ok, after all the good suggestions i got yesterday, i oiled my super dry hair, then before bed last night rinsed it out and used pantenes restoratives to deep condition.  i didn't rinse it out, but toweled dried (squeezed gently, not scrubbing or twisting or turbaning!) and put it in a loose braid.  so now it's 8:30am and my hair is still super damp in the braid.  is this an issue everyone has?  when i was in high school i used to do this to my hair and wear the braid for 48 hours til it was dry so i'd get a crimpy look, but i figured a looser braid would help it dry.  is there anything i can do?  should i take it out of the braid and let it airdry? 

btw, i love this site.  i spent most of the night reading old posts, they're soooo informative!