I remember the days when I would wash my natural loose hair and it would dry within 30 to 40 minutes….back then I thought that was a long time, lol. That all changed when I got dreadlocks.
It takes my locs an average of 8 hours to fully dry…and that’s on a good day!
To minimize the hassle, I researched methods for drying my hair faster, and I was successful in discovering a few options. If you’re in a similar boat as I was, it’s your lucky day.
In this article, I’ll be sharing the products and tools I use to dry my locs quickly.
What Helps Dry Locs Quickly?
Let me start by throwing a little disclaimer out there – some hair types dry faster than others. Depending on the thickness of your locs, it might take well over 2 hours or more for them to dry completely, even if you’re employing one of the tools or methods listed below.
For this reason, you must wash your locs in the earlier part of the day since going to bed with wet locs can cause them to remain wet through the night and potentially develop dread rot.
Anyway, let’s continue. These are the products I recommend, in the order I would use them.
Lint-Free Towel
The first thing you want to do coming out of the shower with dripping locs is to wrap them in a towel- and not just any kind of towel, you’ll need one that doesn’t produce lint.
These are my top picks:
Microfiber Towel
Microfiber towels are amazing for absorbing liquid, so just think about how effective they’ll be for absorbing all the water off of wet hair. Well, no need to imagine… I can tell you from experience that they’re the best!
I’m on my third one at the moment because my locs have outgrown the previous two. I finally just bought the largest size so it’ll work for me even if I let my locs grow long enough to reach the floor.
By the way, when I say microfiber towels, I’m not talking about the ones they sell for cars. Typically, those are small, so won’t wrap around your head anyway, but the problem with those is that they’re super fluffy and attract a ton of lint.
I used a microfiber towel turban when I first started my locs and it was a terrible decision. The fabric is the same as the kind the microfiber towels for cars. The towel attracts so much lint, especially after you machine wash and dry it. Use it at your own risk.
To avoid lint, you’ll need to get the one that looks like this.
Where to buy it: Amazon is the best place to buy a microfiber towel. I’ve been to department stores, sports stores, clothing stores- you name it- and I’ve never found one. You may find them at camping stores, but I’m not sure. Either way, Amazon will probably be the most convenient place to get it.
Microfiber Towel Poncho
I recently discovered the microfiber towel poncho. It’s a cool alternative option to the one that’s shaped like a regular towel because it’s much larger and comes with a hoodie.
Tip: I generally wrap my locs for about an hour after getting out of the shower. This gives my towel enough time to soak up a good amount of water from my locs, at least enough so they’re not dripping. You don’t want to leave the towel on for much longer than that because it’ll keep your locs damp.
Hair Dryers
I’m personally more of an “air dry” kinda gal, but a hair dryer will speed the drying time up by a lot, so I definitely recommend it.
The time of year I almost always use a hair dryer is during the winter months. Winter is freezing where I live, so if I leave my hair to air dry, not only would it take all day, but I would make myself vulnerable to catching a cold.
My dryer has become my winter bestie. Not all hair dryers are equal. Here are the ones I recommend for drying locs.
Regular Blow Dryer
A hair dryer is the magic tool for expediting your drying time but you don’t want to expose your locs to too much heat.
Heat can cause hair damage (like breakage and brittle locs). The damage will be evident as they mature, so prevent it early on. For this reason, it’s best if you have a dryer with temperature controls.
You’ll want to use the cool or medium setting for your locs. I don’t recommend drying it with high heat unless it’s for a few seconds at a time.
Another thing that helps is having a diffuser attachment. I’m talking about the one that looks like a wide disk with little sticks poking out of it. This will disperse the air evenly around your scalp.
Surround Hair Dryer
I recently stumbled upon the Revlon Pro Collection Salon 360 Surround AC Hair Dryer and I think it would be a game changer for locs.
Although you can’t attach a diffuser to it, the benefit is that it will blow dry your locs from two angles instead of just one.
High-Velocity Pet Hair Dryer
Before you make any assumptions, hear me out on this.
I know you’re not a poodle but if you have thick locks that take a lifetime to dry, then you’ll be pleased to know that many loc’d people have used their pet’s high-velocity dryer with much success.
These machines are like a traditional hair dryer on steroids. They are a bit on the pricy side, but worth it if you ask me!
Nature’s Hair Dryer
During the summer months, I prefer to take advantage of nature’s best hair drying technology: the sun. This, plus the air, helps them dry a bit faster and it is by far my favorite of all methods.
Hooded Dryer
There are a couple of hooded dryer options that are super effective for drying dreadlocks.
Bonnet Hood Dryer
A bonnet dryer is an attachment that you add to your hair dryer. A good salon-style hair dryer is gonna work best, but if you don’t have one, any hair dryer will do.
It’s super important that your dryer has temperature controls because if it only blows out hot air, it will burn your scalp. You’ll want to use it on a medium or low setting.
This product works best on those with short locs. If you have long mature locs, it might not be an ideal option because your locs will get bunched up together inside the bonnet and the air will not be able to circulate as easily.
In any case, you can jiggle your locs from time to time to allow better air circulation.
If you want to make it a hands-free thing, you can either get a hair dryer stand or leave it on the table.
I guarantee you will look funky while wearing it but whatevs. Beauty and hair health comes at a price. 😉 It should cut your drying time in half, if not more.
Professional Standing Hood Hair Dryer
An alternative to the bonnet dryer is the vintage-like flip-top hair dryer that comes with a stand. This is bulky but if you have the space for it, it’s a great option!
Clean locs, drying tips, and more
Last thing! I want to leave you with a handful of tips for keeping your mane healthy long-term.
Squeeze your locs before you get out of the shower
Don’t wring your hair as this can promote frizz and cause breakage. Instead, give your locs a good squeeze to get as much water out of them as possible.
Do not use excessive products immediately after washing your locs
If you’re anything like me, you may run into a common issue: dry scalp.
You’ll likely have a dry scalp the day you wash your hair. This is because you’ve removed excess oils from your scalp (like sebum and other natural oils), and it your body needs time to reproduce it naturally.
It will take a day or two for your scalp to return to “normal” and produce more oil. In the meantime, if your scalp starts to feel itchy, you can apply pure aloe vera gel and it will bring back the moisture and relieve the itch almost instantly.
As a bonus, aloe vera nourishes the hair follicles. Since it’s mostly water and has a lightweight consistency, it won’t leave residue on your scalp.
The only downside to aloe is that it has conditioning properties. So if you have starter locs, you’ll want to use it in moderation until your locs are mature.
Wash your locs once a week
Before I had dreadlocks, I would wash my natural hair (i.e. loose hair) every day. But due to the risk of dread rot and the fact that they take forever to dry, it’s neither possible nor recommended.
The recommended time frame for washing your locs is once every 5 to 10 days. Contrary to popular belief, clean hair dreads better (and faster) than dirty hair.
Know the symptoms of dry locs and moisturize them as needed
If you do nothing to your locs for an entire week, they may get dry and feel like velcro.
The way to keep your dreads healthy and hydrated is to moisturize them daily. And the best part is that you don’t have to buy special dreadlock products for this.
The best moisturizing spray is distilled water. Can your loc routine get any easier than that?!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't fall for the idea that your locs need store-bought hair products. Not only are they more expensive than making your own, but most contain a lot of harsh chemicals and few natural ingredients... even the ones labeled "dreadlock friendly". You don't need to be a chemist to make your own loc products. If you can do as much as mix ingredients, then you're more than qualified. Since you won't be using chemicals to preserve your products though, the best idea is to make small batches.
After a week without washing your hair, your locs should smell neutral (that is, if they’re healthy). But if you want to keep them scented and smelling clean all week, then add hair oil to your distilled water spray.
- Essential oils like tea tree oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil, and lemongrass oil are all great options.
Make your moisture spray by mixing distilled water and your favorite blend of essential oils in a spray bottle. Use it on a regular basis or when your locs feel dry.
I wrote an entire article about the best essential oils for dreads, and their unique benefits to help you determine which oils to use during the different stages of your loc journey.
If you need some inspiration for making an essential oil spray, download my free 8-recipe e-book!
- Carrier oils like coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, Jamaican black castor oil, and almond oil are a great choice for retaining moisture in your scalp, but should not be used on the locs directly.
Massage a pea-sized amount onto your scalp about once or twice a week. Excess oil will cause buildup, so if you’re planning on using it twice a week, I recommend a lightweight oil (like grapeseed).
If your scalp is ultra dry, you can also do a hot oil treatment by combining a carrier oil with your choice of essential oils. I dedicated an entire article to the best carrier oils for dreads, their benefits, and which ones are best for which hair and skin types.
- Rose water, chamomile water, lavender water, green tea, and sage water can be used as a substitute for distilled water. When possible, choose organic products.
Deep clean your locs
If your locs smell like a wet towel, smoke, or anything that isn’t pleasant, try doing a detox with baking soda and apple cider vinegar. This will help cleanse them from the inside out and should eliminate the odor.
A dread detox is also recommended once every six months. This will help remove dust, some types of product buildup, and dead skin cells from deep within your locs.
Well, there you have it! With all those products and tips, you should be able to dramatically reduce your loc’s drying time. I hope this article was helpful to you!