How long does your hair take to dry?

[Rufflebutt]

My hair takes about two hours to air-dry. :X I only take showers at night because of this, since if I take one in the morning I don't have time to style it with anything without blow-drying it or other damaging things. My hair is almost to hip length now. YAY!

So how about you guys? How long does your hair take to dry?

[Hollyfire3]

2 and half to 3 hours, depending on if I used leave in conditioner, then its 3 hours. But, my hair has some heat damage left over and is dyed, so its decently porous. Without all of this, it might take longer...(scary scary thought). I hear you, i take showers at night because of this and hate the feeling of wet hair for so long...I usually try to prolong times between washes for this reason.

[Rufflebutt]

2 and half to 3 hours, depending on if I used leave in conditioner, then its 3 hours. But, my hair has some heat damage left over and is dyed, so its decently porous. Without all of this, it might take longer...(scary scary thought). I hear you, i take showers at night because of this and hate the feeling of wet hair for so long...I usually try to prolong times between washes for this reason. Oh I know! Whenever I can, it's so nice. I take about half the time in my shower, and I don't have to worry about my hair getting all wet. :D

[CurlyCap]

A looooong time. 8 Hours? I usually shower before bed and it's still slightly damp when I wake up. I will admit, though, that I put a ton of leave-in conditioner as part of curly girl method. However, I remember the same issue from when I was a kid and there were no leave-ins in sight.

Weird thing? My hair looks dry in about 5 minutes. The canopy changes color from black to light brown. If you didn't know my hair and what it looks like, you'd swear it was almost completely dry.

[Hollyfire3]

A looooong time. 8 Hours? I usually shower before bed and it's still slightly damp when I wake up. I will admit, though, that I put a ton of leave-in conditioner as part of curly girl method. However, I remember the same issue from when I was a kid and there were no leave-ins in sight.

Weird thing? My hair looks dry in about 5 minutes. The canopy changes color from black to light brown. If you didn't know my hair and what it looks like, you'd swear it was almost completely dry.

You must have TONS of hair :D! But, leave ins affect dry time I believe, although from what you said, it may just be your hair? Its funny you say your hair looks dry so fast because my ends dry faster, but the actual length and scalp stay damp/cold feeling forever.....

[Diamond.Eyes]

You might find this thread/poll to be of some use:
http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30047 :flower:

[Hollyfire3]

Oh I know! Whenever I can, it's so nice. I take about half the time in my shower, and I don't have to worry about my hair getting all wet. :D

Then comes the problem of stuffing my hair into a claw clip...it doesn't like to coroperate. And normally, doing this makes my hair mad and flip in wierd ways. My secret to stretching washes to 4-5 days is lots of product! Well, not tons, but I often use a little mousse in the morning, maybe a bit of cocoa powder(I haev dark hair) on day 3, then I'll put some oil on the ends before wash day and curl cream at any time. its all tiny amounts (think a dime size of cream, a tiny puff of mousse) but it keeps my hair looking fresh and wurly so I can feel like it looks nice and clean, and it does for quite a while.

[evieisocoolike]

Probably about 6-7 hours :shrug:, I guess it's because my hair diameter is 7 inches and I'm a wurly/curly? It's kind of annoying though! :rolleyes:

[saffy2yrs]

It would take at least 6 hours for it to air dry, but I end up putting it in an english braid before it is completely dry.

[Tia2010]

If I let it just hang to dry...atleast 5 hours. If i wash it at night it's still damp in the morning when I get up. If I braid it...it takes forever :p

[caadam]

My hair will take... about 9-11 hours to dry. lol Even if I were to leave it down for the whole day, by the end of it I will still find damp spots here and there. I've also timed how long my hair takes to dry, and that's the average I got a few times over.

[Rufflebutt]

Wow! This really boggles my mind. :O My hair dries super quick compared to everyone here. That's so crazy, it would drive me nuts to have my hair take more that 3 hours to dry.

[blaketob]

Yeh mine takes anywhere from 4-6 hours to completely dry. I actually don't like sleeping on it bc I feel that it's still wet in the morning and my hair doesn't style good when I sleep on it wet :p

[Hollyfire3]

Wow! This really boggles my mind. :O My hair dries super quick compared to everyone here. That's so crazy, it would drive me nuts to have my hair take more that 3 hours to dry.

Mine sometimes does...but I fear it may take as long as some of the longer times here because as I grow out the damage it seems to be taking longer because it holds in water. But on the bright side, all of the breakage I caused with the flat iron is growing in as new hairs, and its making my hair thicker yay! mini milestone...now where is that thread!?

[Rufflebutt]

Yeh mine takes anywhere from 4-6 hours to completely dry. I actually don't like sleeping on it bc I feel that it's still wet in the morning and my hair doesn't style good when I sleep on it wet :pNot to mention, it's not very good to sleep on wet hair. I usually try to take a shower earlier to give my hair as much drying time as I can.

[IvanaGil]

About 5-7 hours if I keep it down

[Rufflebutt]

Mine sometimes does...but I fear it may take as long as some of the longer times here because as I grow out the damage it seems to be taking longer because it holds in water. But on the bright side, all of the breakage I caused with the flat iron is growing in as new hairs, and its making my hair thicker yay! mini milestone...now where is that thread!?I'm so surprised that my hair isn't that damaged from flat ironing. I have it in layers, so the bottom is thinner simply because the upper half is shorter than the rest of my hair by a lot. But the longer it grows, the thicker it gets. I used to flat-iron every single day! D: Luckily, I used lots of heat-protector so it's not nearly as damaged as it would be. My hair's got some signs of damage but it's nowhere near fried.

[Ambystoma]

Hollyfire, I'm the same! It's odd since I'm not one of those thick haired people, and the hair doesn't have any chemical damage and yet my ends and roots dry super fast and the rest stays damp for ages. I've tried braiding it when towel dry before bed, and it was still damp when I took it out in the morning.

[CurlyCap]

You must have TONS of hair :D!

Nope, I'm a i/ii.

I think it has something to do with the clumping of my curls. The result is the same as seen with people with thick, fine hair. The water is almost trapped between the strands that are clumped together.

I watch my hair dry by the curl. First it clumps, and then slooooooowly, the curls go from loose to spiral.

But I can grab a clump/spiral literally the next day, and if I smush it between my fingers (and break the curl, gasp!), I can feel dampness on my fingers. It is so bizarre.

Another magic trick? Shampoo, no conditioner. Hair can't clump, I get frizz, dries a LOT quicker (maybe 3-4 hours). However, by the time it's dry it's so matted I want to shave my head.

[ohmygackt]

Usually like 6 hours. It feels like 12 though -.-"

[Hollyfire3]

Oh I used heat protectant religiously, I used tons of good products, I was flat ironing with a nice, professional flat iron. But, I was using it up to three times a day, pulling hard, not treating my hair with enough moisture...oh and I used to blow dry all the time. Its crazy how much breakage I had. It used to be much worse, I looked at old pictures and from my hair, you would think I wear extentions now ( I don't, never have) because it looks SO much healthier and is just thicker and better. My latest problem with the damage was the curl loss. I basically trained my hair to be straight for years, so last summer, I noticed my hair drying straighter and straighter (it was no longer breaking at this point because I got smarter with my routine). Soon, I was left with lifeless, straight hair. i started blow frying with damaging product (harsh gel) to try and make it look nice and it became a constant battle for about a year to try and get nice hair. Just months ago, I found a shampoo and conditioner that balance the protein and moisture in my hair, allowing it to curl. there is no way to express how happy I am about all of it, I just hated all of those months of confusion and stress over what I had done to my poor hair. Sorry for the long sob story/rant, but it just to this day amazes me that this happened.

[Hollyfire3]

Hollyfire, I'm the same! It's odd since I'm not one of those thick haired people, and the hair doesn't have any chemical damage and yet my ends and roots dry super fast and the rest stays damp for ages. I've tried braiding it when towel dry before bed, and it was still damp when I took it out in the morning.

I'm one of those "thick haired people" (I like the name!) lol..... (no offesnse intended, just like the nickname of those thick haired people). But yeah, my ends just dry and look nice in about 30 mins, but the rest of my hair hates me and stays wet. In my case, I think the ends are just mor damaged and refuse to hold water, so I douse them in mousse and carry on until the rest of my hair is dry enough for the mousse. Braided hair stays wet forever though and so does hair I sleep on damp. But, for me, towel drying (with a normal horrible towel) really helps.

[Rufflebutt]

Oh I used heat protectant religiously, I used tons of good products, I was flat ironing with a nice, professional flat iron. But, I was using it up to three times a day, pulling hard, not treating my hair with enough moisture...oh and I used to blow dry all the time. Its crazy how much breakage I had. It used to be much worse, I looked at old pictures and from my hair, you would think I wear extentions now ( I don't, never have) because it looks SO much healthier and is just thicker and better. My latest problem with the damage was the curl loss. I basically trained my hair to be straight for years, so last summer, I noticed my hair drying straighter and straighter (it was no longer breaking at this point because I got smarter with my routine). Soon, I was left with lifeless, straight hair. i started blow frying with damaging product (harsh gel) to try and make it look nice and it became a constant battle for about a year to try and get nice hair. Just months ago, I found a shampoo and conditioner that balance the protein and moisture in my hair, allowing it to curl. there is no way to express how happy I am about all of it, I just hated all of those months of confusion and stress over what I had done to my poor hair. Sorry for the long sob story/rant, but it just to this day amazes me that this happened.

Hopefully the longer you continue to use a better hair routine, the more your hair will return to it's natural texture. :)

[SoulOfTheSea]

Much too long!

[Hollyfire3]

Hopefully the longer you continue to use a better hair routine, the more your hair will return to it's natural texture. :)

This seems to be the case! I hope it stays this way!

[Hollyfire3]

Wow! Cool hair! Oh, and no matter what the measurments say, you will always be an iii in my eyes with that lovely curl and volume combination! Actually, it makes sense that shampoo only makes your hair dry faster, no moisture, no curls nothin holding water in, so faster dry time. My hair's only magic trick is magically deciding to dry straight when its not happy...NOT a cool trick and it stops me from postin typing pictures because clarifying results in straightish hair from the dryness.

[elbow chic]

Let's see, I washed my hair today at 7:00. Now it's 11:36 and still obviously damp. Indoors at room temperature it really does take about five or six hours to get completely dry. It can be faster outdoors with wind and/or heat.

[fuzzyp11]

My hair takes like FOREVER to dry!! If i wash it at night it will still be pretty wet when i wake up and i use no conditioner at all b/c it makes my hair greasy :( the bad thing is, i cant brush it or touch it when it is wet because it gets mad at me lol Neither me or my hair like water!

[AnqeIicDemise]

It takes about 13-15 minutes to blow dry it. I use Torrin's sectioning technique. It is amazing.

Air dry it can take about 4-5 hours. Sometimes more. I'm on the higher end of thickness (four inches solid). I do live in a really humid state so it takes longer than it ever did while I lived in CA. The time gets longer depending on what Iv'e done to it. If its braided, it'll take a full day. If its loose, more like 4. If its really humid? It won't dry. At that point I just put it up because my hair turns into a flippin' tumbleweed.

[starry]

3 hours Id say

[MeowScat]

Mine takes anywhere between 5 - 9 hours.

I have no idea why it takes so long to dry since it's stick-straight and Fine. I can dry my bangs in a few minutes by fluffing them with my fingers. But the back of my head to about APL takes the longest. My ends also take awhile since a lot of the water drips down and the ends hold onto it forever and it makes the top of my pants wet. Not comfortable.

After a few hours, I have to put on a warmer top since I get cold.

I've put it in a bun while damp and it was still damp 2 DAYS later. Never again. Sitting in front of a fan really speeds it up but I get so cold that I want to take a hot shower just to warm up.

Any other Straighty-Fineys take forever to dry?

[lmfbs]

I showered and washed my hair at 12pm. It's now 11.40pm and it's still damp in sections. It's been loose all day. If I leave it braided, it can easily stay wet for 4-5 days (I wonder if it will go mouldy or something!)

[Shiranshoku]

Mine takes anywhere between 5 - 9 hours.

I have no idea why it takes so long to dry since it's stick-straight and Fine. I can dry my bangs in a few minutes by fluffing them with my fingers. But the back of my head to about APL takes the longest. My ends also take awhile since a lot of the water drips down and the ends hold onto it forever and it makes the top of my pants wet. Not comfortable.

After a few hours, I have to put on a warmer top since I get cold.

I've put it in a bun while damp and it was still damp 2 DAYS later. Never again. Sitting in front of a fan really speeds it up but I get so cold that I want to take a hot shower just to warm up.

Any other Straighty-Fineys take forever to dry?

Right here! I have very straight hair, medium/fine and it takes forever to dry. My scalp and bangs dry in 1-2 hours, but the ends can take all day. If I tie it in ponytail, bun it or braid it, it takes even longer. And I have pretty short hair, so you'd expect it to dry quicker...

[Firefly]

It really depends. If the air is dry it dries in a couple of hours loose; slightly longer bunned. When I lived in the Middle East it seemed like it became half way dry a few minutes after stepping out of the shower!

I'm in New England now, so in the drier months of fall and winter, it usually dries in about 5hrs (bunned-- not sure how long loose as I rarely let it dry that way). In the humidity of spring and summer it can take all day!

[Curly_jas]

It takes ages :( Hence why i do not like to air dry my hair. I would say if i just leave it down it takes at least 4/5 hours. If i braid it when it is wt and sleep on it, it's still damp in the morning.

[LadyLongLocks]

The under layers near the head can take 24 hours to dry. This is why I use a hair dryer on cool and warm so speed it up, or a fan.

[hinatako]

around 20 minutes. Its hot in here thats why my hair dry fast.

[Charybdis]

My hair takes silly amounts of time to dry, unless I'm in a desert environment (like Tucson, for example). I shower usually an hour or so before bed, and the underlayers of my hair are still damp the next morning -- and I sleep 8 hours! So, in an environment with "normal" humidity and no wind, I'd say my hair takes around 10 hours to dry. It dries much faster if I go out and the wind blows my hair around.

My hair is thick, but I don't think that's the only or even the primary reason for the long drying times. I think it's something to do with the porosity and curl of the hair, but I'm not sure if it indicates my hair is high-porosity or low-porosity. The porosity thing still confuses me.

[Madora]

Outdoors about 20 minutes.

Indoors, using a small electric heater, about 45 minutes.

Here's how:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=223

[BrightEyes]

My hair takes 2 hours to dry.

[door72067]

passably dry, about 3 hours

totally dry, maybe 8

[iSuperHeroic]

Mine takes about 20 minutes to fully air dry, down.

In the tiny, pathetic little braid I do it takes about 30.

[KwaveT]

Mine takes about 3.5 hours to dry totally. The length of time seems to slightly increase as my hair gets longer. The back of my hair is the last past to dry. My hair tends to form a lot spirals as it airdrys. I think the clumping of these curls is what extends the drying time.

[jacqueline101]

I'd say two hours.

[carrieavaught]

My hair takes two to three hours to dry. I always shower at night cause it takes so long.

[natural_shine]

About 8 hours, indoors.

outdoors- aprox. 5-6 hours if sunny.

Sometimes the back of my head hurts cause it stays wet so long... but now more rarely, I got used to it I guess, since I never blowdry since... 2000, I think.

I let a towel on for 20 minutes to soak water, than just let it dry...

It takes too long to dry... and my hair isn't even really big right now. I don't know hat are the factors involved..

[ChasingRainbows]

I'd say my hair takes about 1.5-2 hours to dry completely without a blow drier. With a blow drier I'd say... about 20-25 minutes? I wish it took me a shorter amount of time to blow dry, especially on those running late-bad hair days!

[NataschaB.]

It's just a guess, but I think it takes about 1-1,5 hours to fully air dry (my hair is about chin length).

I've heard that healthy hair takes longer to air dry - is it true?

[Madora]

It's just a guess, but I think it takes about 1-1,5 hours to fully air dry (my hair is about chin length).

I've heard that healthy hair takes longer to air dry - is it true?

I've never heard that. My hair is healthy and air dries within half an hour outdoors. It's all in the way you do the air drying!

[Rufflebutt]

Mine takes about 20 minutes to fully air dry, down.

In the tiny, pathetic little braid I do it takes about 30. Wow, yours dries so quick. :O

[CurlyCurves]

WnG - 30 mins - 2 hours, depending on how wet I leave it and whether I've gone outside or not.

[oktobergoud]

At least 2,5 hours, maybe 3 for it to fully dry...

And it's only chin length! :(



Mine takes anywhere between 5 - 9 hours.

I have no idea why it takes so long to dry since it's stick-straight and Fine. I can dry my bangs in a few minutes by fluffing them with my fingers. But the back of my head to about APL takes the longest. My ends also take awhile since a lot of the water drips down and the ends hold onto it forever and it makes the top of my pants wet. Not comfortable.

After a few hours, I have to put on a warmer top since I get cold.

I've put it in a bun while damp and it was still damp 2 DAYS later. Never again. Sitting in front of a fan really speeds it up but I get so cold that I want to take a hot shower just to warm up.

Any other Straighty-Fineys take forever to dry?


Yesss, me, me! I have no idea why it takes so long because it's not because I have a crazy amount of hair or something. Plus it's fine and medium thickness.. my mom has the exact same hair as me, but a little longer than shoulder and it's already taking her 4 hours.

[Vampyria]

Mine takes 3 hours or more indoors. I washed my hair 3 hours ago and it's still not completely dry. When I went out (hot, sunny day) with really damp hair, it took around hour and a half I think.

[Madora]

At least 2,5 hours, maybe 3 for it to fully dry...

And it's only chin length! :(





Yesss, me, me! I have no idea why it takes so long because it's not because I have a crazy amount of hair or something. Plus it's fine and medium thickness.. my mom has the exact same hair as me, but a little longer than shoulder and it's already taking her 4 hours.
oktobergoud, hair dries faster if you let the air circulate through it. It's easy to do and your hair is dried within a reasonable amount of time.

[Tisiloves]

Anywhere between 1 and 10 hours depending on heat, humidity and amount of jazz hands finger combing.

[winteriscoming]

About an hour and a half depending on if I finger comb or not

[Zindell]

About an hour. Faster if I go outside.
(And many, many hours if I braid it while it's damp)

[carolinaberry]

At least 2,5 hours, maybe 3 for it to fully dry...

And it's only chin length! :(





Yesss, me, me! I have no idea why it takes so long because it's not because I have a crazy amount of hair or something. Plus it's fine and medium thickness.. my mom has the exact same hair as me, but a little longer than shoulder and it's already taking her 4 hours.

See, I've noticed before I think we are hair twins. My hair takes about 3 hours or so to dry, with layers from chin to a bit past shoulder. It is ridiculous!

[oktobergoud]

oktobergoud, hair dries faster if you let the air circulate through it. It's easy to do and your hair is dried within a reasonable amount of time.

Ah okay, and how do I do that? :eek: It sounds interesting!


See, I've noticed before I think we are hair twins. My hair takes about 3 hours or so to dry, with layers from chin to a bit past shoulder. It is ridiculous!

Ah yes, we might be! It's ridiculous yeah, I can't imagine how long it will take when it's really long :(

[Madora]

Ah okay, and how do I do that? :eek: It sounds interesting!
:(

Here's how:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=223

[Ticky]

I washed 7 hours ago and it is still damp :neutral:. It depends on many factors. I'd say that it is never less than 5 hours, but I didn't time it.

[wishywashy]

if I leave it down to air dry, it takes close to 2 hours to be fully dry.

[amanda_the_tall]

hmm. probably an hour and a half to be completely dry, if it's down. i find if i'm driving to school in the winter it's around 45 minutes since 30 minutes of it is spent in the car with the heat on.

[GlennaGirl]

Usually about two hours. :)

[faellen]

About 2-3 hours. It's why I only wash my hair in the evenings now!

[pepperminttea]

If I just squeeze out the excess water immediately after a shower, and then let it air-dry completely untouched, just over seven hours. If I do a towel turban for twenty minutes, comb through, and then leave to airdry, about three-four hours. :) Strangely enough it takes longer when I'm completely 'cone-free - nearer five hours with a towel turban then.

[prettyhairisred]

FOREVER!! When I go to the beach with friends my hair is always the last to dry! It's sad. Clumpy hair is NOT what I need to impress the boys :S

[oktobergoud]

Here's how:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=223

Ah okay! That sounds interesting, I'm not sure if I fully understand though...

Anyway, I'm in the sun outside for an hour now and my hair is almost dry, yay! :D That really seems to help as welL!

[barely.there]

less than 30 minutes. truth.

[rtree721]

If I don't touch my hair- 3 to 4 hours.

[Sillage]

Back when I used to air dry about 3 hours. Now that I use a hair dryer (Sedu Revolution 4000i) it's like 5 minutes on low heat, high speed. LOVE IT!

[Loveisaverb]

Around an hour or so, if I don't mess with it. :P

[TheHowlingWolf]

For it to fully dry it takes about 5 or 6 hours

[Chaotica]

About 2-3 hours, but it depends on the temperature. In winter it takes longer to dry.

[Iaine]

From dripping wet to fully dry, it probably takes about 7 hours. But if I wring some of the water out first, that goes down to about 4 hours.

[sunnydee92]

My hair takes FOREVER to dry... If I braid it or put it in a pony tail especially. >.< I need to learn how to stretch washes without getting a lot of tangles...

[PorcelainHorror]

My hair takes about 45 minutes to an hour. It's in between APL and BSL and fine in texture~

[cooklaezo13]

My hair takes 2-3 hours to look dry, but 6-8 hours to actually feel completely dry. My hair is very thick.

[turquoisedays]

Between 3 and 5 hours, usually closer to 3.

[Mamiberisha]

About 2 hrs I think?

[sisi33]

6 hours give or take a half-hour. This is during the Winter. During Summer, 3 to 4 hours, much less if I'm outside in the sunlight (IT BURRRRRNS!). Once and a while, I'll get lucky with getting down to 2 hours or so, but it hasn't been less than that since I was APL, or so. :nono:

[RileyJane]

mine takes about 2 hours, but i normally like to wash it just as im leaving for work, so the humidity where i work basically super dries it for me...then i put it up in a bun and start my work day!

[see_turtle]

4-6 hours depending on length. Right now it's between shoulder and APL and takes about 4 hours when it was waist more like 6. In the picture in my sig it looks dry but the underside was damp still (picture was taken at night I wash in the morning) I almost always put it up wet though....really dislike wet hair on my neck! It will not dry when in a bun. I can't sleep with it wet either that's asking for trouble.

[sparrowswing]

If I let it just hang to dry...at least 5 hours. If i wash it at night it's still damp in the morning when I get up. If I braid it...it takes forever :p
This. If I wanted to keep it braided/bunned all the time, I could wash every 3 days and it would never dry. I hate doing much with my hair when it's wet, though, so I usually give it at least 4 hours before messing with it.

[Sharysa]

1-2 hours if I leave it down.

Considerably longer if I braid it.

[nellreno]

After I get out of the shower I put it up in a towel for about 20 minutes just so it's not dripping water all over the place, then I let it down to air dry. From this point until it is completely bone dry takes about 6 hours.

[MermaidMane]

Mine takes about 2-3 hours to dry completly.

[honeybunnie8]

1-3 hours. I live in a hot place with low humidity. A few weeks ago I bet I could have dried it in like 20 min if I sat outside.

[carinkla]

After washing and carefully dipping with a towel I leave it to dry in the air..it takes about 24 hours.

[Arien]

The length of my hair seems to have little effect on how quickly it dries. It must be because it is so fine. It generally dries between 1-2 hours in the summer 2-3 hours in the winter. It depends a lot on the time of day. It always dries faster if I wash my hair in the morning (and neater/shinier/curlier etc), and a lot slower if I wash it in the afternoon/evening. Even if we have the central heating on all day. Every time I go to my hairdresser she remarks on how quickly it dries :).

[Haybop]

I give mine at least 4 hours before I head to bed... cannot be abiding the mad hair show that happens if it's still wet when I go to bed. I really don't know how it manages to keep all that water in there, I'm honestly surprised any actually gets let past in the shower :O