• Rob has longish hair, and has been complaining about how long it takes to towel-dry it.
• My own hair seems to be thinning at the hairline, and I wondered if bundling it in a bath towel every morning could be making that worse.
• Elizabeth is not able to balance a bath towel on her head, and a bath towel is overkill for her hair anyway.
These three things led to the purchase of three Turbie Twists, which I did NOT see on TV but instead saw on Amazon when I searched for “hair towels.” It is a little embarrassing to buy an “as seen on TV” product, like getting an Oprah’s Book Club book or a celebrity-chef-endorsed tool. “THAT IS NOT WHY I’M GETTING IT,” I want to explain. I ordered a two-pack from Amazon.com for $11 (I got aqua/white), and then I found one-packs at HomeGoods for $5 each in colors I didn’t like for myself (animal prints, black) but also a brown that was perfect for Rob.
(photo from Amazon.com)
Anyway. I put one Turbie Twist in each of our Christmas stockings, and I have tried mine for nine mornings now and am ready to report.
First, I HATE the feel of the microfiber. I hate it SO MUCH. It feels like it’s snagging on every single molecule of my hands.
But I have gotten over this, because I really like it once it’s on my head and I’m not touching it. It’s much lighter-weight than a bath towel, and I can get dressed and put on shoes and make-up with it on. I think it’s significantly cuter than a bath towel, too, and the end tucks into an elastic loop so it won’t fall off. And the hair pocket is long enough for my hair, which is almost bra-strap-length down to the horizontal bra strap MID-BACK LENGTH. (I think I could bundle hair in even if it were quite a bit longer, but see next paragraph.) And we have a shortage of towel-hanging devices in our bathroom, so it’s nice to have one fewer towels to find space for.
One problem I have is that my hair is not only long but thick. So although the Turbie Twist is cuter and more comfortable than a bath towel, I notice no miraculous drying effects: my hair is about as dry as when I use a bath towel, and if anything it’s a little wetter. Today I had a genius idea, an idea that was probably written in the instructions if I’d bothered to read them: nest TWO Turbie Twists, one inside the other. I tried that this morning and still didn’t notice any impressive drying, but my hair was at least no wetter than when I balance a whole bath towel on my head.
They have these at my local dollar store. If you’d like some generic ones, just let me know. A DOLLAR. I love the dollar store.
Now the word “dollar” looks weird. Dollar.
I want one! Off to Amazon!
This? Might save me a lot of “It’s freezing outside you need to dry your hair”s.
I just figured something out: for ages I have heard people say “bra-strap length” when talking about their hair and been puzzled by it, because why not just say “shoulder length?” BUT–you mean the strap across the middle part of your back, right? THAT strap! NOT the shoulder straps! It all makes sense now!
Carry on.
Alexa, you just blew my mind.
I am NOT laughing. I just look suspiciously bright-eyed and cheerful for no reason.
But that’s not a strap, that’s the band! Alexa, you are right, the bra strap is vertical and the band is horizontal.
I want people to start saying bra-cup length. How about that for awkward?
I have one and like it when I remember to use it. The feel of microfiber on hands really is terrible though.
I have some older Turbie Twists that are terry cloth rather than microfiber and I have used them for 10+ years. The pretty colors are faded but they plod on. I have an off brand that is also terry cloth and I believe I’ve purchased mine from Bed Bath & Beyond.
I also have an off-brand version from Bed, Bath & Beyond and I love it. Even though it is super thin (and according to a Google search appears to be microfiber) it feels like a towel to the touch.
I have found that if I put my hair up in it soaking wet, the towel reaches its max water capacity before my hair is dry. My solution is to do 5-10 seconds of vigorous drying with a big bath towel to soak up the dripping ends before I twist it up. Much better end result.
I also have two old terrycloth ones that I LOVE and one microfiber one that I use only when the other two are in the wash. The terry ones stay on my head better and don’t have that icky soft feeling. I’ve thought about making some terry ones out of old towels but have been too lazy since I’m the only girl in my house and 2.5 is plenty for me.
My grandma hand makes these from terry cloth towels. I have yet to try it but my little sister swears by them. My hair is so thick though I don’t think it would make much difference.
I had never heard of these until I got a two pack in a white elephant Christmas swap. Mine are 100% cotton so I don’t experience the weird synthetic feeling. However, they don’t really dry my hair any faster than a towel. It’s just nice to be able to wear it on my head longer and pull a shirt over my head without having to take off a towel, put the shirt on and then put the towel back on my head. I’ve even been known to nap with one on. I would think they would be good for kids, like you said.
I never have time to dry my hair, so most of the time I’ll bun it up when wet, and just leave it. I am, however, intrigued by the QuickStyle brush by Goody- http://www.target.com/p/goody-quickstyle-paddle-brush-with-microfiber-bristles/-/A-13906089?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=|13906089&CPNG=Health+Beauty&kpid=13906089&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=13906089&gclid=CL7Jtpj-4rsCFSgB4godHwIApw
I have that and actually popped on here to mention it, as it’s got the microfiber dealies.
I used that with thick, fine, waist-length hair and with thick, fine, short hair. It really doesn’t seem to wick away ANY water at all. The little balls on the end of the bristles came off really quickly so it’s not comfortable to use as a brush, which is sad because prior to that it was a decent paddle brush.
I got it because it received a good review in Real Simple but everyone I know who’s used it has said it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. Sigh. SIGH.
I have to weigh in here. I love the goody brush. It does cut down on my dry time. My only concern is that it might get mildew/mold. No evidence of this; I’m just paranoid about such things.
Microfiber! I am so glad I’m not the only one who hates it! Hate! It! Your description, ” It feels like it’s snagging on every single molecule of my hands” says it exactly right. Ugh.
I had two, different types of these things. One was microfiber and I hated it – which explains why I tossed it. The other one is terry cloth (which explains why I still have it – it was a gift, no idea of the brand name) and I like it much better. I don’t notice that it dries my hair any quicker, but it IS much easier than bundling a towel on my head.
I enjoyed your description of microfiber. I almost always dust with microfiber cloths but have to had to purchase multiple brands to find a few that I can tolerate touching for that long.
Also, the whole long thick wet hair thing is one of the main reasons I chopped mine off at last. Couldn’t face another winter of hair that made me freezing cold but took so long to blow dry that it felt like an exhausting, sweaty CHORE.
I was the WORLD’S MOST EXCITED PERSON when I found a Turbie Twist in my stocking this year, because I had actually been out looking for one just a couple of days before, and in not finding one, had settled for a towel that looked “small and crappy” enough to settle on my head well. I apparently am a total Elizabeth about towels on my head.
I have really long hair and I HATE to blow dry it, but I also hate wandering around with it wet, because it gets my shirt wet and it makes my back itchy and it’s just EVERYWHERE so I put it up wet and then the texture is all unpleasing and crumply and not at ALL shampoo commercial, for all the shampooing and lugging around I have to do (“so why don’t you cut it?,” says someone who both you and I know is not even a little bit helpful and I suspect they know they’re not offering a viable solution but are just kind of smugat how smart they appear next to your own obvious helpless stupidity) and ANYWAY I LOVE HAVING IT. I wear mine for quite a while, while I brush my teeth and wash my face and put on face lotion and eye cream and whatsit if I’m going to bed or some makeup if I’m not, or maybe even some makeup if I am, because the only way I learned how to do makeup I can wear out of the house was by doing it alone in my safety bathroom at night where I can wash it off before emerging. AND THIS IS WHAT I’VE NOTICED. Even if my hair is not dry all the way when I take it off, for the next day or even two, my hair is MUCH smoother and less crinkly and jaggedy. Not TOTALLY shampoo commercial, but I stroke it more approvingly and maybe even wear it down a bit and run my hand through it at the top of my head like I’m Alicia Silverstone in a 90s Aerosmith video, you know, and it falls down like it’s supposed to, and my hand doesn’t get jammed in there in a way that would be totally embarrassing if anyone was watching, which thankfully no one is, because this is NOT an Aerosmith video.
MINE’S PURPLE TIGER STRIPE.
I have super curly thick hair. I use one microfiber towel to blot the excess water out of my hair and then use a second microfiber towel to “turban” it. It seems to work well.
how old are you? because I’m 43 and I FEEL like my hair is getting thinner at the hairline–I asked my hairdresser dujour (whoever was on duty at the hair school that day) and she said hair CAN get thinner with age AND stress or medication can cause this…I had a terribly stressful remodel year last year wherein we did ALL the work ourselves AND lived in the house while doing it plus raised 2 pigs to slaughter, had 2 youngest boys here “helping” and our oldest son 20 years home when he didn’t want to be here (long story not fun over now!) I THINK my stress came from that if it doesn’t get thicker I’m going with option number 2 I’m older–maybe I need pre-natals and a towel thingy too
I am REALLY glad Alexa shared her bra-strap epiphany, because I had all but ruled out the Turbie Twist since I have long, thick hair, and I was thinking of “bra-strap length” as “meets the top of the bra strap, at the top of the shoulders” which I guess makes less sense when I try to explain it than it did in my brain.
Also, I too worry about the thinning hair thing. Once, a few years ago, my father looked askance at my bunned-up hair and said, “You know, having your hair pulled back so severely can contribute to hair thinning/baldness.” HORRIFYING. But I am not sure if “less thinning” would be worth “no ponytails/buns” so I have gone on with the severely-pulled-back hairstyles and the horror.
PSA: thinning hair, and/or hair-falling-out, can also be a symptom of hypothyroidism, which is not good for you (also causes stuff like fatigue and weight gain, not that any of us ever experience those) and is typically easily, safely, and cheaply treatable (by taking a synthetic version of the hormone the thyroid is supposed to produce but may be underproducing). In principle, any GP can diagnose and treat this, though in my experience not all are attentive to its possibility, and they may not be prone to diagnose/treat “borderline” cases (TSH, the main blood test used to detect this, which shouldn’t get too high, may be “too high” at 3, but most GPs will tolerate 5 and some, I believe, 10. And YMMV on how high produces symptoms, so it’s not obvious who’s right about what the “right” level is, but if you do have unpleasant symptoms that respond to treatment, it’s at least possible you should be treated. Disclaimer: I’m a patient, I have no medical training!).
oh excellent good to know! I have a dr appt next week so I will have them check–I guess I considered weight gain and tired to being a mom and worn down…HA!
Ha, yes, I KNOW! Unfortunately sometimes it turns out it is (now that I’m diagnosed and treated, it is not true every time that I feel tired/worn down, it’s because I need my dosage adjusted — sigh), but for me it was also true that a lot of changes I was attributing to aging were actually a medical problem.
I use these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AM82PI/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Because I have very long, thick hair (longer than the hair towel- time for a cut!),I usually end up using one for the first 5 minutes to get the bulk of the water out, and that one gets pretty soaked. After a few minutes I remove the wet one and twist my hair up in a dry one. I often sleep with my hair in the towel- it falls out during the night.
My hair is just too thick and too long to wash in the morning, so I only wash at night. Usually it’s still wet in the morning even with the towel around it, but better than sleeping with my wet hair everywhere.
Mine are terry cloth. I never would have thought to buy them myself; they were gifts from my mom. My hair is a slightly wavy, frizzy texture that looks best when it air dries from absolutely sopping wet, not even squeezing it dry. That’s not practical, so I usually put it in the twisty-like towel (probably generic) and leave it there while I do other stuff.
I’ve never been interested in drying time, so I can’t comment on that, but I will never consider not using them now, just because they’re so much more comfortable to wear than a bath towel.
This sounds so random, but I twist my hair up in left over hospital-issue (cough*stolen*cough) baby blankets. They are lightweight, east to twist around (from all the swaddling :) ), and they aren’t absorbent like terry cloth or microfiber, but my hair is noticeably drier after wearing them for a bit. I have bra-strap length, thick, curly/frizzy hair. I am also terrified by thinning hairline caused by this, so I flip my head over and pile my hair in so that it is kinda loose in the twist and not pulling.
So how does Rob like it?
No report yet from that quarter. I’m not SURE he’s even TRIED it yet.
I use these: http://www.amazon.com/Aquis-Microfiber-Towel-Lisse-39-Inches/dp/B000AM82GM
My hair isn’t very thick but it is long enough to get caught in my waitband. These sort of wick the water away from your hair. After maybe 5 minutes-ish my hair is dry enough to not be drippy.
How does your daughter like it? My eight-year old can’t balance a towel either. This sounds like a great thing to keep her wet hair off her shoulders especially in the freezing-cold locker room after swim lessons.
She likes it! She’s still having trouble putting it on herself, but once it’s on she walks around looking like such a little grown-up in it!