Does healthy hair dry quicker or slower?
Thin and low-density hair dries faster than thick, high-density hair. Low-density hair just means you have fewer strands than the average person. This can be due to natural reasons or hair loss. The reason thin and low-density hair dries quickly is simple: the less hair there is, the less water it can hold onto.
"If your hair takes a long time to dry, it typically means it's highly porous," she explains. "For example, if it takes a day to dry or it takes a longer time than average to blow dry your hair, then you know you have high porosity hair."
Then, apply an anti-frizz leave-in of your choice and either put your hair into a bun or a few braids/twists and sleep on a silk pillowcase. How long does it usually take to air dry thick hair? Thick hair typically takes anywhere from two to three hours to air dry.
Is air-drying bad for your hair? When you air-dry your hair, you maximize the amount of time your hair retains moisture. Although this seems like something that would be good for your hair, it can actually be harmful over time.
Again, the density of your hair can also contribute to drying time. Because thin hair will naturally dry much faster than thick hair, especially if it's short. If your hair dries quickly, you have low porosity hair. Because low porosity naturally repels water, it dries faster.
- looks and feels dry.
- tends to be frizzy.
- tangles easily.
- is prone to breakage.
- air dries very quickly.
- absorbs products quickly.
- rarely looks shiny.
Your Hair Dries Quickly After a Wash
That's one of the hallmark signs of high porosity hair. The porous nature of the strands lets the water enter the hair shaft more easily, but it also quickly escapes so it takes less time for hair to dry.
Hair that floats to the top for a while before sinking toward the bottom of the glass likely has low porosity. Hair that floats somewhere near the middle of the glass likely has medium porosity. Hair that sinks to the bottom of the glass fairly quickly is typically more porous.
Neither just air-drying nor just blow-drying is healthy for your hair. The best way to keep your locks luscious and healthy is to do a combination of the two. It is recommended that you let your hair air-dry 70-80% of the way and then blow-dry until completely dry.
If you let natural hair on its own to air dry, it might take anywhere from 4-8 hours for it to get completely dry. What is this? This can even take longer if you have thicker, low-porosity hair. And if you have protective hairstyles like braids or twists, the time is longer than that.
Should I sleep with wet hair?
It should only be slightly damp, and definitely not completely wet. Sleeping with completely wet hair damages the follicle and causes breakage, so you'll want to blast it with the hairdryer to dry out 70 per cent of your hair, or let it naturally dry till it's just a little damp,” says Sabanayagam.
If you let natural hair on its own to air dry, it might take anywhere from 4-8 hours for it to get completely dry. What is this? This can even take longer if you have thicker, low-porosity hair. And if you have protective hairstyles like braids or twists, the time is longer than that.
Note: Hair coloring, heat damage, bleaching, and relaxing can all cause your hair to become more porous. As mentioned before, highly porous hair holds onto a higher volume of water and can take longer to dry as a result.
Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, you can eventually grow the damaged hair out as long as the follicle itself has been preserved. The most common causes of damage are below. Damaged hair can still grow eventually, but routine damage can result in negative consequences for your hair.
Also when the surface area of hair increases i.e longer hair, the surface area of the head becomes relatively small but when the surface area of hair decreases i.e small hair, the surface area of head becomes relatively large and hence contributes in faster evaporation.