Ok, I looked through a few pages here and didn't see anything about blowdrying long hair. Maybe that is because its the most horrible thing in the world to do but my hair doesn't dry naturally in a pretty way. I'm sure part of that is that it's so out of shape (the reason I found this place) and maybe I just need to be patient with it but I was wondering if you all just let your hair dry naturally all the time or if you had some secret way to blowdry hair that doesnt make it look like a pile of straw.  :-[

Hi, Frogi!  What is your current haie care routine?  I'd guess that your hair needs some TLC and frequent deep conditioning treatments for a while.  If you must use a hair fryer, er, dryer
then start with barely damp hair ( I really recommend a micro fiber towel-they're light weight and soak up a lot of water) and on a low temp work on the roots.  Do not dry your hair completely, maybe 80% and let the rest air dry.

I think if you work on improving the condition of your hair you will be able to air dry.

Also, a trim may be in order-you said that your hair was out of shape so I don't know if you mean shape as in health or shape as in shape.

What texture is your hair?  Is it straight or wavy/curly?

I have not used a hair dryer on my hair in decades.  I let my hair air dry.  As Sakina suggested, I use a micro fiber towel that really sucks the moisture from your hair.  I let it hang for a while, I then finger comb the tangles out.  If I need to look presentable I will put my hair in a bun while it is damp.  Taking it down about every hour will let it dry eventually.

One thing that I noticed with air drying - if you use leave in conditioners or heavy conditioners, your hair will take longer to dry than if you don't.  I've found that conditioners that do not have -cones in them, allow my hair to dry faster.

Hang around some more, I'm sure we can help you out!

Personally, I also just let my hair air dry every single day. The idea of using a blowfryer is...well, it's just scary!  :P

When I was younger, I used the hair dryer every day (my mother and sister still do), but then...we all did stupid things when we were younger, eh?  ;)
   
If you absolutely MUST use one, though (granted, nobody absolutely must), I'd suggest letting your hair air dry until it's about 75 to 80% dry, then finish up with the hairdryer on the cold, low setting. Best if it has a cold shot button.
   If you bend at the waist and let your hair hang upside down, you can dry the underside if it tends to get kinked, plus drying this way gives volume to the roots.

Really though, it's best to just allow your hair to be itself. Accepting your texture rather than fighting it will allow you to depend on the blowfryer less (if at all).

And Sakina is totally right about the deep conditioning & TLC. Hope you get in some good "hair time" soon.  ;)

wrote on May 30^th, 2006 at 6:33pm:

Ok, I looked through a few pages here and didn't see anything about blowdrying long hair. Maybe that is because its the most horrible thing in the world to do but my hair doesn't dry naturally in a pretty way. I'm sure part of that is that it's so out of shape (the reason I found this place) and maybe I just need to be patient with it but I was wondering if you all just let your hair dry naturally all the time or if you had some secret way to blowdry hair that doesnt make it look like a pile of straw.  :-[

Hey Frogi,

I have used a blowdryer.  Yes, I'll admit it, there have been several occasions to use it.  The like being a very special occasion that I couldn't wait the hours it would take for a set of rag curls to dry, etc.  And there have been times, especially in the damp, chilly winter, that I have used a hairdryer.

However...

Using a hairdryer is bad for your hair.  I wouldn't recommend you using one on a regular basis, and could be contributing to why your hair is out of shape now.  

*shakes fist at hairdryers*  Curse my need of you!

Well, onto the good news.  You can minimize the damage of a hairdryer.  Deep conditioning treatments(at least once a month) to start with, and whenever you plan to blowdry your hair, spritz on a little leave-in conditioner before you start.  It works like an extra barrier from the heat.

And the cool button if your friend.  Granted, cold air takes longer to dry the hair, but if you use a mircofiber towel to soak up the majority of the moisture makes the job easier.  And I wouldn't fight the whole "my hair must be all the way dry," experiment a little... see what happens if you put your hair in a braid or bun when it's 80-90% dry.  It'll stay out of your face for the day, and at the day's end, you might find that the slight wave from your hairdo is, well, pretty.  :)

Of course, weaning yourself off the blowdryer is the best option, but I can't let go of everything...  ;) so I decide to let it do the least damage possible.

Good luck!

I always let my hair air dry. When I step out of the shower, I first pat it gently with microfiber towel. Then I wrap the microfiber towel into a turban and wear it for the next 1½-2 hours. When I take the turban off, my hair is still a bit damp, but usually dries pretty fast after that.

I wash my hair usually in early evening so it can dry before I go to bed. It doesn't really matter, whether my hair chooses to end up poofy, having a weird wave or two or (very rarely) pretty, because unless it's really pretty I wear it in an updo.

See? I knew there was a reason for not finding anything about blowdrying hair on here.  ;D
Thank you all so much for the advice. I'm happy to report that I'm sitting here with air dried hair that is very wavy (I didn't realize how wavy it was) and not minding it too much. I do wish it was a bit straighter but then I'm never happy with all of my appearance.  :P

I have never heard of a micro fiber towel. Are they sold anywhere or do I have to find a hair product store?

My current routine was to wash and condition my hair almost each night (depending on workout schedule), towel it dry some, read my book to let it dry a bit more and then head to bed. In the morning I get up, get my hair wet and blow it dry while trying to straighten it so it lies smooth and then sometimes (don't throw anything at me here) use an iron to straighten it.
I now realize the error if my ways and will stop that nonsense immediately.  I also need to get my ends trimmed which I'm sure will help.

Ahh she's learning the ways of true hair care. I think I hear the angels singing...  ;D

Anyway, you can get microfiber towels most anywhere. I don't shop in beauty supply stores, but they might have them. Bed, Bath & Beyond has them for a price.
   But if you want to know a secret?? Go into the auto care section of any Target or Wal*Mart. They have packs of like 12 microfiber towels for hardly any $$$ at all.  ;)

What also works is the soft side of a beach towel (not the terry side, but the velour-ish side). Or a plain ol' towel works just fine.

Just becareful not to go crazy with it. Never "scrub" your hair dry with a towel - just squeeze the length gently and blot the rest.
   Don't towel dry your hair to death and don't twist wet hair up into a turban, as this can stretch & break delicate wet hair. Just let the towel serve its purpose, then be done with it.

However you detangle afterwards is up to you.

Aquis is a major name brand for the microfiber towels.  But there are other sources that can be much cheaper.  

One source would be pet supplies.  Dog groomers frequently use microfiber towels to dry dogs that they are grooming.

I have a "pack" towel that is sold by camping supply stores that also works quite well.  These are small, lightweight microfiber or synthetic towels that absorb a lot and dry quickly.  ;D I have one that I use only on my hair, and another for my body when I am on my biking trips.

Air drying will show you the natural curls and waves in your hair.  The ends of my hair don't always look "nice" when air dried.  My trick to "curl" them is to gently wrap sections of the ends around my finger to smooth the hair a bit.  This also curls the ends just enough to match the waves in the rest of my hair.

Good luck and enjoy your hair!

Hmm I wonder if they are the same type of small towels that I dust the house with or something of the same material. They seem a bit small but I'll look for bigger ones. I have a Linen's and Things here so maybe they will have something.

How did you know I was a Turban Queen?  ;D  Ok, I'll stop wrapping my head in my towel too. Its amazing with all the abuse that I have been giving my hair that I have any left!  :o

Thank you for the great advice.

LOL!  Many new visitors make similar comments.  I think most of us have wondered the same thing at one point in time.  

Growing long hair is a long term committment to taking care of your hair.  The ends of my hair are probably close to 10 years old!  They have suffered much, but I treat them carefully now in hopes they won't break off.

I wrap my hair in a towel turban and have noticed no damage- but I do it gently and try to avoid twisting the hair tightly. The microfiber towel seems to suck the moisture out of hair- a wonderful invention!
My towel is Aquis that I ordered from internet (no one in this country has probably even heard of microfiber towels...) It works wonderfully, but my hair is BSL length, and it barely fits in. When my hair grows some, I will need to find XL size.

I adore wavy hair- I'm sure yours is beautiful. :)

Well I started to put my hair in a turban again last night after my shower and stopped myself so your influences are starting to show up. :)  Instead I just squeezed without twisting and patted it dry.  The turban is just so automatic for me. What is that they say about old dogs?  ;D
I think I will look on the internet for a bigger micro towel. I do live in Montana and we aren't as advanced as the rest of the country on somethings.


Quote:

I adore wavy hair- I'm sure yours is beautiful.

Aww that is nice of you to say! I think if I can get it healthy I can get used to the waves. I have seen some amazing hair that is wavy and it is beautiful. Time will tell I guess. I just wish I had more patience. I guess I'll have to find some. Do you think they sell that on the internet too?  ;D

Do you have a Petco in the area?  If not, you can buy on line from them.  Here's one that I found on line at Petco.com.

Oh super!! Thank you for the link. That is what I'll get. No, we don't have a Petco in Missoula. The nearest one is in Great Falls, 200 miles away. I was just there too less than a month ago.
Sweet!! The price is decent too.  :)

Microfiber towels - do you just pat the hair dry? Does it get your hair dry enough to put in a bun? Are they like the toweling "hats" that you can pull your hair through and and then squeeze to dry a little more?

If I wash my hair in the morning and leave it for an hour, then put it in a bun...the "tail" in the bun is still very damp by the end of the day. In summer it's so hot and humid in Japan that I can't bear to even have it in a half-up topknot. I swear it's going to grow mold one of these days, but I hate to blowdry it!

I use microfiber towels.  They don't completely dry your hair, but they do pull more water from your hair than a regular towel.  I usually wrap the towel around the tail of my hair, wrap that around my head, and leave it for 30 - 60 minutes, depending on my schedule.  I can then comb out my hair and put it into a bun or braid.  It will still be damp, so I will let my hair down periodically to let it dry.  If I didn't it would stay damp for over a day.

Without the microfiber towel, my hair would take much longer to dry.  I love my towels!

I use a microfiber turban.  It is way too short for my hair, so I have to sort of fold my hair into it.  I put it on the back of my head with my head bent over, then fold the hair into the "v", twist into the turban and button the hook on the back.  I finish up dressing, then take off the turban and let my hair air dry.  

OK. I'm convinced! Roll on payday, I'm going shopping!

Adding to the microfiber towels..... I love my Aquis towel, but it is a bit pricey.  I found micirofiber towels at the pet store (for drying dogs) to be very nicely priced, and they work great.  

I got mine at a craft show in Edison, NJ for $10 and it is huge!  I'll have to find the email address for anyone who wants to order them.  Of course I got mine in pink!! ;D  I'll post the address in a bit.

I found mine for $1 at the dollar store and bought one for each of my daughters and daughter-in-law.  Great find!

You bet it is a great find!!  Way to go!  Just in case anyone wants it this is the website www.greatcloth.com  They have other things that may be of interest. :)

Well, I got paid, and I bought myself a microfiber towel. ::)

And then my sons found out how great it was!  :'(

They really do absorb a LOT more water than even the slightly older type of synthetic hair-drying towel I had. I'm totally convinced!

Great for you!  Now all you have to do is find a great hiding place for any microfiber towels that you have!!  lol ;)