I Do the Bare Minimum for My Hair, but I Could Never Go Without the Aquis Towel Turban

• Value: 19/20
• Functionality: 20/20
• Ease of Use: 20/20
• Aesthetics: 20/20
• Durability: 19/20
• TOTAL: 98/100

I have never put much effort into my hair. I’m the type who washes and conditions fairly regularly, but who never uses a hair dryer and rarely picks up a curling iron or straightener. So considering it’s not fried or overprocessed, my hair always looks pretty OK. But I recently discovered an incredibly low-key way to achieve even smoother, healthier-looking locks that are far above just a “Well, I’m fine with this” level, all without totally overhauling my approach to hair care: the Aquis Rapid Dry Lisse Hair Turban.

I’ve been a fan of the Turbie Twist and other easy-to-use hair towels since college, but I was intrigued by Aquis’s claims that its towel would not only dry my hair (of which there is plenty) 50 percent faster but also reduce frizz, flyaways, split ends and damage. If making this simple swap meant noticeably better hair, then I was definitely game to try it.

As much as I want to say I noticed a difference after just one or two uses, it wasn’t until I tossed the Aquis into my laundry hamper and pulled out my old drugstore towel that I truly realized what a difference the Aquis was actually making. When I used the old one again, my hair felt heavy, cold and wet for far too long. And when it was finished air-drying, it didn’t look nearly as smooth or shiny as it had with the Aquis. But when I went back to the new one, my locks felt so much lighter and I kept my hair wrapped up for what felt like half the time (although I never timed it). Taking my hair down, it didn’t feel dry in a brittle or damaged way, as if all the moisture had been sucked out, but dry in a naturally healthy way. My typically hair routine, if you could even call it that, consists of brushing out any knots and leaving my hair to air-dry, a process that doesn’t always end with smooth, flowing strands. Unless I use the Aquis.

As it turns out, I wasn’t the only PureWow editor swiftly falling in love with the easiest hairstyling trick of all time.

“I could just feel the damage I was doing to my hair by rough drying it with a bath towel, then blasting it with hot, hot air, so I bought the Aquis turban and, you guys, the hype is real,” says senior editor Cristina Gutierrez. “As soon as I get out of the shower, I twist my hair up into a turban, let it sit that way while I put on skincare and pick out my clothes, then take it off to blow-dry. It absorbs so much water that the time I spend blow-drying is nearly cut in half and I swear I’ve had less breakage. Mark my words, I will never, ever wrap my hair in a regular towel again. That thought is actually kind of horrifying to me now.” *Shudder*

And Jillian Quint, senior vice president of content, agrees: “I do love my Aquis. It definitely dries hair faster and miraculously stays on my head no matter what I’m doing. The number one user in my household is actually my 3-year-old, who loves it after a bath as a way to dry her hair quickly and avoid getting cold.” 

So how do these magical turbans work exactly? They’re made from a moisture-wicking fabric called Aquitex, which works to quickly and evenly draw out excess water, thereby preventing your strands from swelling and stretching while wet, two things that weaken and damage your hair over time. This is great news for anyone who takes a minimalist air-drying approach, like I do, but it’s also beneficial for those who prefer to use heat tools. According to the pros at Aquis, once your hair reaches the point of being damp (with 70 to 80 percent of the water removed) as opposed to wet, it’s significantly better able to handle the stress of a hair dryer and other styling tools.

There are multiple versions of the magical Aquis towel: The Lisse is good for fine strands regardless of texture, while the Waffle is better for thick, porous locks. Each type comes in a turban style or as a regular towel (if you prefer to wrap your hair a different way). And while the $30 price tag for something that sops up water might make you raise an eyebrow, I assure you this is possibly the easiest hair upgrade you’ll ever make. No complicated instructions or possible weird reactions to work through, just smooth, healthy hair with 50 percent less time and effort. And right now, it's included in Violet Grey's Memorial Day sale, which runs from May 19 through May 25. The beauty retailer is offering $15 off $100, $50 off $250, $100 off $250 and $250 off $1000+.