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How to Towel-Dry Hair Correctly: The Dos and Don’ts

Lady towel drying her hair

Towel-drying hair is all the rage right now, and when done correctly, it can do a world of good for your hair. But if you’re using quality products and towel-drying your hair, but still seeing breakage and frizz, you might be towel-drying your hair incorrectly. Not to worry, though—this important part of your haircare routine is easy to get right. We’ll go over some important dos and don’ts that’ll help you get the most out of your products and get your hair back to its healthiest so you can get ready to take on the day.

What is towel-drying?

Let’s start with the basics. When you towel-dry hair, you use a towel to dry your hair instead of relying solely on a blow-dryer, which can easily damage your locks with too much heat. The towel absorbs moisture from your hair and cuts the time it takes to air-dry your hair. This is important because wet hair is extremely fragile, meaning it’s a good idea to remove extra water from your hair quickly—but gently.

There are a few things to consider when towel-drying hair. The most important would be the type of towel you use and how gentle you are with your hair. Using a soft t-shirt is a great lifehack, but make sure it isn’t made of cotton and that it’s very soft. Another great alternative is using a microfiber hair towel, which is ultra-absorbent and soft as well.

The risk

When your hair is wet, its cuticles swell and hair stretches, making it more likely to break. But because it’s so fragile, being rough with your hair while towel-drying is just a recipe for some major frizz. So how do you towel-dry hair correctly? Let’s go over the dos and don’ts!

Dos

• After washing your hair with Gliss® Ultra Moisture Shampoo and Gliss® Ultra Moisture Conditioner, gently squeeze excess water from your hair.
• Use a soft t-shirt or microfiber hair towel.
• Continue to remove excess water by gently blotting and squeezing with your soft t-shirt or microfiber hair towel.
• If you have long hair, tie your hair up into a turban and let the microfiber towel absorb the rest of the excess water for 10-15 minutes.
• Apply a leave-in-conditioner like the Gliss® Ultra Moisture Express Repair™ Conditioner and detangle using your fingers or a wide-toothed comb.

Dont's

• Don’t twist your hair tightly to get excess water out.
• Don’t use a cotton or terrycloth towel.
• Don’t rub your hair vigorously, as this will only lead to damage and frizz.
• Don’t tie the turban too tightly, as this will pull on your hair.
• Don’t brush your hair while it’s wet.

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