As a working Mum to three young boys, my 'me time' is pretty precious and anything that enables me to spend a few extra minutes doing simple things such as having a soak in a hot bath is much appreciated. I actually received this rather basic looking 'turbie towel' as a gift from my own Mum two Christmases ago and, little did I know, that this simple product would prove to be incredibly useful over the next couple of years.

The concept of a 'turbie towel' is fairly straightforward although there are a few different variations on the market. All of them seem to be packaged along similar lines and all around the £1 or 99p mark from stockists such as Home Bargains, Wilkinsons or any similar discount store or pound shop. Essentially, the product is a shaped turban style towel designed to fit over the head and secure wet hair into place.

Using the towel is pretty straightforward as the fabric is tapered slightly so it is clear which side to use and where to position it. There are some simple instructions printed on the packaging but it is fairly self-explanatory. I place the wider edge at the back of my head and then tip my wet hair inside the remainder of the fabric, ensuring that all of it is contained inside. It then needs twisting around slightly and securing into position. This is easy to do as my towel has a fabric loop at one end and a button at the other so it fits firmly in place, keeping my long wet hair out of my way. The resulting effect is pretty good and, whilst you wouldn't want to be seen out in public wearing one of these, I have answered the door to the postman with my hair up like this. (Mind you, wearing my dressing gown is probably enough room for embarrassment!)

I find that the real benefit of this product is for those moments when I am disturbed during my bath or whilst washing my hair and have to get out to attend to something whilst my hair is soaking wet. (Sadly, this happens far more frequently than I'd like!) I found this particularly useful when my youngest son was a few months old and guaranteed to start stirring from a nap as soon as I started to relax in the bath. I also find it handy to cover my hair if I've used a deep conditioning treatment, enabling me to lie back and relax in the bath without my long hair trailing in the bath water. Most conditioning products recommend covering your hair in some way, as the added heat helps to make them more effective and using this saves getting a thick towel covered in conditioner.

Although towelling versions are available, mine is a thin microfibre variety. I find this easy to wash and dry after each use but the only disadvantage with this fabric is that it isn't particularly absorbent and isn't particularly effective at drying. I don't personally use this as a method of drying my hair, more as a way of keeping wet hair out of my way for which purpose this is ideal.

Given the low sale price of this simple product, I'm happy to recommend it as an effective means of keeping long wet hair out of the way for any purpose although you might want to choose a towelling rather than a microfibre version if you're looking for a product that will also dry hair at the same time.