We’ve all been there – stepping out of the shower with soaking wet hair that seems to take ages to fully dry. You try blasting it with a hairdryer to speed things up, but it still ends up taking 30 minutes or more to get your locks from dripping to dry. So why does our hair take so ridiculously long to dry out? There are a few key factors at play.
Hair Texture and Porosity
The texture and porosity of your hair has a big impact on how quickly it dries. Porous hair has a more open cuticle layer that allows water to easily penetrate into the hair shaft. This also allows moisture to escape and evaporate more readily when drying. People with very porous hair often struggle with dryness, but their hair also dries faster.
Non-porous hair has tightly sealed cuticles that limit water absorption and evaporation. While this helps the hair retain moisture, it also causes it to take much longer to fully dry out. Curly and coily hair textures tend to have lower porosity and hold onto water for longer. Straight, fine hair often has higher porosity and dries out faster.
Hair Density
The density of your hair, meaning the number of individual hairs per square inch on your scalp, also affects drying time. People with thick, dense hair have more physical hair that must be saturated and then evaporated of water. With more strands and greater volume, water is trapped and takes longer to evaporate out.
Those with fine, thin hair have less physical hair, so there is less water retention and faster drying. Light hair also tends to have a thinner texture than dense, coarse hair, speeding up drying time.
Environmental Factors
From humidity and temperature to air circulation, the environment around you impacts how fast your hair dries. Higher humidity adds moisture to the air, which slows down the evaporation of water from your hair. Lower humidity pulls moisture out faster.
Higher temperatures make water evaporate more quickly. Being in an area with good airflow – either positioned under a vent or outside on a breezy day – can significantly speed up drying time.
Your Hair Takes So Long to Dry: What Can You Do?
Use a microfiber towel
Microfiber towels absorb water better than regular towels, without causing as much frizz or damage. Gently squeeze excess moisture from your hair with a microfiber towel before letting it air dry.
Apply product to soaking wet hair
Putting leave-in conditioners, detanglers, and styling products on extremely wet hair helps seal in moisture and reduce frizz as your hair dries.
Apply products to ends only
Using conditioner, serum, or oil from mid-shaft to ends prevents product buildup at the roots that can slow drying.
Avoid heavy oils and butters
These can seal the cuticle too much and prevent water from evaporating. Opt for lighter oils like grapeseed or argan instead.
How quickly your hair dries comes down to the unique texture, density, length, wetting method, environment, drying practice, and health of your hair. While you can optimize certain factors, hair drying time is ultimately constrained by the physical properties of your locks. Embrace the waiting time as an opportunity to take care of yourself!