Why You Need To Start Drying Your Hair With A T-Shirt

I must confess at the outset – it’s going to be a bit of a science lesson. But stick with me and by the end of it you will have found another way to tackle frizzy hair.

Fact: The outer layer of your hair is made up of cuticles. These dense structures protect the inner layer of the hair and are arranged like tiles on a roof, each overlapping the other. When new hair grows these cuticles are flat and lie on each other – that’s why the hair near your scalp looks smoother and shinier than the lengths.

The lengths look dry and frizzy because over time the cuticles have been disturbed – due to chemical treatments or physical wear and tear – ‘opening’ or lifting them making the hair porous. When the hair is porous it is able to absorb moisture from the air making it swell with volume or as we know it – frizzy.

What has all this got to do with drying your hair with a T-shirt?

When you dry your hair with a regular towel (no matter how new or soft) the vigorous rubbing causes the fibres on the towel disturb the hair cuticles lifting them and allowing moisture from the air to enter. It also absorbs too much moisture – which you need a little of to fight off moisture from the air. This is also why dry hair types, or hair damaged by chemical treatments of excessive colouring is frizzier than healthy hair.

A cotton T-shirt is less abrasive on your hair, it doesn’t disturb the cuticle and it doesn’t soak up all the moisture from your hair.

Any old T-shirt you have will suit the purpose. It’s better to use a cotton one as it is more absorbent. I use my husband’s large old one because I have long hair and I prefer to let my hair hang down while it is drying. Once I feel like most of the excess water has been absorbed, I take off the T-shirt and work in an anti-frizz product and either leave it to air dry or blow dry it depending on my mood. I even carry a t-shirt with me while on vacation so I don’t have to use the hotel towels to dry my hair. It’s helped considerably to reduce frizz and prevent breakage.

Will you be drying your hair with a t-shirt? Leave a comment and let me know how it works for you.