in all directions, and it's now been less than an hour and my hair's almost dry :D

[punkcatknitter]

My method involves immediately putting my hair up in a loose lazy wrap bun (no combing, touching, beforehand) and leaving up until the front of my hair has dried somewhat and I know the ends won't drip down my back anymore, or until I remember to take my hairstick out, whichever comes last. :)

Then I just let it dry. I can't leave it alone so I tend to give it little shakes or finger combs to help things along, but other than that I try to ignore it. My hair seems to really like this, and it's the only time people see me with my hair down. They're seeing it at it's best, since my hair looks best freshly washed and air dried down.

[IanB]

After washing, I detangle with a wooden wide toothed comb, then just leave to dry, just finger combing now and again :D

[SoulOfTheSea]

punkcatknitter- your method sounds the most appealing, because when I comb my hair at all when it is wet, it poofs up HORRIBLY.

I wish that wet combing worked for my hair, but it simply doesn't. :o Does anyone wait til hair is like 80 percent dry or something, and then French braid perhaps?