How To Dry Your Hair With Less Damage

I want you to imagine this scenario. You’ve just had the hair washing of your life! All of your products worked well together. Your hair is clean but not squeaky clean and stripped of all moisture. Your deep conditioning was magic and your hair feels hydrated, moisturized, and tangle-free.

Related read: 7 Of The Best Tips For Shampooing Relaxed Hair

You step out of the shower or raise your head from the sink (whichever is your preference) and dry your hair with a towel. Wait a minute! You look at the towel and see several strands of your hair stuck to the towel instead of on your head! Plus your hair is starting to frizz. (cue the dramatic music).

(This post includes some affiliate links. Should you click an affiliate link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

It may not be your hair products, the air, or even your hair. It’s probably your towel.

Related read: How To Recognize And Prevent Hair Damage

Wet hair whether relaxed or natural is weaker and softer than dry hair and needs to be handled with extra care. Unfortunately, towels aren't the most gentle tool you could use on wet hair. Most towels are made of materials that give them grooves. These grooves become hair catchers and can pull out strands or rough up your hair to cause split ends. 

Also, towels tend to absorb all of the moisture and product you’ve applied to your hair post wash leaving your hair frizzy.

T-shirts, on the other hand, tend to be made of a material that doesn’t have grooves like towels. Instead, they have a smoother, flatter surface. This helps them absorb excess water without removing all of the moisture and product from your hair.

Here’s how I use a t-shirt to help dry my hair

• After washing my hair I wring out excess water with my hands and then use an old, clean smooth t-shirt to help wring out more water
• Next, I apply my leave-in conditioners and take a butterfly clip to put up my hair
• Then I pull my head through the opening of the t-shirt so that it’s completely covering my head and wrap the rest of the t-shirt around my head in a turban-like style
• I leave the t-shirt on for 30 plus minutes and let my hair air dry before using a hairdryer

Would you use a t-shirt to dry your hair?