Best Microfiber Towels For Hair [Review] in 2022

Many people often don’t realize the way your dry your hair may be the reason for hair damage and frizz, and the top culprit is actually your bath towel. Regular bath towels can actually be very damaging for your hair as they can cause friction, leading to damage. 

Your regular hair towel also strips the natural oils from your hair as it absorbs all moisture, not just excess moisture, leaving your hair looking dry and brittle as a result, and if you have curly hair, that is the last thing you want. 

Our hair is most fragile while wet and hence most prone to damage; brushing, rubbing, tugging, or pulling your wet strands can cause unnecessary breakage, frizz and even cause dullness in the hair. 

Unlucky for curly girls, they cannot brush their hair while dry, but they can gently brush their hair in the shower when their hair is coated with leave-in conditioner and styling products. 

You may also find that curly girls plop their hair with a microfiber hair towel; this gently dry hair without causing breakage, frizz, or disrupting the curls. That being said, anyone can benefit from switching to a microfiber hair towel.

Let’s talk about all the benefits and everything you need to know about using a microfiber towel in your routine! 

So let’s get down to the basics, what exactly is a microfiber hair towel and why use it on your hair? You may have already heard of the microfiber hair towel being used for cleaning windows or buffing the wax into cars, but what is a microfiber towel for hair?

A microfiber hair towel is a synthetic fiber that uses strands of silk that is a fifth of the diameter of human hair. In layman’s terms, they have ultra-fine fibers that are much more absorbent than standard bath towels. 

Their denser fabric and the large surface area offer extra absorbency; microfiber hair towels absorb water easily and don’t create friction on your hair. They also prevent tugging and pulling on your strands. 

Microfiber hair towels have taken the curly girl community by storm for gently drying hair without causing breakage. Unlike cotton towels, microfiber hair towels absorb excess water but don’t suck up the moisture from the strands in your hair, so your hair will feel more hydrated. 

Plus, hair drying time is half in comparison to using a regular cotton bath towel. 

So you’ve probably been using cotton or terry cloth towels for more years than you can count, and suddenly you’ve found that this material is supposedly bad for your hair, but why?

Well, because of the coarse texture and dryness of the cotton, this can cause extreme damage to the hair; it can worsen split ends and cause small caters in the hair shaft, which weakens the hair.

Cotton towels can also soak up all the moisture, including natural moisture on the ends of your hair, leaving your hair looking dry and frizzy. But frizz isn’t just caused by moisture absorption (despite this being a massive contributing factor).

Rubbing a cotton towel against your head can cause friction along your hair shaft, and since wet hair is most fragile while wet, this can cause breakage and split ends as well as causing a whirl of frizz.

But what about cotton t-shirts? 

You may have heard or seen many curly girls using cotton t-shirts to plop their curls; surely, this is the same concept of using a cotton towel on your head? It’s the same material after all, right? 

Well, actually, no… Because t-shirts don’t have rough grooves like a standard towel would, the flat surface allows water to sink in and slides over the hair instead of roughing it up, making it ideal for hair plopping and gently drying hair. 

Many curly girls use either a cotton t-shirt or microfiber hair towel to dry their hair, but anyone can make the switch; it will leave hair looking shiny and frizz-free. 

So stick to using a cotton towel on your skin but switch to a microfiber towel for your hair!

There are some serious benefits of using a microfiber towel on your hair, not only for the health of your hair, but it has major benefits on how your hair looks and how it holds a style. Here are the top benefits:

Less friction:

This is one of the major benefits of using a microfiber hair towel over a cotton one. The fabrics and texture of a cotton towel rubbing on your hair cause friction which is the top cause of breakage.

Our hair is most fragile when wet, so rubbing, tugging, and pulling on strands when drying with a cotton or terry cloth towel can cause the hair strands to break; it also causes small cater up the hair shaft, making hair weak. 

This friction can also cause a whirl of frizz, as it aggravates the natural hair strand. Microfiber towels use a soft synthetic fiber that doesn’t disrupt hair nor cause friction, meaning hair is less prone to breakage. 

Retains moisture:

Microfiber hair towels are best known for maintaining moisture retention. Unlike regular cotton or terry cloth towels, they do not soak up the natural oils or moisture from your hair shaft. 

There is no friction, so no moisture is sucked up from the hair; the material is brilliant for absorbing water without disrupting your hair’s natural oils. This will leave your hair looking shinier and more hydrated after use. 

You can also use a microfiber hair towel in your treatment routine; after applying your deep conditioning treatment, you can wrap your hair in a microfiber hair towel, and this will allow the treatment to penetrate more deeply into the hair strand. 

Cuts drying time in half:

The major benefit of using a microfiber hair towel over a regular cotton towel is that it will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to dry your hair; many microfiber hair towels cut drying time in half. 

This is because they offer a great amount of surface area per square inch to absorb water; your hair can be completely dry within 30 minutes to an hour after using a microfiber hair towel. 

This also prevents you from using excess heat damage on your hair; you can apply your heat protectant straight out the shower, tie your hair up in a microfiber hair towel, and the heat protectant will penetrate more deeply so when it’s time to style, it’ll cause less damage.

Lightweight and comfortable:

No more post-shower headache after wrapping your hair up in a heavy bath towel. The major benefit of using a microfiber hair towel is that the material is super lightweight, soft, and comfortable.

Most microfiber hair towel wraps also have a button to secure them in place, so they don’t fall off your head. Cotton towels can be quite rough on your hair, whereas microfiber hair towels are nice and soft on your head. 

Tames frizz:

Cotton towels tend to be much coarser in material than microfiber; the friction can cause frizz in hair. Microfiber has a much smoother texture and is much more gentle on hair. 

It keeps the hair cuticles flattened and smooth, no more having to put in a bucket load of products to help tame your frizz. Microfiber towels are much more gentle on the cuticle and don’t cause friction when drying. 

Ideal for curly hair:

Caring for curly hair can be a challenge in itself, and microfiber hair towels are up for the job; you won’t need to rub your hair to get all the moisture out. Instead, the microfiber hair towel gently soaks moisture while retaining the curl. 

Rubbing your hair can really disrupt curls, and the friction can cause a world of frizz, sometimes it’s hard to distinguish a curl when your hair is frizzy, so by taking the frizz out of thee situation, curls look more defined and hydrated.

Since curly hair is the driest and most fragile hair type, retaining moisture is crucial, and the brilliant thing about microfiber hair towels is that it doesn’t suck up all the moisture from your hair shaft. 

Many curly girls love plopping their hair with a microfiber hair towel or cotton t-shirt; I’ll go into how shortly.  Check out the full rundown of all the benefits of using a microfiber towel in my full guide here. 

If the sole purpose of getting a microfiber towel is because of the Curly Girl Method, or if you’re looking to care for your curls, then you’ll need to know how to plop your hair.

Plopping your hair is a brilliant way to dry your curls and define them; it prevents the weight of your products from weighing down your curls while your hair is drying and promotes the curl’s natural shape. 

It may take some time to work out what works for you and your curls, but you will discover what works best for the curl type with a couple of adjustments and patience.

What you’ll need:

• – Either a microfiber hair towel or cotton t-shirt (preferably with long sleeves) or even a t-shirt towel.
• – Your chosen styling products: styling cream, gel, and/or leave-in conditioner.

Step 1: Wash your hair like usual

Before you plop your curls, you’ll need to wash your hair like usual. Whether this is as your weekly sulfate-free shampoo wash or a co-wash in between washes.

You’ll want your curls to be refreshed and sopping wet before you begin.

Step 2: Grab a big T-shirt: 

I would recommend grabbing yourself a men’s long-sleeved XXL tee; it was the easiest to use, especially if you have long, thick curls.

Lay your t-shirt upside down with the sleeves and the neck hole closest to you on a chair or bathroom counter, ideally a flat surface.

Step 3: Wrap the hair: 

Once you’ve applied your stylers, such as a lead-in conditioner or gel, to your sopping wet hair, flip your head over the center of the t-shirt pressing your head down on the curls.

Reach up and grab the bottom of your shirt (with your head still upside down) and lay it over your head so it is touching the nape of your neck and completely covering your hair.

Think of it as creating a protective bag over your curls– turn your head and flip it upside down and wrap the t-shirt, microfiber hair towel over your head.

Step 4: Grab the sleeves and tighten: 

While still holding the edges of the shirt, grab the sleeves and twist them to tighten the t-shirt around your head. (See why I recommended using a long-sleeved tee?)

Then wrap the twisted sleeves around your head and tie them in place to keep the shirt from sliding or falling off; if it looks like a wet helmet, then you’ve done it right.

I would recommend wearing this for like 10-20 minutes, and then you’ll open the shirt to voluminous, frizz-free curls as the hair begins to dry– it’s pretty cool! 

You can even plop your hair overnight if you feel comfortable sleeping with your hair tied up in a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt or microfiber hair towel.

It all depends on what works for you and your hair type. Check out my full guide on the best ways to plop your hair using a microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt here!

Does plopping work on straight hair?

Don’t worry, my straight-haired girls, you can still plop your hair, and there are still some major benefits of plopping straight hair, including leaving your hair frizz-free.

Plopping can give straight strands of hair a natural bend without using a curling iron or rollers. This is brilliant for those that have caused excessive heat damage over the years.

It can also promote shine and leave the hair looking hydrated and nourished. When applying a mask, you can even use it in your hair care routine, allowing the mask to penetrate more deeply into the hair strand.

Can you use a microfiber towel on straight hair?

Absolutely! Anyone can benefit from using a microfiber hair towel, especially if your hair is particularly dry or frizzy. Microfiber hair towels are brilliant for retaining moisture and adding shine to any hair type.

You don’t need to have curly hair to use a microfiber towel; your hair will than you for doing the switch, your hair will look and feel stronger, and you will be less prone to breakage over using a regular cotton towel.

So there you have it, there are some serious benefits of using a microfiber towel for your hair. So throw out your cotton towel– or use it for your body and switch to a microfiber hair towel instead. 

You will notice your hair will look a lot shinier, stronger, healthier, and if you have curly hair, your curls will look extremely defined and luscious. Cut your drying time in half with the right microfiber hair towel!

I also love using mine when using a treatment on my hair; it allows the products to penetrate more deeply and work more effectively. I find it leaves my hair more nourished and hydrated.

Give one a go today!