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• Method 1 of 2: Pat your hair dry
• Method 2 of 2: Dry your hair using other methods

Drying your hair with a hairdryer can damage your hair. It also takes more time to prepare to go out. If you'd like to try an alternative method of air drying your hair that won't take longer, try one of the methods described below.

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Method 1 of 2: Pat your hair dry

1. Apply conditioner to your hair. Apply conditioner to your hair while you shower. A conditioner not only ensures healthy hair, but also repels water. Conditioners apply a kind of coating that sticks to the hair. This coating ensures that water slides off the hair and is not absorbed.
   • Apply a leave-in conditioner to your hair if you have curly hair. This prevents your hair from getting frizzy while air drying your hair. Apply oil to dry ends if you have thin hair.
2. Remove as much water as possible before getting out of the shower. You can start the drying process before you get out of the shower. Gently squeeze the excess water from your hair. After you have tried to squeeze as much water out of your hair as possible, run your fingers through your hair like a kind of comb. Shake your hair loose so that the hairs are separated as much as possible. This way your hair will dry faster.
   • Try to avoid getting your hair wet again after rinsing it. Put your hair up while you're still in the shower or keep it away from the water jets. This way you will reduce the amount of water in your hair.
3. Shake your hair. After getting out of the shower, turn your head upside down. Shake your head back and forth for several minutes. Using your fingers, shake the hair at the roots to get your hair dry faster.
   • Shaking your hair loose will promote air circulation in your hair. This will speed up the drying process and prevent hair from tangling.
4. Pat your hair dry with a towel. Use a towel to remove water from your hair. Make sure to use a microfiber towel or a towel that is super absorbent instead of a regular towel. A regular towel can frizz and damage your hair. Use an absorbent towel to absorb moisture. Try to remove as much water as possible. Divide your hair into a number of sections. Pinch some of the hair together in the towel for a few seconds. Then let go of the hair and move on to the next section. Do this with all parts and then dab again as often as necessary.
   • Use a different, drying section of the towel each time you are going to dry the next section of your hair. This way you can be sure that you don't let the water flow back into your hair.
   • Do not over-dry your hair with the towel. Even with a microfiber towel you can damage the outer layer of a hair.
   • Instead of a towel, use a soft cotton shirt or pillowcase. The cotton will absorb the moisture and protect your hair. You can also try to pat your hair dry using paper towels. This also reduces the chance of your hair getting frizzy.
5. Focus on the hair roots. While drying your hair, focus on the roots instead of the ends. The ends of the hair will dry faster than the hair roots. Remove as much water as possible from around the hair roots to make your hair dry faster.
   • Pat the hair roots dry several times with your towel. Use a smaller towel to get closer to the roots, this will not work when using a large towel.
   • Constantly shake up your hair from the roots. Turn your head upside down and run your fingers through your hair along the roots. You want to allow as much air as possible around the hair roots to get your hair dry faster.
6. Comb your hair with a wide-tooth comb. Hair care experts say you should never use a brush while your hair is still wet. So use a wide-toothed comb to detangle your hair. This prevents your hair from getting frizzy and limits damage to wet hair.
   • After combing, make sure to loosen your hair with the help of your fingers to separate the hairs. You could also do this by shaking your head from side to side. Keep your hair loose to aid in the air supply.
   • Apply hair care products before and after combing. Your hair needs such products so that you can style your hair when it is dry. Depending on what you prefer, hair care products could include a lotion for curls, anti-frizz serum or a spray with sea salt.
   • Style your hair with a comb. Then try to stop touching your hair with your hands. This could make your hair frizzy.
7. Finally, let your hair air dry. After you have removed enough water by blotting and shaken your hair enough, you can let your hair air dry. The time it takes for the drying process will depend on the thickness of your hair, how much water you have already removed, and the weather.
   • If it takes a long time to dry, you can turn your head upside down every few minutes. This will give the air more access to the hair and will make your hair dry faster.
   • Another option is to run your fingers or a comb through your hair every 10 to 15 minutes.

Method 2 of 2: Dry your hair using other methods

1. Wrap your hair in a towel and put it around your head like a turban. After you shower, wrap your hair in a microfiber towel turban. Keep the turban on your head while you get ready to go to school or work, eat your breakfast and do other tasks. After 10 to 15 minutes, your hair should be nearly dry.
   • Before putting the towel around your head like a turban, make sure you have removed as much of the excess water as possible. Gently squeeze the water out of your hair, then soak up any excess moisture by blotting. Finally, wrap the towel around your head like a turban.
   • Instead of buying a special hair towel to use as a turban, simply wrap your hair with a microfiber towel.
2. Try "Hair plopping". Plopping is a great way to air dry curly hair. Start by applying a hair product. Wrap a soft cotton T-shirt around your head. Instead of putting the T-shirt around your head like a turban, turn the T-shirt so that it curls around your ears. Each side will look like a sausage roll. Tie the ends together at the base of your neck.
   • Hold the towel around your head for 20 to 30 minutes.
   • Make sure to remove excess water and pat dry your hair as much as possible before wrapping your hair in a T-shirt.
3. Use a microfiber brush. A microfibre brush is a hair brush with microfibre bristles. The sponges absorb the excess moisture. Keep running the brush through your hair to remove water.
   • Try brushing your hair a few times with the microfiber brush. Shake your hair to promote air circulation. Repeat this process after five to ten minutes.
4. Shake your hair dry. Remove excess moisture and pat your hair dry. Then bend over and dry your hair by making shaking movements with your head. Run your fingers through your hair to part it and try to shake it up from the roots. Hold your hair and gently rock it up and down. Bend over and shake your head.
   • The shaking motion stimulates the circulation of the air through the hair. It will also remove tangles from your hair that contain and hold water.
   • Be careful when you shake your head as you can get dizzy after just a minute or two.
   EXPERT TIP

   Sit in the sun. The heat from direct sunlight will help dry your hair. If you have enough time, sit outside or take a walk while your hair dries. Make sure to remove excess moisture and pat your hair dry as best you can before going for a walk outside. Release your hair and try to shake it up from the roots, as it were. This will make your hair dry faster.

   • If you do this on a windy day, your hair will dry even faster.
5. Done.