After subjecting my tresses to every natural shampoo on the shelf, plus a funky-smelling baking soda and vinegar concoction, and one soap that was so detrimental I wouldn’t even use it on my floors, I finally found some salvation in Giovanni‘s 50/50 balanced shampoo, which can be refilled from bulk containers at the local health store.
Now that’s sorted, I figure I can start messing around with my hair again (that’s a picture of it on the right, so you can see what I’m dealing with here — normal thickness, straight-ish, and blonde or brown depending on the light, but please don’t call it ‘dirty blonde’). What kind of mess? Well, I’m not going to stop washing it altogether, but I’ve decided to let it air-dry from now on.
Mostly. I can’t promise complete abstinence from my beloved hair dryer, so instead, I’m going to dramatically reduce the amount of time I use it to five minutes per week, with a full blow-dry permitted only on special occasions (which should occur no more than once every couple months — I’m talking, like, get-a-new-dress special occasions). This means that, if I’m having a particularly bad hair day, I can use up all five minutes and suck it up the rest of the week; or, I can just take about a minute each time I wash my hair to make sure the front pieces don’t get all wonky (and trust me, they wonk it up real bad sometimes).
I’m thinking that, come winter, to prevent hair icicles — haircicles, if you will — from forming, I’ll try to shower more in the evenings so it can dry overnight. Otherwise, I think it’ll be pretty easy. But do any of you ladies have tips for air-drying? Should I twist it in a bun and try to make it all wavy, or will that just keep it damp? Do you do that finger-tousling thing to give it more body, or will that turn it into a big knot? Maybe I should just chop it all off…
Usually a good towel dry can get your hair on the right track to drying to a relatively “tamed” rate. Your wet hair (at least in the summer months) will feel like a blessing in the heat (if you continue to leave off your air conditioner). Showering at night is the way I go now, since the heat (in the morning) tends to make my hair fritz and blowdrying it in the morning can just make it worse (aka, my hair flipping to one side); with wet hair, you have a chance to fix it a little bit, since the water can help you direct it to whichever way you want it to lay on your head.
I’m sorry you had to go through all those shampoo types to get to one that works for you. Currently I am using LUSH bar shampoo, which is great and all natural, but they are only just starting to make conditioner bars (which I haven’t purchased yet), so I think I might be killing my hair with lack of conditioning. I hope your hair is having better luck than mine.
I was about to put my blow dryer in my bag to send to the thrift shop, but my roommate asked if she could use it from now on, so I guess that’s not happening…
Lol, chopping it all off always seems like a good idea at the time, but then you do it and inevitably you end up hating it and short hair can be a real hassle at times (aka, it squashes and looks like bed-tossed guy hair).
Vanessa – I air dry my hair (and it looks like we have similar hair types) and I’d have to say… when I wash it at night and then go to bed (even with it slightly damp) I get crazy crinks in it that force me into ponytail mode. =( Now that it’s getting warmer, I wash my hair in the morning and then drive with the windows down which sorta acts as a hair dryer! I’ve got a brush in my car to give it a quick once over. It’s not a way to style my hair… but it dries it fast. =)
But wait – doesn’t going to bed with wet hair mean you will Get A Cold? Or was it sleeping in a draught…or maybe swimming after a sandwich…damn, I never can remember all of those.
I think it’s going outside with wet hair, or going outside without properly dressed will catch you a cold. Although you need a cold virus to get a cold. Interestingly enough though, people who had their feet stuck in a bucket of cold water were more likely to catch cold when they were subjected to the cold virus later.
Anyways, I digress…
I have straight (as in will NOT curl without lots of hairspray and those big roller things) hair, which I hardly ever blow dry. I don’t know if this’ll work for you, but I usually wash in the evening, towel dry as much as I can, and then let it air dry. Also, I only wash my hair about once every 3-4 days (that’s how long it takes to get all greased up), so I really only have to deal with the whole wet hair thing a few times a week. Since your hair is wavy, maybe you should plan to wash your hair after you get home from work, and then you have the evening to let it dry. I also ‘lightly’ twist my hair up, and toss it over my head (as in, very loose french twist style) when I’m sleeping. I don’t usually get many kinks.
I don’t recommend twisting it up in a bun. That will take longer to dry, and you’ll have helmet hair for about six inches, and then this crazy wierd, uneven twist thing.
Hope this helps!
Well, actually… you need the flu virus to get a flu. Cold is not a virus. Is just bacteria and you can get it from walking around with wet hair when it’s cold. Uh, one time when I was like 13, I walked home with my hair wet in the winter and I got some weird facial paralysis on half my face. That was seriously freaky, half my face didn’t move.
And it looks like your hair is not so different from mine. Generally, I comb it after I wash it and let it air-dry. It doesn’t get weird like that, but it can get all ‘folded’ if I sleep on it wet. I blow dry in the winter because of colds and weird facial paralysis
But if you want to air dry in the winter, probably it is better to wash it as soon as you get home, then dry it a little with a towel and comb it, so it is as dry as possible when you go to bed.
And you should try to wash it as little as possible. At least every other day, but every 2 or 3 days is better. For example, try out during the weekend how long it lasts relatively decent. And keep your hands out of your hair! That will get it greasy really fast!
Your hair looks a lot like mine, and I never blow-dry mine. It goes all dried-out and horrible when I do. I also tend to wash it in the evenings. Is yours combable when wet? I’ve found that since switching to bakingsoda and vinegar, mine is much more manageable wet. I wash it, give it a thorough gentle towelling, then carefully brush it out and put it in a ponytail, braid, or loose bun so I don’t have dangly wet bits annoying me. Once it gets drier, I take the bun out and brush it again, then it goes back in a ponytail (how I usually wear it). Mine doesn’t tend to kink unless I do it in a *very* tight braid when wet — I guess that depends on hair type. If you can, wash it right after getting home or after dinner, so that it’s no more than slightly damp when you go to bed. Sleeping on it when it’s really wet will make it a tangled mess in the morning. Finding the right shampoo and not blowdrying it will help it not dry out, though, so the mess may be easier to deal with.
I also second the recommendation for not washing it too much. Having a little bit of well-distributed oil will make it much, much more managegable and less oily-looking over time. A good bristle brush will help distribute the oil so that you don’t get icky-looking hair near the scalp and dried-out ends.
My hair is similarly textured, but just past my bra strap in length. If I wash it before bed, it’s a twisty mess that I have to re-wash in the morning. If I twist it into a bun while wet, it stays damp all day. I tend to get more body if I don’t comb it until it’s a little more dry (shower, brush teeth, dress, comb hair, out the door). My hair is oily, so I mostly wash it daily (if I skip it on the weekend, I put it in a bun and hope no one notices.) I’ve had haircicles every winter for the past 20+ years. They’re no big deal, they won’t make you sick, and they dry as soon as they thaw. Wear a hood instead of a hat with damp hair, or you will have the worst hat hair ever.
I air dry my hair, too. If I sleep in wet hair, it can get kinks in it though. The best is when I wash it a few hours before bed, and then comb it every thirty minutes or so with a wide tooth comb. Like a few people above me said, I don’t wash my hair every day. Every three days or so. And it really looks better on day three than on day one.
I stopped using a hair dryer when I moved into an apartment where the fuses would blow as soon as I plugged the damn thing in. I still have one on hand for the rare occasions when I want to straighten it, but I use it very rarely.
Next time you get your hair cut, tell your stylist that you want something that will work with air drying. I am honest with mine about my total hair laziness and he accommodates it. I have hair that will do about one thing, so it’s low-maintenance or 30 minutes with the dryer every day, and I don’t have the patience for that.
Maybe look for a texturizing creme — but read the instructions and make sure it’s to be used on wet or damp hair, not dry.
Sleeping with wet hair = serious bedhead. My hair used to be about the length of yours but I had it cut a few weeks ago, making sure to tell the stylist it needed to be very low maintenance with rare blow-drying and long enough to pull up in a ponytail for running. The shortest layer barely makes it to the back for the ponytail and the longest parts are just past my shoulders. If I use a blow-dryer, it’s only for a minute with my head upside down. I discovered I could get a little more fluff and texture (to really straight fine boring hair) by doing the head-banger routine a few times. I get strange looks at the gym, but afterwards I don’t comb or touch it until it’s dry. So you might consider a new cut. BTW, the cut itself actually helped add movement and body to my previously really straight fine boring hair.
Oh, and to reduce the need to shampoo, follow your shampoo with a dilute vinegar rinse. I swear I can go twice as long between shampoos now as before using this. So what if I smell like a salad!
I’ve been washing my hair at night and letting it air dry for years and years, and I’ve never had a problem getting over my bed head. I can’t even remember the last time I used a hair dryer. It does help to let your stylist know. The cut can make a huge difference. When I had longer hair, I used a big round brush to get everything straightened out. You can pair that with a little spray conditioner, and it works really well at getting any weirdness out.
i haven’t blowdried my hair in probably ten years and i wash it every morning or else it gets greasy. if i take a shower at night, my hair is at least not frizzy but it’s really flat. i often put it up just so i don’t have to deal with it but it definitely doesn’t dry. on the other hand, who cares if it isn’t dry yet because it’s up and no one notices, i guess.
The problem with having wet hair in the winter is that it tires your body out because you’re putting it under a little more stress trying to keep warm, which makes you more susceptible to catching a cold because your body is working hard doing something else. sort of like when you’re stressed, you’re more likely to get sick, because your body is otherwise engaged.
I have thick hair that takes forever to air dry. I use one of those super-absorbent towels to soak up most of the water when I get out of the shower which drastically cuts the air-drying time. I highly recommend them. The one I use is by Aquis.
i have always airdried my hair, as i have an irrational fear of hair-dryers. i usually wash it before i go to bed. i just squeeze most of the water out of it and braid it before i go to sleep. my hair is very thick and sometimes does not dry all of the way before morning, depending on how dry the air is. so it might be barely damp in the morning, but once i take it out of the braid and brush it, it’s dry by the time i finish my oatmeal. by the way, don’t brush it wet, as you’ll break your hair that way. as someone else mentioned, i don’t do this everyday- only every 3 days or so- sometimes more often, depending. on non-hair-washing days, i sleep with a scarf over my hair, which keeps it and my pillowcase clean longer. i also wear a bandana or similar when i clean or do physical labor of some kind- this also helps with the staying clean thing.
good luck with your airdrying and other greening activities!
Remeber me in OAC? Do not chop it all off. Bad hair is better than no hair.
I say chop it off! I love my short, short hair… makes me feel like a faerie queen!
(And, not only do I not have to blow-dry, I use so much less of every product…)
Not all short haircuts are bad haircuts!
I don’t blow dry my hair and it is thin and straight. I towel dry it, comb it out straight, part it and then finger tousle it while it is drying. It gets wavy in the back and I’ve always been happy with it. I don’t blow dry in the winter either, I’ve never had it freeze or anything like that.
Alina,
Colds are caused by a virus called Rhinovirus. It is not a bacteria. Having wet hair or wet feet doesn’t increase your chances of getting a cold. You get a cold by being exposed to the saliva of someone who has the cold virus, this usually happens when someone sneezes near you. I have a PhD in viruses so I know what I’m talking about.
how about the microfiber towels that dry hair quickly? has anyone used them? I personally keep my hair short & pixie-like, so I agree with Lori V.– short hair is time & energy efficient. I never dry my hair, use less products, only shampoo every 3 days… the benefits are endless. oh- and get some cute hair bands, scarves, etc. from a thrift store or ribbons you’ve collected. they definitely help detract from the bad hair days!
Interesting thread. I actually have a hair ‘process’.
Day 0, wash at night before going to bed.
Day 1, wake up to mildly curly (heavily waved?) hair
Day 2, straighten
Day 3, pony tail(s) and wash that night.
OK. I KNOW I’m using electricity. But far less than when I used the blow dryer. And I have hair that’s quite dry. It took years to discover that washing LESS often actually made my hair healthier than the every day thing.
Good luck. You’re incredibly motivating!
A micro fiber hair towel, thin cotton travel towel or cotton shirt (whatever’s available, really) all work terrifically for the hair. I wrap mine (it helps to style it gently with fingertips while doing this) and by morning it’s dry and curly. Or dry and fluffy. Or dry and frizzy. A little spritz of water here and there or tossing it in a scrunchie solves everything. I also only brush it twice a week, if that. Fingertips are natural free brushes and combs!
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Funny the title of this article, because I just got dreads. Before them, however, I would let my hair air dry straight after I brushed it and then messed it up with a towel (I have about the same hair type as you). If I were going to bed with wet hair, I would twist chunks back into a messy buy, and would wake up with it dry and curly. I really only use the blowdryer a few times a year; as you get away from the blowdryer, you’ll start to learn tons of new ways.
Hope this helps, goodluck.
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