Learn How to Protect and Strengthen Your Hair this Summer With Romina’s Towel Dry Tips.
By Romina Manenti
With additional heat damage from the sun's UV rays in the Summer, the perfect time to give your hair a break from the heat of blow dryers, curling irons, hair straighteners, and other heated hair tools is in the heat of the Summer. After all, the warm weather inspires us to honor our natural hair texture by letting it air dry, which tends to be a speedier and simplified process when it’s nice outside. However, not all air drys are created equal. The towel twist technique is our pro secret to controlling frizz, volume and shape. If you’re hoping for hair strength this Summer and are eager to adopt practices that promote healthy hair, read on to learn how to master the towel dry!
How Does Towel Drying Work?
Towel drying is a technique that gradually removes the water from your hair after you shampoo and condition, helping to preserve the lipids in your hair. Towel drying your hair instead of totally air drying it can have an anti gravity effect. As the hair is held in the towel, the weight of the water won’t stretch out your waves or curls, allowing your natural texture to thrive with maximum volume. One great thing about towel drying is that it does not tack on any damage from heat, and if done correctly, it is a great way to give damaged hair a break from heat methods.
However, towel drying should be approached gently because water changes the actual structure of the hair strand, affecting its strength. Your hair strength is strongest when it is dry (aka all bonds are intact), whereas wet hair means more fragility. Because hair is more fragile when soaking wet, your hair should not be twisted too tightly (even when it's dripping in the shower)! This can lead to hair breakage. Below, we’ve listed some pro-tips to achieve the perfect towel dry.
Romina’s Pro-Tips For The Perfect Towel Dry:
Remove excess water from your hair. After washing your hair, gently slide your hands from the front of the hairline to the back of your hair to remove excess drip and water. If your hair is longer than the nape of your neck, gently twist the lengths. In order to squeegee out the water without further disrupting damaged hair, proceed with caution and do this part slowly.
Choose natural fibers: I chose cotton because it is a natural, breathable material. Cotton is naturally absorbent, so it will slowly remove the water from your wet hair, meaning you can monitor the absorbance and decide your ideal towel dry time. Each hair type will have a different dry time. Certain towel fabrics can counteract hair breakage treatment, so if you’re wondering how to fix split ends–especially when you already opt for non-heated hair drying methods–ensure that your towels are made from natural fibers that are both breathable and gentle on the hair.
Adapt the proper technique: Place The Towel Wrap around your head, and enclose the hair within the lengths of the towel. Hold the base of the wrap and gently start to twist, progressively decreasing the twist tension towards the ends.
For more volume: Flip your hair upside down and place the center of the round part of the towel at the nape of your neck. Wrap toward the front, then flip your head back up and secure the twist with the button on the back.
For volume control: Place the middle of the round part of the towel at your center hairline like a scarf, wrap it downwards, twist it and secure it with the button in the front.
Use a leave-in treatment: The best way to restore damaged hair is through using a hair breakage treatment post-shower. Leave-in conditioners, UV and heat protectant treatments, and hair oil treatments like MAY11 restoring oil are all surefire ways to enhance your hair texture while it towels dries, much like you would use when you air dry your hair. I do not recommend using holding products, because they can create crunchiness once hair has dried.
Have fun with it! Don’t hesitate to get a little playful and towel dry your hair poolside while sipping your favorite drink - you can elevate this Hollywood style by applying a red velvet lipstick and wearing dramatic sunglasses! :-)
Getot recommend using holding products, because they can create crunchiness.
Be playful and towel dry your hair poolside while sipping your favorite drink - you can elevate this Hollywood style by applying a red velvet lipstick and wearing dramatic sunglasses! :-)
As you can see, towel drying is a versatile technique that is a simple way to promote healthy hair and build up hair strength. Now that you know the golden rules, go enjoy a nice towel dry twist and relax a little with some refreshing cucumber eye covers. It’s time to reveal your best heatless hair texture, the right way!
