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Our home goods experts have selected and bought the top 7 best hand towels on the market for “hands-on” testing (no pun intended). These days, excessive hand washing means that hand towels are a more important bathroom accessory than ever before. These towels have been through a series of rigorous tests to parse out the best options out there. We have washed, time-dried, tested absorbency rates, and assessed each towel's feel to better understand what makes a great hand towel great. The following review is a summary of our findings, including our absolute favorites.
Material: 100% Cotton | Dimensions: 16 x 40 Inches
REASONS TO BUY
Stylish look, color options available
Textured but soft
Quick-drying
Absorbent
REASONS TO AVOID
Tassels could be a durability concern
Only comes in a pack of 2
Sometimes, it can be disappointing to find out that the coolest-looking product falls short in performance, but we were happy to discover that this was not the case with the Smyrna Original Turkish set. Not only will these towels spruce up your bathroom's aesthetics, but they also rank highest in our side-by-side tests. The Smyrna hand towel is absorbent, quick-drying, and soft. We loved the unique weave of these towels, which provides a texture that dries hands quickly and soaks up water. They add a little flair to bathrooms and even kitchens while being soft, smooth, and durable. We found them soft out of the box, without any strange smells or break-in period, which is an added plus.
It's hard to find any complaints about these beauties. From their design to their texture to their drying speed, the Smyrna Originals impressed. The only aspect of these towels that may be a concern is the durability of the tassels and the fact that they only come in a set of two. Some of the other options we compared are available in packs of up to 24. If you need a higher quantity, we'd look to one of the multi-pack options.
The lovely Smyrna towels brightened up our bathroom decor.
Material: 100% Cotton | Dimensions: 13 x 23 Inches
REASONS TO BUY
Great value
Soft feel
Dries quickly
Relatively absorbent
REASONS TO AVOID
Thin
Lacks loft and plush feel of other options
Small
The Cleanbear 6-Pack towels are utilitarian products masked by a pastel color pallet. They are soft but thin. We found their feel sufficient for drying our hands, but perhaps not the first thing we'd reach for to soothe our skin after a facial. They are quick-drying and relatively absorbent. The thin material made these towels absorb water quickly, soaking whatever surface they were set on. In most situations, though, this basic product is entirely sufficient. They feel great and hold up after multiple washes. We were pleased to find that there was little to no pilling after their initial trip through the washing machine.
The Cleanbear's biggest downfall is lack of thickness and loft. Plus, the dimensions seem a bit meager compared to some of the 30 x 40-inch behemoths we tested. The Cleanbear towels are a bit diminutive at a mere 13 x 23 inches. Given its affordable price tag and durability, though, this set undoubtedly earns its place as a great budget option.
The Cleanbear towels come in a nice variety of colors.
Material: 100% Combed Cotton | Dimensions: 16 x 30 Inches
REASONS TO BUY
Super soft, yet light
Supple even after multiple washes
High absorbency rates
REASONS TO AVOID
Long drying times
Minor unraveling after wash
If softness is what you're after, the White Classic Luxury 6-Pack set is for you. This set is soft and plush without feeling too thick and retaining water. If you have sensitive skin or prioritize texture, the White Classic is a good choice. Additionally, we found that they seemed to get softer with each wash, resulting in a supple, homey texture. They are a great size — not too big to seem bulky hanging on a hook, but small enough to be compact and easy to store. We used these as both hand and face towels and found them great for both uses.
Though the White Classics are up there with some of the most absorbent products in this review, they fell a bit short in our drying time competition. The White Classic took much longer to dry than many other top-performing towels in this review, which surprised us considering their relatively thin feel. Even a full day after washing, we found that they still had a bit of lingering dampness to them.
The White Classic Luxury hand towel in all its simple, soft glory.
Material: 100% Cotton | Dimensions: 16 x 27 Inches
REASONS TO BUY
Extremely soft
Supple even after multiple washes
Quick-drying
Absorbent
REASONS TO AVOID
Thinner than other Turkish cotton options
The Wealuxe Cotton set excels as a basic, soft hand towel with no frills. Even after many trips through the wash, the product remains super soft and supple. Due to its light weave and thin nature, it dries quickly and fared well in our absorbency tests.
This set is fairly thin and flimsy, so some folks may be disappointed by the size and overall feel. Many Turkish cotton options in this review fared better than this lightweight one since they tended to have a bit more loft and a better feel. The other major issue with the Wealuxe is that it sheds a ton in the wash. This is a significant durability issue, but it doesn't take away from the fact that these are super soft and perform well across all other metrics.
The Wealuxe was one of the worst towels we reviewed in terms of shedding - white flecks were all over our load of laundry after washing these towels.
Perhaps you're used to stepping out of the shower and into a massive, plush bath towel that envelops you in warmth and coziness, and you can't imagine your hands going through the same transition without a similarly cozy experience. If so, check out the Superior Egyptian Cotton set — they are pure luxury for your hands. Soft, dense material encases your hands (or face) for an indulgent drying experience. Their thick, soft feel also means that this set is incredibly durable. During our test period, we saw no signs of wear. We imagine that the Superior set will last for years.
The downside to all this loft, fluff, and softness is that they seem to take forever to dry. Compared to some of the other towels we tested that dried completely in around 30 minutes, we were fairly surprised to find that roughly 24 hours after pulling them out of the wash, the Superior towels still felt damp. We also found that these towels had a hard time absorbing water — perhaps because their weave was so dense. If you have the patience to let the towels dry and use them for smaller drying tasks rather than wiping up counter-wide water spills, these cons may not be a big deal.
The Superior is definitely made from the thickest cotton, making it soft and comfortable, but slow to dry.
Material: 100% Cotton | Dimensions: 16 x 27 Inches
REASONS TO BUY
Super fast drying times
Thin, but soft
REASONS TO AVOID
Struggled with absorbency
Lack durability
Small size
Sold in massive packs, confusing application
The plus side to the Utopia Salon set is that they are incredibly quick-drying. In our side-by-side air-drying tests, these towels were a few moments behind our fastest-drying towel. Additionally, even though these salon towels are thin, we found them very soft. Another thing to note is that they come in a massive pack of 24. Depending on your use, this can be both a pro and a con. For home use, we found this product to be a bit confusing in terms of its application. The towels are so small that they fall between a hand towel and a washcloth, making them hard to hang up as you would a traditional hand towel.
A few more concerns popped up for us throughout our testing period. Most of these issues had to do with durability, as even after our first wash, they shed quite significantly and continued to leave black fuzzies all over the place.
The Utopia Salon towels come in a pack of 24, which for home use seemed a bit excessive to us.
Our biggest praise for the Qute Home 100% Turkish set is their absorbency skills. The weave of these towels was just right for maximum absorption — not too thin to have water go straight through, but not so thick that water just beads up on the surface. When we sprayed these towels with our official absorption testing spray bottle, we found the water to absorb immediately. Additionally, their relatively thick material made the Qute towels quite durable overall. We noticed a few threads start to unravel around the edges, but this seems to be a common “thread” among most towels.
Although they absorbed water quickly, drying these towels was a struggle. Even when they felt fairly dry after hanging on the line for 30 minutes, we noticed patchy wet spots that lingered for hours after their initial wash. The texture is another shortcoming we are not too keen on. While this metric is undoubtedly subjective, we have dried our hands on a lot of towels. We found the Qute set to feel rough and almost abrasive. So if you're looking for an option that's soft to the touch, you may want to look elsewhere.
Shown here is the Qute hand towel immediately after our hitting it with our water spray bottle. As you can see, it absorbed the water rapidly.
Credit: Jane Jackson
Why Trust GearLab
Beginning with bath towels and moving on to the more refined world of hand towels, our lead towel tester, Jane Jackson, has developed a keen eye and feel for cotton towels of all types. Assessing the performance of fabrics is Jane's bread and butter. Though she typically uses her skills in an outdoor setting, she has found that the indoor testing lab allows for serious attention to detail and testing protocols.
We've been through stacks and stacks of towels.
Credit: Jane Jackson
With this background, Jane took to the internet for some serious online research. After significant consideration and reading, including learning how to perform an official absorbency test via YouTube, we honed in on the top 7 hand towel sets available online. Luckily, we were provided plenty of opportunities to test the performance of these models thoroughly since we live in a time of frequent hand washing. We dried our hands, face, and bathroom countertops to test these towels' ability to absorb water and air dry. We also kept meticulous notes of their overall texture and durability, which both have been known to change over time. Through this, we present to you the top picks (and our least favorites) to help you narrow in on the best hand towels for your needs.
We assessed their texture by asking our friends and housemates to get their hands on these products to get a wide range of impressions on their textures. Next, we tested drying time by throwing them in the wash and then hanging them out to dry with a timer. To test each towel's absorbency, we sprayed them with a spray bottle and observed how the water reacted to the towel's surface. Finally, to assess durability, we considered the overall performance of each towel as they performed their daily duties of hanging, drying, and being washed.
Lining up our hand towels for side-by-side absorbency tests - this way, we can observe each one's performance relative to the others.
Analysis and Test Results
A hand towel is meant to absorb water, dry out, and feel soft, time after time, throughout the day. That means our biggest categories to test were absorption speed, quality, drying time, and texture.
In the midst of our drying test.
Credit: Jane Jackson
Texture
Our findings here are more based on polling than hard, evidence-based facts. To help us rate these products in terms of their overall feel, we wrangled as many hand-washers as possible to help us get a feel for what makes one towel excel in this metric and what makes another fall short. We consider the weave and fabric thickness in this metric, as well as how each towel feels when wet and when dry.
Our absolute favorite in this metric was the Smyrna Original Turkish set. These towels have a unique weave that adds texture where you want it while still providing softness. It felt like the cotton that made up the weave on this product was just softer than many of the more traditional towels we tested. Following the Smyrna towel is the White Classic Luxury set, which is soft, light, and fluffy. This towel just feels good in the hands. Since it feels so gentle, this is a great towel for drying your face following your skin care regime. The Cleanbear set was close behind, providing a similar feel at an affordable price. The Superior Egyptian Cotton is certainly soft but is also very thick and luxurious, if that's more your speed.
The Smyrna hand towels are a textural dream!
Credit: Jane Jackson
Drying Time
To test drying time, we threw all the products into the wash, took them out wet, and immediately hung them on a drying line outside. Our current testing conditions of 100 degrees in Bishop, California, are about as dry as it gets. In general, these towels dried relatively quickly. We checked back in on their progress after 30 minutes and again after another 15 minutes had passed (at 45 minutes). We rated each towel on a scale of “basically dry” to “slightly damp” to “mostly damp.” Most were nearly dry after 45 minutes, though when we brought them inside, a few continued to feel damp overnight.
Here are the contenders right out of the wash and out in the 100-degree mid-day heat.
Credit: Jane Jackson
Again, the fastest-drying towel in our review was a shining star of a hand towel, the Smyrna Original Turkish. After 30 minutes on the line, this towel was pretty much entirely dry. Shortly behind was the Utopia Salon, which dried after 40 minutes in the sun. This makes sense, as this was one of the smallest and thinnest options we tested. Following just behind were the Cleanbear and Wealuxe, which dried at similar speeds and have very similar weaves. Not surprisingly, some of the softest towels, the Superior and the White Classic, took a while to dry, with a touch of dampness lingering well into the following day. These towels are bulky and thick, making for a soft feel but a slow drying time.
Absorbency
Through internet research, we found a standardized test for assessing a fabric's ability to absorb water, thus leading us to refine our absorbency tests. This test involves observing what happens while spraying the fabric with a spray bottle of water. Does it pool on top? Does it absorb right away? How much does the water spread after 30 seconds? From answering these questions and trial and error, we learned that towels with a looser weave typically better absorb water than those with a tight weave. However, towels that are too thin allow water to leak through to the surface beneath, which is not ideal.
Generally, those with a medium-thickness weave absorbed water the best. Thick, luxurious towels (like the Superior set) and super thin towels (like the Utopia Salon set) showed water beading on the surface without absorbing into the material. We liked the performance of the Cleanbear, Wealuxe, and Smyrna because they quickly absorbed water and didn't allow much moisture to pass through to the surfaces beneath.
The three towels shown above all did well in our absorbency tests, due to their fairly thin material and loose weave.
Credit: Jane Jackson
Durability
We put the towels through the wash several times to test their durability and assess how the fabric holds up. We checked for any fuzziness and how well the seams held up. We made notes of any unraveling or pilling that occurred with each wash. We also wanted to determine if the fabric held up over time. Nothing is more annoying than a bath towel that gets stiffer with each wash. Overall, the towels in this review held up remarkably well in our various durability assessments. Most of the criticism here is fairly nitpicky.
This is how we test durability - throw 'em in the wash. This way, we can see how they truly perform in the long term.
Credit: Jane Jackson
The biggest disappointment with a new towel is discovering that upon first wash, it has shed thousands of tiny pieces of fabric on all the other items in the laundry. Luckily, this only happened with one of the products in this review — the Wealuxe Cotton set. After its initial wash, we had white towel fuzz all over the other towels. The Utopia Salon set also had a bit of fuzzy residue that spread around our testing station. Regarding unraveling, the only towel with any signs of a durability issue was the Qute Home 100% Turkish. We noticed a few seams started to shed threads after the first wash.
As you can see, this Utopia Salon towel is covered in white flecks from the Wealuxe towels.
Credit: Jane Jackson
Conclusion
As you can see, we delved deep into the world of towels to help guide you toward the perfect hand towel for your specific needs. We cover various styles, textures, sizes, and colors. And while each towel excels in some departments while falling a bit short in others, our top choices all have a great balance of attributes to keep you feeling fresh.
