The Real Reason You Shouldn't Use A Towel To Dry Your Hair

Showering can be broken down into simple rules: 'Lather, rinse, repeat,' 'don't use all the hot water,' and 'throw away a soap bottle when it's empty.' Yes, the rules while in the shower stand strong. It's the routines we've learned for getting out of the shower that need to be reviewed. This may come as a surprise, as it's something most of us do in a robotic fashion, but towel-drying your hair can vandalize your strands.

Celebrity hairstylist and author Monae Everett tells The Huffington Post that the texture and dryness of a standard cotton or terry cloth towel can cause some real damage. "This can worsen split ends and cause small craters along the hair shaft, weakening the hair," she says. Adding, "Noticeable signs of damage are dry hair and frizz. Frizz is a major indicator of damaged, dry hair in need of moisture."

The damage done to your hair from towel-drying can worsen over a period of time, making it hard to notice before it's too late that you are being too rough with your strands. According to All Things Hair, the rubbing, twisting, and pulling motions you make while towel-drying can alter the hair's structure. It can also lead to extra knots, which is never a comfortable task to deal with.

So how are we supposed to dry our sopping wet hair? Everett shares with The Huffington Post a gentler way to get the job done. "Blot and squeeze your hair dry instead of roughly drying it by vigorously moving up and down the hair shaft," she explains. The celebrity hairstylist goes on to recommend drying your hair with a T-shirt, or microfiber towel as they will help absorb excess water and put less stress on the hair. So go ahead and continue to lather, rinse, repeat. Just be careful of how you handle your tresses right after, to avoid any unnecessary damage.