If your hair is on the long side, or you have a lot of it, you know exactly how long it takes to complete the entire hair care routine. Wash it, condition it, dry it, style it–the process seems to be never-ending. Instead of opting for the famous ‘chop’ to avoid the incessant styling, here are some hacks on how to get the same results, but faster.

  1. Air dry your hair until it’s 80% dry

This is one of the most effective ways to cut down time on your hair routine. Of course, this trick won’t work if you’re in a rush to get out of the house, but if you’re washing your hair on a week night or on a lazy Sunday, always be sure to follow this tip. Not only will it cut down actual blow-drying time by a lot, it will also damage your hair less, as it’s not good to apply direct heat to hair that is soaking wet.

When you get out of the shower, gently pat your hair dry. A cotton t-shirt would work best for this and will prevent damage to the hair, but let’s get real…how many cotton t-shirts do you have lying around to be used after every shower? S,o use a regular towel and pat hair dry very gently with it. Try your best to avoid twisting it, rubbing it, or making a turban on your head as this is what can truly cause damage to your hair in the long run. After you pat it dry, place a nice fluffy towel on your shoulders and while your hair dries, use this time to catch up on emails, do errands, chores, or watch your fave tv shows.

  1. Apply hair products before your hair dries

If you use any sort of hair products, be sure to apply them before the hair is completely dry. If you wait too long, you’re just spraying new moisture into the hair which only prolongs the process.

  1. Do hair masks before or during the shower to save time

Moisturizing your hair is literally the number one priority, as this is the biggest factor in having beautiful, healthy, bouncy, shiny hair. Here are a few ways you can incorporate hair masks into your routine.

Apply the hair mask before you shower. Then proceed with a regular shower routine. While you wash your body, scrub, and shave, the steam from the hot water opens up the cuticles of your hair and allows the mask to penetrate and moisturize it deeply. Last step: shampoo and condition, and you’re all done.

If you do hot yoga or go to the gym, apply a hair mask and put your hair in a bun or braids. You’ll have to shower after your workout anyway, so why not let your hair have a full hour or so to soak in the good stuff?

Same goes for steam rooms, if you ever visit one. Just pop some of the hair mask into your hair before you go and let it do its magic in the steam.

During summertime, take your hair mask to the beach, or to the backyard. Not only will it moisturize your hair while you sunbathe, but it will also protect your locks from the sun.

All these methods above are completely doable by every single one of us, so really, there is no excuse to skip out on treating your hair with what it deserves. And just think about how much time you’re saving by incorporating this into your regular routine, instead of dedicating a separate time slot for hair care.

  1. Blow drying long hair faster

To speed up the drying process even more, take off the nozzle that concentrates the air into a thin stream and blow dry your roots upside down. As soon as you feel your hair is about 90% dry, it’s time to put the nozzle back on and use a round hair brush to fully dry the rest of the hair, and smoothen it out in the process.

  1. Use the cool setting

When you are done blow drying, put your hair dryer on a cool setting and run the cold air through your hair with a round brush one more time. This will seal the cuticles and make your hair appear even shinier and healthier.

  1. How to curl long hair faster

Ah, curling long hair. No one can argue that having beautifully styled long hair is absolute goals, but the effort and time that normally needs to be put into styling it is quite on the lengthy side. One of the best hacks on how to style long hair fast is to pull it up in two ponytails, and curl in sections. This works for two reasons:

You’re essentially cutting the length that needs to be curled in half and the sections are so much more manageable to curl, that the process of curling long hair is expedited significantly

  1. How to add volume to long hair

A quick trick to add volume to the roots is to simply use a texturizing powder, or a natural dry shampoo, which will help create volume. Massage well into the roots, or you can even put some in your hand and scrunch the hair upwards to create texture and body throughout the length of the hair.

With these tips and tricks that we just shared with you, you should be able to cut down your hair styling time significantly. We hope that you’ve found them helpful.