if you have long hair, I have a question for you.

[ProudGrandma]

My daughter has long hair and she is looking for a great hair towel to use.  The cheap ones at Wal-mart aren't big enough or absorbent enough.  Does anyone here have a recommendation for us?  Thanks.

[Carol in Cal.]

I have long hair and use towels from Costco.  They are decent quality, very absorbent, and not expensive.

When it was super long, I used a bath sheet rather than a bath towel.

The main thing is to squeeze out your hair before putting the towel on it--just thought I would mention that.

[KS_]

I've been using an Aquis towel for my hair for many years.  My mom gifted me my first one and I've replaced it once (Amazon says I  bought the one I have in 2007....I can hardly believe that, but I know I've only ever bought one and it's still in great condition).  They're not really big, but lightweight and very absorbent.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Aquis-Microfiber-Towel-Lisse-39-Inches/dp/B000AM82GM

[Guest]

Cotton baby receiving blankets (or any high quality flannel. IME receiving blankets are the easiest to get ahold of)

 

Camp towels.

 

"Turkish" cotton towels.

 

 

Because you don't just need something absorbent...you needs something that will soak up the water without pulling against the "grain" of your hair.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I had long hair for a zillion years.  I used large bath towels. 

 

Beach towels would work too.  Those tend to be extra long.

 

 

[Farrar]

I find the best ones are the thin, cheap beach towels, honestly. I like an expensive cushy bath towel for my body, but for my hair, I just want something that will soak up all that excess water that my hair likes to hold. The thick bath towels don't suck the water away.

 

The towels at IKEA also work well for this.

[gardenmom5]

I have long hair - I use costco towels.

my dd  has super long hair (her hips) - and uses costco towels.

 

you also want to make sure you are using a towel that is 100% cotton.  ANY polyester will seriously reduce absorbancy.

[Tap]

I've been using an Aquis towel for my hair for many years.  My mom gifted me my first one and I've replaced it once (Amazon says I  bought the one I have in 2007....I can hardly believe that, but I know I've only ever bought one and it's still in great condition).  They're not really big, but lightweight and very absorbent.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Aquis-Microfiber-Towel-Lisse-39-Inches/dp/B000AM82GM

I have one too that I use when my hair is long. .  I can't remember how many years I have had it, but a very, very long time. I only use it on my clean hair, so I don't wash it very often. That could be why it has lasted so long.

 

When I dry off after a shower, I flip my hair upside down and squish some of the water with my bath towel. I comb out my hair and then I use this towel  to squish the remaining water out of my hair.  After using this towel, I don't have to wrap my hair so I don't have the weight of the wet towel and hair pulling at the roots.

[Guest]

I use a microfiber towel, of gives me less frizz. My hairs is way longer than the towel but folding it/plopping the hair works. Another thing that is lovely is an old tee shirt. They're very absorbent but again, no frizz. Normal terry towels give me major tangles, though I'm kind of dying to get a bunch of Turkish towels to try out as I've heard raves.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Arctic Mama

[Kassia]

I haven't used them yet, but bought these Turbie Twists for all the girls in our family this year:

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Turbie-Twist-r-Microfiber-Hair-Towel/43340806

 

 

Edited November 19, 2016 by Erica H

[Bambam]

My girls with long hair use t-shirts. 

[Guest]

I find the best ones are the thin, cheap beach towels, honestly. I like an expensive cushy bath towel for my body, but for my hair, I just want something that will soak up all that excess water that my hair likes to hold. The thick bath towels don't suck the water away.

 

The towels at IKEA also work well for this.

Yeah, that's funny - me too.

 

I also don't like a huge towel for my head because I do the turban thing for a few minutes and a thinner towel is better for that. I don't want a sleeping bag on top of my head, lol!

[Anne]

I use the turbie twist (although mine came from Bed, Bath & Beyond) mentioned above and have been using it for a number of years.  Very absorbent, easy and comfortable to use, and cuts down on the laundry load a little bit.

 

:-)

 

Anne

[ProudGrandma]

I haven't used them yet, but bought these Turbie Twists for all the girls in our family this year:

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Turbie-Twist-r-Microfiber-Hair-Towel/43340806

 

this is what my daughter already uses...and it sort of works...but I am actually wondering if they would work better, if she used her regular towel first to sort of dry her hair.  

[ProudGrandma]

My girls with long hair use t-shirts. 

 

sorry for being dumb...but how do they do that?  just use it to dry their hair? or what?

[happi duck]

I use a long sleeved T-shirt (as a turban type thing) after pressing out as much water as I can with my hands.

Edited November 19, 2016 by happi duck

[Selkie]

I just use a regular bath towel, but if I'm in a hurry and need my hair dry fast, I use a handful of paper towels.  

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

 

Cheap bath towels, that have been washed many times, seem to work best.

[bolt.]

I just use regular bathroom towels for all my drying needs, including my long hair.

[MercyA]

this is what my daughter already uses...and it sort of works...but I am actually wondering if they would work better, if she used her regular towel first to sort of dry her hair.  

 

Does she use the microfiber Turbie Twists or the terry ones? The terry ones don't work for my long hair at all, but the microfiber ones do.

 

I used an Aquis towel for years, but found the microfiber Turbie ones work just as well. I didn't want to shell out $20 for a single towel again!

[Closeacademy]

Since I braid my hair under the flowing water, I usually just use a regular towel and pat my hair a bit. My hair is almost 3 foot long and always does fine. I always let it air dry as well.

[ProudGrandma]

Does she use the microfiber Turbie Twists or the terry ones? The terry ones don't work for my long hair at all, but the microfiber ones do.

 

I used an Aquis towel for years, but found the microfiber Turbie ones work just as well. I didn't want to shell out $20 for a single towel again!

 

She has the terry cloth ones...I didn't know they had microfiber ones too...I will go looking for those right now.  thanks.

[athomeontheprairie]

I feel like I'm living in a bubble. I have long hair (waist length). And have never had a hair towel.

What am I missing? I wash. Gently squeeze out the extra water with the towel after I've brushed it and call it good.

 

Are you leaving your hair up in a towel until its dry?

[zoobie]

I use an Aquis towel too, though I prefer the waffle style. My first one lasted years. I replaced it a few years ago. They get out so much more water than a regular bath towel, and they don't hurt to wrap up and wear. I've even taken one on vacation.

[KS_]

I feel like I'm living in a bubble. I have long hair (waist length). And have never had a hair towel.

What am I missing? I wash. Gently squeeze out the extra water with the towel after I've brushed it and call it good.

 

Are you leaving your hair up in a towel until its dry?

 

I used to just use a regular towel to wrap my hair up while toweling off the rest of me and getting dressed.  However, a regular towel is generally quite bulky, and difficult to put a shirt on over, so after getting an Aquis towel, I've never gone back to a regular one. I don't leave my hair in the towel until it's dry, just until I'm dressed - I don't like wet hair dripping on my shirt.   It gets enough moisture out of my hair so it's damp but not drippy and is easy to pull a shirt on over because it's thin and doesn't feel like I have a big weight on my head (which I feel like if I'm a guest somewhere and don't have my towel).  It's one of those things that's definitely not necessary in life, but I do miss it when I'm not home.

[shawthorne44]

sorry for being dumb...but how do they do that?  just use it to dry their hair? or what?

 

 

I use a t-shirt because I have curly hair.  When I want my hair to look really nice I wash last thing before bed, and then use the t-shirt just to keep the hair out of the way while I dry my body.   Then I get in bed and just lay my hair on the bed above my head.  

[Guest]

I feel like I'm living in a bubble. I have long hair (waist length). And have never had a hair towel.

What am I missing? I wash. Gently squeeze out the extra water with the towel after I've brushed it and call it good.

 

Are you leaving your hair up in a towel until its dry?

I always have a hair towel and my hair is not as long as yours. :) I don't like it dripping all over me while I'm trying to dry my body and get dressed. So, hair towel on like a turban, then dry off body, then get dressed, then pull out the hair for further drying and styling. It just gets it to where it's not dripping everywhere.

[melbotoast]

Another vote for the microfiber turbie twist.

[milovany]

I use cloth diapers. 

[Guest]

I use cloth diapers.

Just to squeeze out moisture or do you somehow secure them to keep absorbing? I have plenty and would totally be willing to try :lol:

[rjand6more]

My dds and I have very long hair.  We have always used bath towels with success.  

 

The major variable in our house is fabric softener.  Never use fabric softener.  Also, if your towels are not getting clean(thanks to HG!!) you may need to strip them with vinegar.

[milovany]

Just to squeeze out moisture or do you somehow secure them to keep absorbing? I have plenty and would totally be willing to try :lol:

 

 

I use them to squeeze out moisture.  Should have clarified, sorry!  I started using them after reading Curly Girls, so for me it had more to do with curls than long hair, but they work really well in collecting moisture and holding it.  :)

 

[Guest]

I use them to squeeze out moisture. Should have clarified, sorry! I started using them after reading Curly Girls, so for me it had more to do with curls than long hair, but they work really well in collecting moisture and holding it. :)

 

Gotcha! I haven't read my copy in over a decade now, but that's where I got the idea for tee shirts and microfiber towels. I'll have to try some of our prefolds and compare.

[fairfarmhand]

I use a microfiber towel, of gives me less frizz. My hairs is way longer than the towel but folding it/plopping the hair works. Another thing that is lovely is an old tee shirt. They're very absorbent but again, no frizz. Normal terry towels give me major tangles, though I'm kind of dying to get a bunch of Turkish towels to try out as I've heard raves.

 

My brother brought 3 towels to us from Turkey. Love them!

[Elizabeth 2]

I use a cloth diaper to absorb the excess water then wrap my hair in an old jersey pillowcase. I had noticed excess breakage with my health issues and it helped. Now I do it because it dries my hair quickly without it frizzing. My daughter has curly hair and I just use the diaper on her hair and it works great to keep hers from getting tangled.

[katilac]

Cotton baby receiving blankets (or any high quality flannel. IME receiving blankets are the easiest to get ahold of)

 

Camp towels.

 

"Turkish" cotton towels.

 

 

Because you don't just need something absorbent...you needs something that will soak up the water without pulling against the "grain" of your hair.

 

Does not going against the grain help with frizz or breakage or both? 

[Guest]

Does not going against the grain help with frizz or breakage or both? 

 

To a certain extent, both.

 

The outer layer (the "grain") of each hair is called the cuticle, and it rests in overlapping scales, over the cortex of the hair. The cuticles opening, or being pushed up, does a few things. First of all, it makes hair frizzy looking. Second of all, it sticks to the hair next to it because the cuticles are now like little grabbers. This is why teasing your hair works. Thirdly, lifting the cuticle allows __whatever__ to penetrate to the cortex, where the color and the strength of the hair is. So to perm, color, or break the hair, the cuticles have to be raised or nullified. Raising the cuticle in and of itself won't break the hair, but it gets you half way there.

[Annie G]

I use microfiber turbie twist but do NOT use fabric softener when it's washed. No dryer sheets, either. 

 

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

nm, saw someone else answered this upthread!

Edited November 21, 2016 by Monica_in_Switzerland

[Alexigail]

I use the Turbie twist but I have to use two (trade after 10 minutes) because my hair is really thick.

[historically accurate]

I've been using an Aquis towel for my hair for many years.  My mom gifted me my first one and I've replaced it once (Amazon says I  bought the one I have in 2007....I can hardly believe that, but I know I've only ever bought one and it's still in great condition).  They're not really big, but lightweight and very absorbent.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Aquis-Microfiber-Towel-Lisse-39-Inches/dp/B000AM82GM

 

This is what I use as well, and I have super thick hair (usually it's long although it is only shoulder length at the moment). I bought mine the last year of college - I know this because it was my one and only purchase at the little gift shop I worked in that year. It was 1996, and I just replaced it with a new one from Bed, Bath & Beyond last year. So I got almost 20 years out of it.

[kiwik]

I feel like I'm living in a bubble. I have long hair (waist length). And have never had a hair towel.

What am I missing? I wash. Gently squeeze out the extra water with the towel after I've brushed it and call it good.

 

Are you leaving your hair up in a towel until its dry?

I just give my hair a quick rub with whatever I am using.

[shawthorne44]

Another trick with long hair is to sort of let if pile in a puddle on the top of your head as you lean over and wrap the towel around your head.  When the ponytail-like clump of hair escapes from the towel opening at the top of your head, hangs down and whacks it cold wetness on your back - that is unpleasant.