8 Genius Tricks To Help Your Hair Dry Faster - Byrdie

In an ideal world, our post-shower routine would involve lazing around in a cozy robe to our heart's content. Of course, in the real world, we are doing whatever it takes to shave off minutes—seconds even—from getting ready. While we would love to catch up on the latest Housewives drama as we let our hair air-dry, we don't always have the time or the luxury. Instead, in our desperate attempt to dry hair fast, we blast the blow dryer on high and aim it at our soaking wet strands—but there has to be a better way. According to hair experts, Alli Webb, and, Stephanie Diaz, there is. Ahead, Webb and Diaz shed light on how they speed up drying time in their personal and professional lives. From techniques to products, keep scrolling for their expert tips on how to dry hair fast.

Meet the Experts

• Alli Webb is a New York Times best-selling author and founder of Drybar.
• Stephanie Diaz is a hair colorist and educator at Treehouse Social Club in Manhattan.

1. Condition and Comb Through

Keep a wide-toothed comb—we're fans of Wet Brush's Speed Dry Brush—inside your shower, and always, always comb through when applying conditioner. Not only will this ensure an even application but it will also help to detangle your hair and reduce drying time.

2. Ditch Your Towel

News flash: Your towel isn’t doing your hair any favors, especially in the drying department. That excessive back-and-forth rubbing is only roughing up your hair cuticle, which is actually super damaging, so skip it in favor of squeezing with a soft microfiber towel instead. The softer texture soaks up twice as much water, and it does it without frizzing up your strands.

Byrdie Tip

You can wrap up your hair, turban style, or simply squeeze gently and allow it to air dry, depending on your hair texture.

3. Try Plopping

Curly-haired girls, it’s time to give your strands a good plopping. Diaz says this technique will not only allow your curls to dry faster but will also help them retain their natural shape. Here’s how to do it:

1. Saturate your wet strands with a leave-in conditioner or styling cream, like DevaCurl's SuperCream Coconut-Infused Curl Definer.
2. Take a cotton T-shirt and lay it on a flat surface with the neck and sleeves closest to you.
3. Stand over the T-shirt and flip your hair over so your hair is “plopping” onto the fabric.
4. Grab the bottom of the shirt and hold it at the nape of your neck. Roll the rest of the T-shirt toward your face and tie the sleeves in a knot.
5. Leave this on for 10 to 20 minutes as you finish the rest of your morning routine.
6. Then just shake out your curls and dry with a diffuser or simply allow them to air-dry.

4. If Possible, Give Yourself Some Time

Ask any hairstylist to share their best tip for helping your hair dry faster, and they'll say one thing: Allow your hair to dry as much as possible before taking a brush and blow-dryer to it. “You never want to start a blowout with sopping wet hair,” stresses Webb. “If you start with really wet hair, it’s just going to take you that much longer. That’s a mistake a lot of women make.”

Depending on your hair texture, you can gently wring it dry after your shower and allow it to air-dry and as you carry on with your skincare and makeup—then, you can start blow-drying. If your hair is frizz-prone, you’ll want to keep it wrapped up in a microfiber towel, like the Hair Towel Wrap by Turbie Twists, until you’re ready to tackle the drying process.

5. Apply the Rough-Dry Rule

Rough-drying means blow-drying using only your fingers, tousling your hair, and focusing on the roots. According to Webb, in an ideal situation, you should rough-dry your hair so that it's 30- to 40-percent dry before reaching for your brush. Then style as needed.

6. Be Picky With Leave-In Products

Heat-conducting polymers in certain products may help wick moisture away from your hair, leading to a shorter blow-dry. You can try Verb's Ghost Prep Heat Protectant or Bumble & bumble's All-Style Blow Dry, both of which guard your hair from heat and reduce drying time. If you’re in a pinch, running a traditional mousse, like SheaMoisture's Frizz-Free Curl Mousse, through damp strands before drying can speed up your process and give you added texture, especially if air-drying.

7. Use the Right Brush

If you’re a blow-drying fiend, make sure you’re using the right brush—namely, one that’s conducive to drying your hair as quickly as possible. A ceramic-vented round brush, like Olivia Garden’s Ceramic + Ion Thermal Hair Brush, allows air to flow through and dry your strands; just make sure you’re always pointing the nozzle of your blow-dryer down.

8. Work in Sections

If your hair is especially thick, divide and clip it into four sections, tackling each one and drying it before moving to the next. This will cut down on drying time as compared to blowdrying the entire head at once. Also, aim air at the roots versus the mid-lengths and ends for a smooth and shiny blowout.

9. Turn Down the Heat

When you’re trying to get out the door ASAP, you might be tempted to turn your trusty blow dryer to the highest heat setting. But, doing this runs the risk of fried hair, so rethink how high you set your heat and consider allowing your hair to air dry if you can. "The airflow is what is drying the hair and the heat is actually about heating the tool, such as your brush to smooth the cuticle of the hair," explains Diaz. They recommend using medium heat instead (most dryers have a switch that goes from low, medium, to high heat), saying it does "more than enough" to do the trick.

10. Reach for an Ionic Hair Dryer

If you can, opt for an ionic hair dryer as the negative ions may add shine and dry hair faster by repelling the water. (Side note: always apply a heat protectant beforehand!) It also works to keep frizz at bay, resulting in a silky-smooth blowout—and who doesn't want that?