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For years, I’ve been listening to hair stylists talk about how we should be gentle when drying our hair. Don’t rub it vigorously with a big fluffy towel, or do so at your hair cuticles’ peril. Oh, and this advice: Wrap your hair in a T-shirt to dry because it’s much gentler and will prevent frizziness. I’ve tried the latter, and let me tell you, there’s nothing less effective than a sopping wet T-shirt on your head.
A few weeks ago, an Aquis hair turban ($30) landed on my desk. I dismissed it as an unnecessary gimmick and continued to throw all caution to the wind with my old, rough towels. But I ultimately decided to try it because I’ve never been able to do that thing where you wrap your hair in a towel artfully and walk around looking like a screen siren. How does it stay on? It defies physics. Anyway, I decided to try this towel only because I wanted to see how elegant and swanlike my neck would look with a towel perched on my head.
Turns out the Aquis is great. First and foremost, it stays on your head thanks to a button on one end and a loop on the other, as well as strategically placed elastic on the edges. Also, it’s really wicking, but somehow did not drip at all even after I put it on my head sopping wet.
I’ve been wearing it in the mornings right after I get out of the shower and before I blow dry my hair. It really cuts down on my blow drying time, not to mention keeps the hair off my face so I can put my makeup on.
I also wear it if I shower at night. Thanks to years of bleach and heat styling, my ends are a mess, so I use some heavy duty leave-in conditioners at night (currently loving this one). I slather it on my wet head, put the Aquis turban on, then take it off about an hour later. My hair is then mostly dry and very, very soft.
It’s definitely better than using your dad’s old Santana T-shirt to dry your hair. Sorry I doubted you, hyper-specific towel.