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Years ago I’d time my wash days to my laundry days, emerging from the shower with dripping hair and tousling it with a warm, fresh-out-the-dryer bath towel. I’d continue my routine as usual, but I kept experiencing loads of frizz. My hairstylist would eventually tell me I had lots of breakage too. I’d go on to list the handful of hair-strengthening treatments I was testing—bond-repair masks, anti-frizz serums—thinking there’s no way I’m doing something wrong. “Well, how do you dry your hair?” she once asked. As I detailed my bath-towel method, she stopped me, saying I should switch to microfiber towels instead.
You wouldn’t think that changing your hair-drying technique would make that much of a difference. But it turns out it can really make—or break—your mane. “A microfiber towel is a towel made of tiny synthetic fibers [thinner than a human hair strand],” Rita Hazan, celebrity colorist and founder of Rita Hazan Salon, tells me over email. Per Hazan, using one on a regular basis can prevent hair breakage and reduce the amount of stress put on your wet hair.
The Best Hair Towels to Shop This Amazon Prime Day
It’s no secret that Amazon is the ultimate hub for all things beauty, from the latest tools to hair-care essentials, like microfiber hair towels that dry damp tresses with less breakage and frizz. Below, the best hair towels to shop on sale this Amazon Prime Day 2024.
- The Water-Wicking Fabric: Aquis Flip Hair Wrap Towel,
$50, $35 - The Soft Fabric: Volo Beauty Salt White Hero Hair Towel,
$44, $31 - The Curly Hair Solution: DevaCurl Microfiber Anti-Frizz Hair Towel,
$25, $19 - The At-Home Spa Day: Bondi SPA Microfiber Hair Towel,
$13, $10
Vogue’s Favorite Hair Towels
- The Editor Favorite: Crown Affair The Hair Towel, $45
- The Water-Wicking Fabric: Aquis Flip Hair Wrap Towel, $50
- The Trichologist Approved: Act+Acre Microfiber Hair Towel, $30
- The Soft Fabric: Volo Beauty Salt White Hero Hair Towel, $44
New York City–based trichologist and founder of hair-care retail platform Leona.co Shab Caspara explains it like this: Microfiber’s soft and fine structure makes it more gentle on the hair cuticles, which helps reduce friction, frizz, and breakage. Traditional towels, on the other hand, “have more texture and can disrupt the delicate cuticle layer of hair when used to dry hair.” Caspara explains that even air-drying isn’t a good solution either: “Air-drying hair can take an extremely long time depending on the thickness and porosity of hair and even lead to hygral fatigue, where hair swells from too much moisture,” she continues. Plus it can “cause the top layer of hair to dry faster than the hair underneath, resulting in an uneven texture when hair is all dried.”
The first time I used a hair towel, I noticed immediate improvements in my hair’s look and feel. True to Caspara and Hazan’s notes, when using my normal routine—clarifying shampoo then hydrating shampoo, followed by a deep conditioner—my hair was smoother and sleeker by simply swapping out my usual bath towel. Having my hair dry faster was an added bonus; instead of my just-washed hair dripping down my back, all the excess moisture was quickly absorbed as the towel sat securely atop my head. Most hair towels have some sort of fastener or elastic that holds your hair in place—another asset that sets it apart from your usual towel.
Simply pat your hair dry using your microfiber towel to absorb excess water, then wrap hair in the towel before it’s time to style. “Allowing your hair to rest in the microfiber towel for 5 to 10 minutes not only helps eliminate extra moisture but also promotes moisture retention, enhancing your hair’s natural texture and providing hydration, especially for drier hair types,” Caspara explains. “It may seem counterintuitive, but a microfiber towel can help hair from drying too quickly and losing all its moisture.”
While using the towel is simple enough, our experts emphasize proper care for them is key. “Learn how to care for and wash the towel you chose to purchase in the most effective way so the towel stays fresh and lasts you a long time,” Hazan bids. Some towels, like the Aquis, are made from denser polyesters that retain much more water and will likely require more frequent washing, rather than something like Crown Affair’s, which feature a lighter, waffle weave. Which you choose is simply a matter of personal preference—the latter is my favorite at the moment.
With the microfiber towels cemented as part of my wash-day routine, I went to my next hair appointment with more confidence. My stylist noticed my hair improvements (visibly less frizz and breakage!) without my bidding. That’s a win in my book!
Here, shop Vogue’s favorite hair towels below.
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Meet the Experts
- Shab Caspara is a New York City–based trichologist and founder of hair-care platform Leona.
- Rita Hazan is a celebrity hair colorist (whose clients include Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, and Aubrey Plaza) and the founder of Rita Hazan Salon.
