Microfiber towels: Debunking the hype

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about microfiber towels and what their actual impact is on the environment. They are plastic, after all.

It's also a topic that comes up in my chair all the time, so I feel it is an important subject to lay out there, particularly for curly hair education.

I decided to do some research. This is a long post because there are a lot of complex layers to it, so bear with me on this. I do think you'll find the information valuable and microfiber towels, curly hair, curl methods, worth it.

I personally do not use microfiber at home. When my clients ask, I always tell them that I use a soft Turkish cotton bath towel and I'm gentle with it. Is that good enough?

Let's find out.

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Part 1: The "Logic" of Microfiber

My first search question was simple: Are microfiber particles more absorbent than cotton? The answer was yes, though the “why” doesn't make sense to me. Apparently, microfibers are often 100 times thinner than a human hair which creates an enormous surface area that grabs and traps water molecules much more efficiently than a standard cotton loop.

Marketing claims state that cotton can hold up to 25 times its weight in water, which they argue leaves hair too dry and dehydrated, while microfiber holds only 7 to 8 times its weight, supposedly maintaining the hair's natural hydration balance. The search results were followed by user perspectives saying, “Instead of rubbing, you gently blot and wrap your wet hair in it like a turban to wick away moisture, saving time and preserving hair health.”

I’m still not convinced. Can't you do the same thing with a cotton towel or T-shirt?

My search findings end with a list of "Key Hair Benefits" claiming zero friction, reduced frizz, and that they pull out surface water quickly without stripping hair of necessary oils.

Let's break all of this down:

Cotton can hold up to 25 times its weight in water, (CAN)

Microfiber holds about 7 to 8 times its weight in water

Microfiber pulls out surface water quickly to shorten dry time (but not as quickly as cotton?)

Cotton pulls too much water which dries hair out?

Microfiber swiftly vacuums moisture away, absorbing just the right amount of excess moisture while maintaining the hair's natural hydration balance. (Does this sound fabricated?)

Blotting with cotton strips oils, yet

Clarifying is regularly recommended throughout the curly world (to remove oils and build up)? (disclaimer: Curlcraft does not endorse clarifying regularly) (that's another topic in another blog post).

Are you following me on this breakdown?

If you are not aware, AI learns based on the information it is fed. In my opinion, the beauty industry has fed a lot of hype to the internet on this topic, while overlooking health and environmental realities.

Here's how my brain thinks:

Can't soft cotton or a t-shirt be just as gentle?

Can't we control moisture removal by the length of time blotting and technique?

What if you just pull some water but leave the hair fairly wet?

Wouldn't that equate to less moisture loss?

Wouldn't gentle blotting with fine cotton remove excess water and can keep the hydration curls actually need?

Continuing my research, you guessed it, I asked:

Can you get the equivalent results of microfiber towels on hair by using fine cotton and gentle blotting without the negative effects on your body or the planet?

Here's the answer:

Yes, you can absolutely achieve equivalent results using fine cotton and gentle blotting. In fact, many experts and beauty enthusiasts, especially those with curly hair prefer 100% fine cotton (like a soft, well-worn jersey t-shirt) over microfiber. It protects delicate hair cuticles, minimizes frizz, and prevents breakage just as well as microfiber.

I will say, any time I search a topic, I change my wording around knowing I will get different results.

Part 2: The Environmental Reality

My next search was: Are microfiber towels bad for the environment?

Now this answer did not surprise me (because it's logical). When I shifted my research away from beauty industry marketing and looked at environmental data, the answers finally made sense to me.

Microfiber cloths have a surprisingly harsh ecological footprint:

• Microplastic Pollution: Every single time you wash microfiber, it sheds thousands of microscopic plastic fibers. These tiny particles bypass wastewater treatment plants, dump into our oceans, end up being ingested by marine life and eventually in our food supply.

• Fossil Fuel Reliance: The manufacturing process required to produce these synthetic fabrics rely on non-renewable petroleum resources contributing to climate change.

• Forever Landfill Waste: Microfiber is not biodegradable. It takes hundreds of years to break down in landfills, and because it is made of low-quality blended plastics, it is almost never accepted by textile recycling programs.

Part 3: What About Our Bodies?

Lastly, I searched: Are microfiber towels bad for human health?

While the internet says they are "generally safe for everyday use," keeping these synthetic plastics in our homes and salons presents specific health concerns we shouldn't ignore:

• Inhalation Risks: Shaking out a dry microfiber towel releases airborne synthetic fibers. Inhaling these particles can cause lung inflammation and exacerbate conditions like asthma and bronchitis.

• Microplastics in the Body: Because washed microfibers pollute our water systems, they inevitably return to us. Medical and scientific research has now found microplastics inside human tissues, including the blood and lungs.

• Bacterial Trapping: Microfiber is highly effective at trapping microbes, their tight structure makes them a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mold due to trapped moisture.

• Chemical Dyes: Low-quality or cheaply dyed microfiber textiles may release chemical dyes or trace heavy metals during use, which can irritate sensitive skin.

With our news being flooded lately with articles about the dangers of microplastics in our world, I asked: Can microplastics be used safely?

The medical and scientific research is clear: *No.* Health experts recognize them as unsafe for ingestion and widespread environmental exposure, linking them to severe risks including cardiovascular issues, hormone disruption, cellular damage, inflammation, reduced fertility and increased cancer risks.

In Conclusion: Natural always wins.

You can get the equivalent results using fine cotton and gentle blotting without the negative effects on your body or the planet. Curls won't mind it either. In my opinion, the beauty industry has been hyping up microfibers towels for far too long. I, personally, find microfiber to repel rather than absorb. Have you ever tried wiping a spill in the salon with a microfiber towel? It's not quick, it just pushes the water around.

I hope this helped clarify all of the hype and help with your decision making moving forward! Next time one of my clients asks about using microfiber towels, I'm going to have a more solid answer.

Peace,

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