​It's a little weird to say that my life has been vastly improved by a wad of absorbent fabric, but it's true. I recently invested in one of the best hair towels, and since then, my daily routine has gone a whole lot more smoothly. No longer do I have to bend my neck like an ostrich to keep the towel on top of my head. No longer do I feel beads of cold water dripping down my back, or end up damaging my hair by twisting too hard.

Most stylists would agree that, believe it or not, you should never dry your hair with a regular towel. That's because hair is especially delicate when it's wet, and the texture and material of a regular towel is often too coarse for fragile wet hair to handle. Your average bath towel might also not be the most absorbent, so if you do choose to blow dry your hair after towel drying it, you're not preventing as much heat damage as you could be.

Not only is a great hair towel made from a soft, special material that’s effective at absorbing water without damage, but it actually stays on your head while you move on with the rest of your routine. These top-rated hair-drying towels can help you dry your hair faster with less damage. Keep scrolling for the best hair towels that dry your hair fast.
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1. The Fan-Favorite Hair Towel

The DuraComfort Essentials Hair Towel is a top-seller in hair towels because it dries your hair quickly without getting in your way. It's lightweight, super absorbent, and one size fits all — though it comes in extra-wide, too. "This towel is a miracle worker!" one reviewer commented. "I have very long and thick hair, I use this towel and it absorbs almost all the water, it’s drying power is incredible! [...] It’s super soft and doesn’t damage my hair at all. Highly recommend this towel!"

According to one reviewer: “This the best head towel I have ever had. It is absorbent but dries fast. I no longer use a hair dryer since getting towel. All I got to do is wrap around my head and let it sit for a minute and hair i dry.”

2. The Best Value

They’re not the most durable, but if you have several people in your household or you always want to ensure that you have a clean hair towel on hand, AmazerBath hair wraps are one of the best values on Amazon. They come in a pack of three for $10, which breaks down to roughly $3 a towel. They’re also soft, absorbent, and thick, but still lightweight — and they have a plaited rope closure for security.

According to one reviewer: “These are really thick and good quality for a low price! I had a similar hair towel before that I spent 3x the price and it was much thinner. I also like the loop on this towel. It’s very thick and strong.”
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3. The Editor-Recommended Towel That’s Great For Thick Hair

“I have thick, coarse hair and this helps it dry much more quickly. It also stays in place and is lighter weight than other hair towels I've tried. I recently just bought a second one,” wrote BDG Commerce Editor Jen Fiegel. Consequently, if your hair is so thick that it drenches a regular towel in seconds, this Aquis hair towel might be the answer. It's made from Aquitex, a unique microfiber that can hold tons of moisture. It also comes in seven different colors, and it’s earned over 1,000 five-star ratings from past buyers.

According to one reviewer: “My hair is past shoulder length and quite thick, so it holds a lot of water when I wash it. I squeeze out the excess water, wrap it up in the AQUIS [...] and in a short time the towel soaks up more water than any other.”

4. The Writer-Beloved One Worth The Splurge

I blow dry my hair every single day, so it’s important that I minimize damage and save as much time as possible. The VOLO Hero hair towel is my daily go-to, and in my opinion, it’s worth every penny. It's large but lightweight, soft but absorbent, and plush but secure. Last but definitely not least, it absorbs 10 times its weight in water and uses a special fabric that reduces drying time by up to 50%, so you can be out the door much sooner.

According to one reviewer: “Machine washed and dried 3x so far, owned for 10 days, still just as absorbent (and soft) as the day I opened the box. No fraying, no pulled threads. [...] My hair has never looked better.”
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5. A Budget-Friendly Set Designed To Stay In Place

​If you like to check your e-mail, clean your room, and do your makeup right out of the shower, you need something that'll stay in place. These AuroTrends microfiber hair towels have a button, an elastic band, and a lightweight design to keep the towel on your head no matter what, and without pulling or pain. They also absorb water quickly and come in a pack of two, both with bright, multi-colored stripes. Amazon reviewers also love how much value you get for the price.

According to one reviewer: "This is a great little towel to use fresh out of the shower. Starts the drying process on my thick hair while I’m applying make up. It stays secure on my head so it’s not falling every time I move my head."

6. The Best Bamboo Hair Towels For Freshness

Bamboo is an extremely popular material right now, and that's because it's soft, lightweight, dries quickly, and prevents the growth of bacteria. These Laluztop Hair Towel Wraps (bamboo hair towels) absorb water so hair dries quickly and with minimal damage, but they also smell fresh and clean for a long time, according to reviewers. One user concisely listed its pros: "Very absorbent and soft. Dries quickly so it doesn't get a musty smell. Very comfortable to wear." You get two towels instead of one with this pack.

According to one reviewer: “My hair dries so much quicker than with a regular towel, and this keeps all of the loose postpartum hairs off of my body towel! I hate that "microfiber feel" and these are a great alternative.”
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7. The Best Hair Wrap Designed With Curly Hair In Mind

​The DevaCurl DevaTwist Anti-Frizz Microfiber Towel Wrap is specifically made for natural curls. It helps them to dry bouncy and healthy without frizz. One Amazon fan raved, "I have tried cheap "microfiber" hair towels that didn't work worth squat. This towel is incredible." This microfiber towel stays in place thanks to a button and loop, and comes in a fun, vibrant pattern.

According to one reviewer: “This is a super convenient head wrap towel. Works great for my curls and my hair is noticeably less frizzy. Love it because it keeps my hair out of my face while drying it enough that I don’t have drippy hair. Super absorbent too.”
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8. An Affordable Hair Towel That’s Great For Extra-Long Hair

This large Desired Body Microfiber Hair Towel is soft and absorbent, and it's much bigger than some others on the market. (It measures 45 by 25 inches.) It's also got a fine waffle-weave microfiber design that's lightweight despite its size.

According to one reviewer: "I am very happy with this towel. I have waist length hair and it is long enough to cover it all. The best hair towel I have every had. Super absorbent and soft. A must have with long hair."
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9. A Great Set For Short Hair

Turbie Twists have been around for a while, and while some brands have expanded on these designs to suit people with longer hair, those with short hair may prefer the thin fabric and buttonless design. The absorbent microfiber material is extremely lightweight and slip-resistant, while the no-excess tail slips right into an elastic loop at the nape of the neck. You can also opt for both fun patterns and solid colors. “My hair comes just below my shoulder blades and is pretty thick so when I wrap it in this towel it comes just to the end of the towel and it all fits,” one reviewer wrote.

According to one reviewer: “The microfiber Turbie Twist cuts that time down dramatically, even if I only wear it briefly before blow drying. (If I have a bit more time, I leave the towel on longer and can then let my hair air dry the rest of the way--but that's more a weekend thing than a mad rush, fall out the door, weekday thing.)”
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10. The Best Option If You’re Worried About Breakage

Some hairstylists claim that drying your hair with a T-shirt is the best thing you can do to prevent the damage, breakage, and split-ends that towels cause. This Ultimate T-Shirt Hair Towel is made from that same soft material, but designed to stay on your head. It's smooth, absorbent, and leaves your hair shiny and manageable. It also comes in three sizes.

According to one reviewer: “A curly hair essential, this towel is ideal for plopping curly hair for a few hours or even overnight. I usually wear it to bed when I wash my hair in the evening. Definitely cuts down on frizz and breakage when drying hair. I love this towel so much!”
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11. The Most Adorable Hair Towels

For kids or kids at heart, these pocova Original Magic Animal Hair Wraps are fun, whimsical, cheap, and actually effective. While they look like cute animals, they’re made from absorbent microfiber that soaks up excess water and gets softer with every wash. They also minimize both frizz and unwanted strain on your neck, thanks to their gentle, lightweight texture. (Note that they’re better for shorter hair.) A button keeps them in place.
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According to one reviewer: “These are very cute towels and they do a good job of drying hair. My girls love them!”

Fashion’s latest “it” accessory doesn’t come with a three-figure price tag, and it isn’t sold at exclusive boutiques. In fact, the claw clip can be found in most pharmacies nationwide and costs about £3.

The springed hair grip, with teeth to hold hair in place, is familiar to most women as a way to pin long hair up out of their face. But it isn’t usually perceived as glamorous or as part of a fashion trend. That changed when models including , Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber started wearing the clip, and after it became the subject of hair tutorials on TikTok.

Videos with the hashtag #clawclip have been viewed 242.6m times on the app. Asos reports that in the past five months they have sold 240,000 claw clips, with sales up 57% since the autumn of 2020.

The website Refinery29 featured an article this week about ways to wear the claw clip, partly based on tips found on social media.
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The site’s beauty editor, Jacqueline Kilikita, says the popularity of the clip comes from various factors. Because claw clips were popular in the early 2000s, they are part of the wider Y2K trend – which also saw scrunchies make a comeback – but more people working from home was also a factor. “The majority of us were – and still are – looking for easy, low-maintenance hairstyles that look chic, and take mere seconds to achieve at home without the need for heat styling or various hair products.”

While Kilikita acknowledges the impact of celebrities wearing the claw clip, she says the fact it is so “everyday” means it will be adopted by many more women. “You don’t need to be an expert to achieve the accidentally perfect look,” she says.

This easiness of the claw clip may be why it’s so popular on TikTok, where videos frequently go viral without a famous name attached to them. “It’s equally as wearable for us mere mortals, as TikTok’s beauty content creators have demonstrated,” says Kilikita.
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She points to the variety of videos on the app, from French twists to low buns, and the tutorials across demographics: “There’s a claw clip for all styles, whether the twist or bun, as well as all hair types and textures.”

You'll want to check this out, too:

6 Easy Claw Clip Hairstyles To Try Now — Whatever Your Hair Length
 

First, they showed up on social media, where this spring a new generation began discovering them in a TikTok hair flip challenge to recreate Farrah Fawcett’s bouncy curls. Then they became the secret weapon for celebrity hairstylists as big volume returned as a thing after years of lived-in looks that erred more on the side of shaggy than bombshell. Take Dove Cameron, Michelle Obama, Laura Dern, Jennifer Lopez and SZA, for example.

Rollers even showed up at the couture debut of Pyer Moss in July, albeit in a more literal fashion, worn as a cape that took two weeks to create.

It seems rollers are officially everywhere now, and stylists are gravitating toward them in a major way.

“I recently did a workshop on the return of the ’90s supermodel,” said Michael Angelo, the owner of Wonderland Beauty Parlor in New York. “It was really fun showing the next generation how we did it back in the old days. We used hot rollers, Velcro rollers, bendy boys — you name it.”

After so much time at home, it’s not hugely surprising that many women are ready for a bit of unapologetic glamour. “A lot of folks are looking to the supermodel heyday of the ’90s for inspiration,” Mr. Angelo said. “I’m thinking of that iconic Cindy Crawford swoop, which is all about rollers — and which she still rocks, by the way!”

For some, the appeal of rollers is the nostalgia surrounding them; for others, it’s the aesthetic inspiration of decades past. Like Mr. Angelo, with his ’90s workshop, they’re looking to rollers to get hair that hints at the past but is modern and fresh. Seemingly, an entirely new generation is flocking to them, many for the first time.

“I would say that for the past year, and particularly the past six months, I’ve been over messy waves, and I became really obsessed with perfect, bouncy ’90s blowouts,” said Bella Cacciatore, 25, a beauty writer at Glamour magazine. “After a decade of super-lived-in hair being what’s in, it feels so cool and fresh. It also makes me feel pretty after a year of topknots. I tried a blowout with a round brush and couldn’t get it right, so I decided to try rollers after seeing them on TikTok.”

Likewise, Caroline Jones, 28, a kindergarten teacher, discovered rollers on Instagram. “About a year ago, an account I follow on Instagram, @Sophielrae, posted about using hot rollers, and it took me right back,” Ms. Jones said. “I ordered a set right away and have been using them regularly since.”

“Rollers are nostalgic for me because they are the first hair or makeup tool I ever used in junior high,” she said. “I had thick hair prone to frizz, and they made me feel polished at an age that can feel pretty awkward. I loved them because they left my hair ‘big’ but smoothed my frizz.”

Chloe Barcelou, 31, a stylist, loves hot rollers for their convenience; she often puts them in before doing her makeup. She has coarse hair and believes the rollers help smooth it out.

“Growing up, rollers were huge in my family,” Ms. Barcelou said. “My grandmother used them almost every day. When I think of them, I think of the female heritage of my family.”

If 2021 is indeed the year that really big hair comes back, rollers just happen to be the best way to get that look.

“Whenever I am looking for volume in a style, I always use rollers, said Ryan Richman, the hairstylist behind the 20-year-old TikTok star Addison Rae’s signature glam blowout.

“Sometimes all you need is a few in the right place,” Mr. Richman said. He creates a voluminous look by prepping hair with a setting spray, putting the hair in hot rollers and then spritzing with hair spray once the hair has cooled.

When it comes to rollers, placement is everything.

“Hair rollers can be a bit tricky at first,” Mr. Richman said. “Deciding how to set your hair to achieve the look you want and where you want to add volume takes some time to learn, but overall is pretty logical. For example, to create a side part with a lot of volume in the bang area, set your part and use Velcro rollers in one-inch sections on the heavy side of the part. If you over-direct the section — meaning that after you lift the hair straight off your scalp, you direct it even farther — you will achieve maximum volume.”

A common technique Mr. Richman uses is putting three or four medium to large rollers above the forehead, rolling the hair back, then continuing with more rollers on the sides, with the hair rolled in a downward direction. A simple rule of thumb is that a larger roller size gives you loose volume while smaller ones yield tight, retro curls.

Another reason a new generation is choosing rollers over traditional curling irons is that they’re more healthy for hair, whether you choose hot rollers or Velcro options.

“Hot rollers are much more protective of the hair than hot irons,” said the hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai. “They give bounce, volume and curls and waves without pressing the hair, and are much less damaging. The finished look is healthier.”

Mr. Fekkai has also seen more demand from a new clientele. “The younger generation is interested in rollers to style their hair because they can tousle it to look modern and sophisticated,” he said. “It goes very well with curtain bangs or just long hair.”

Franck Izquierdo, a founder of IGK Hair salons, echoes the view that young clients want big, bouncy hair. “I’ve seen people using Brigitte Bardot’s hair as a reference,” he said.

Mr. Izquierdo positions rollers at the top of the head for face-framing volume. Once the rollers are out, he messes up the hair with his fingers and adds hair oil to the ends for a polished look
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Mr. Angelo had a final thought: “Remember, kids, giant hair means giant entrance.”

From low ponytails to messy buns, hair ties are the go-to accessory for many hair styles. Hair ties of the past, however, had a reputation for damaging strands and being painful to remove, in part due to low-quality construction and metal components. 

More recently, they’ve been engineered with far better designs that are comfortable, safe and more durable than ever before. One of many new designs on the market is Scunci No Damage Thick Hair Elastics, which tops our shopping list for its soft, flexible design.

What to know before you buy hair ties

Before you invest in new hair ties, it’s helpful to know the different styles on the market. 

Classic hair ties

Basic hair ties have a single piece of elastic wrapped in fabric. In the past, these hair ties had metal fasteners, though most newer varieties are metal-free. They’re considered versatile, though some wearers report they may damage hair.

Terry hair elastics, often used in children’s hair, are blended with elastic thread. Because they’re soft, flexible and low-tension, they’re suitable for sleeping or all-day wear. Terry hair ties are also less likely to damage hair.

New hair ties

Snap hair ties have a secure, locking closure that won’t create creases in hair. They work well with thick and curly hair, as well as braids and dreadlocks. According to many wearers, they’re far easier to remove from hair than other ties— though they tend to be expensive. 

Coiled hair ties are designed for maximum comfort and minimum damage. While they’re effective at holding ponytails and buns in place, they’re a low-tension option that is easy to remove. However, they get stretched out easily and may take a few hours to return to their original shape.

Extra-large hair ties lend themselves to more “wrapping” around hair, which some wearers feel is more secure than other options. These hair ties tend to be more durably made. Additionally, they’re often used to hold back dreadlocks and box braids. These hair ties are sometimes more difficult to find at retailers than others. 

What to look for in quality hair ties

Popular materials for hair ties

Many hair ties are wrapped in polyester or satin thread, giving them a smooth finish. They’re affordable and come in several sizes. However, they’re not the most durable option, and these fibers eventually break under tension. 

Some hair ties, including scrunchies, are made with soft materials like cotton, velvet and satin. They’re soft on hair and can be removed without causing much damage. Unfortunately, these materials are so slick that they may end up sliding down hair throughout the day.

Silicone hair ties, namely coiled ones, are noted for their smooth, snag-free designs. They also won’t leave kinks or creases in hair. One of the pitfalls, however, is that silicone hair ties are the most expensive options. 

Color
Hair ties are available in a rainbow of colors, including pastel, primary and neon shades. More recently, the market has seen an influx of hair ties in discreet colors that blend in with natural hair colors. These include shades to accommodate blonde, brunette, redhead, black and silver-toned hair. 

Non-slip details
Some premium hair ties have non-slip details, such as silicone or rubber dots, to offer a more secure hold. They’re particularly popular among active individuals who engage in high-impact activities. While many wearers agree they’re effective at staying put, they may snag hair or create kinks. 

How much you can expect to spend on hair ties

Because hair ties are typically sold in multipacks, it’s best to compare cost based on price per hair tie. Basic hair ties cost $0.10-$0.20 apiece, whereas better-quality hair ties and scrunchies run $0.25-$1 apiece. Speciality hair ties, such as designer scrunchies and coil hair ties, cost $1-$5 per piece. 

Hair ties FAQ

How do I prevent damage from hair ties?
A. If possible, wear ponytails as loosely-tied as possible to reduce tension and pulling. It’s helpful to limit how often you wear your hair up, especially in tighter styles. As for topical damage treatments, a restorative or hydrating hair mask can replenish hair’s natural moisture barrier. These products may reduce your hair’s brittleness, and in turn, could make it less prone to breakage.

Can you wash or clean hair ties?
​A. Silicone hair ties can be cleaned in soap and water and left to air dry. Hair ties made with elastic, fabric or terry cloth, can be machine washed inside a mesh laundry bag and then hung to dry. Some people place hair ties in a UV sanitizer for quick and easy cleaning. 

Scunci No Damage Thick Hair Elastics

What you need to know: Made by one of the best-known hair accessory brands, this set of 24 elastics are uniquely designed to hold up thick and heavy hair. 

What you’ll love: The ultra-strong elastic can be wrapped tight without snapping under pressure, and the metal-free design won’t snag or damage hair. This set has assorted colors to match every outfit. 
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What you should consider: It’s common for the elastic to snap after several uses.

​GOODY Tiny Terry Ponytailers

What you need to know: These small ponytailers, soft enough to use on kids’ hair, come in a set of 42 vibrant colors. 

What you’ll love: This is one of the softer options, making them ideal for sleeping. They hold pigtails and mini buns in place without sliding down hair, and they can be hand or machine washed. 
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What you should consider: The threads and elastic wear out sooner than expected.

invisibobble Traceless Hair Ties

What you need to know: A new arrival to the market, invisibobble is praised for its no-kink design, and it is often embraced for active wear. 

What you’ll love: The coil design secures hair without pulling it. It is suitable for all hair types, including thick and curly hair. The silicone texture prevents the hair tie from slipping down hair. 

What you should consider: The ties get very stretched out and loose by the end of the day.