Could This Quick-Drying Towel Solve All Your Hair Issues?

The Aquis Hair Towel is designed to dry your hair faster than any other. (Photo: Instagram/Aquis via Adrianne Ho)

I don’t like to spend any time on my hair. Like, none. It’s coarse, unruly, frizzy, and breakage-prone, but I just pull it back and call it a day. I manage it with oil and minimal washing, and I always towel dry, hardly ever using heat for drying or styling. It may not be a recipe for perfectly healthy hair, but I have a tendency to turn a blind eye to hair care and health in an effort to maintain my minimal routine. What I don’t know can’t hurt me, right? So when I heard that Sephora was debuting a hair towel that wouldn’t jeopardize my low maintenance showers at the gym, but could help dry hair in a fraction of the time and minimize breakage, my ears perked up.

Aquis is all about hair health. (Photo: Instagram/Aquis)

“Aquis is specifically designed to dry hair quickly and gently without friction,” says Suveen Sahib, CEO of Aquis hair towels. According to founder and Suveen’s co-CEO, Britta Cox, frizz is the symptom and friction is the cause. Hair scientists told her that hair is vulnerable when wet and that quick and gentle drying is important to the integrity of your hair. “I grew up with long hair and have always been a minimalist when it comes to my beauty routine. I usually let my hair air dry, and the usual bath towel simply did not get the drippy water out of my hair,” Britta continues. “I was an active snow skier and was working in the sporting goods industry, so I had a lot of experience with functional fabrics, such as Dri-FIT fabric from Nike, which wicks sweat away from skin. I began working with a Japanese fiber specialist to create a towel designed specifically to dry hair fast yet be lightweight and easy to use.”

Aquis quick drying fabrics were inspired by wicking sports fabrics. (Photo: Instagram/Aquis)

“Even the saying ‘smooth as silk’ does not hold true at a microscopic level,” says Suveen. The pair tested every natural blend, knit, and weave before settling on an 80 percent polyester and 20 percent nylon weave that’s many times finer than silk. Even silk’s fine fibers can inhibit the wicking rate and efficient distribution of water from the hair. Aquis comes in towel and turban styles, and according to hair and scalp scientist Dr. David Kingsley, you’re better off choosing the turban. “A towel would generally knot long or very curly hair unless care is taken when putting the hair into a turban,” he says. Aquis also offers two different weaves to choose between, one of which is designed to be gentle on curly hair. “Also, vigorous towel drying would cause static in the hair, potentially tangle the hair more, and over a period of time, damage the outer cuticle of the hair. There is no harm in using a towel for partial drying, but to get a good hairstyle, either blow-drying or air-drying would be best – but make sure the blow dryer is on low heat.” Suveen and Britta kept all these doubts about towels in mind when designing the fabric, though. “Our towels do not have the loops that cotton and terry loop microfiber towels come with, or the high static in generic microfiber towels,” Suveen ensures.

People with curly hair should go for the Aquis Lisse Luxe weave. (Photo: Instagram/Aquis via Of a Kind)

Aquis’s waffle weave is designed for straight hair. (Photo: Aquis)

Still, Dr. Kingsley is skeptical. “I don’t think speeding up the drying process of hair will make much difference to its health,” he says. “The most important things are the products used – shampoos, conditioners, etc. – and the way the hair is dried… Also, damaged hair cannot be repaired, it needs to be cut and/or heavily conditioned to avoid getting worse.” If you’re looking for a quick way to dry your hair on the reg, try out the hair turban. But, per Dr. Kingsley’s advice, use it to get the initial heavy wetness out of the hair, and air dry the rest of the way through.