Air-drying is not bad for your skin! There's no reason you would need to towel off after getting wet, other than the water may get on your clothes or make you a little colder. And as we've covered, air-drying can actually have benefits, so the answer is really quite the opposite!
In theory, air-drying can sound gentler than a vigorous rubdown with a towel. For those with sensitive and acne-prone skin, air-drying is purported as a soothing alternative that can calm irritated and inflamed skin.
One of the best & easy ways to dry your hair after washing, rather than waiting hours, is to leave it alone until it's about 75% dry. Once you've let nature run its course and your hair is slightly damp, grab your hair dryer and blow-dry your hair the remainder of the way.
On top of breakage, air-drying can also increase frizz, build-up, and mildew, especially for afro-textured and curly hair. "Hair that stays wet or damp for a long period can attract bacteria and fungus, especially if you have very dense hair," explains Jennie Roberts, a celebrity hairstylist and texture hair educator.
Air drying is the minimalist's match made in heaven—it can save you major time and effort with the right tricks. It's also a great way to avoid or recover from heat damage. The key to healthy air drying? Don't let your hair stay wet for too long.
5) Airdrying hair after a shower
Needless to say, rubbing a cloth towel harshly on wet hair will cause it to break more easily. To avoid any missteps, opt for a microfiber towel and gently squeeze out the water from your strands and then let it air dry naturally.
“Blow-drying can be a better option than air-drying because the water in the hair will swell and weigh down the hair,” says Raven Hurtado, hairstylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago. When the cell membrane complex layer swells, it can weaken the hair over time.
Avoid rubbing the hair vigorously, as the friction causes the strands to tangle and generate frizz. Then, keep your hair wrapped for 10 to 15 minutes. Next, moisturize the strands with a leave-in conditioner and avoid getting it on your scalp.
The Australian Vice President of Smart Devices, Dr Tim Moore, revealed why people shouldn't leave their hair wet. He said that when hair is wet it swells, which means water puts pressure on the cuticles which could cause them to break and create split ends.
James says any time there's an increased presence of moisture (like when you're not fully dry after a shower) can create a potential breeding ground that's favorable to yeast.
While it's hard to generalize about how long it will take your laundry to air-dry—fabric type, air temperature, and presence or absence of wind all play a part—expect it to take 2 to 4 hours for most types of fabric on a pleasantly warm day with a light breeze.
When your cuticles are open, moisture gets into the hair strands, expanding the hair as it dries, leading to frizz. Conditioner helps to close or seal these cuticles and lock in moisture, reducing frizziness and flyaways, which is especially important when air-drying your hair.
Air drying (like over washing) over an extended period can cause scalp to compensate, over produce oil leaving hair more oily, and causing you to fight the imbalance with more and more shampoo for oily scalp and hair.
Heat is damaging to hair, so blow drying with cold air is a healthier choice for your mane. It would take a long time to dry and style damp hair using only cold air, but cold air is great for touching up dry hair or setting a heat style.
Rubbing your hair vigorously after hair wash is a very bad idea. It is damaging to your hair. After you are done washing your hair, squeeze the excess water out of your hair and then use the t-shirt to gently wrap and press on your hair so as to absorb the excess water.
Don't Brush Wet Hair with a Regular Brush
“Even worse you can actually pull hair from the roots that way. The best time to brush your hair is when it is almost or completely dry.
“Aggressively drying your hair with a towel results in frizz and tangled hair,” Branch tells Allure. “Rather, dab your hair with an old or unwanted T-shirt for a smooth and absorbent approach, then gently squeeze out the moisture so that your hair is no longer dripping wet.”
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.
Sleeping with wet hair can lead to a host of problems for the scalp: unwanted bacteria, fungal infections, skin irritation, itchiness, dryness, redness, and dandruff," says hairstylist Miko Branch, co-founder of hair care brand Miss Jessie's.