Prima di asciugare i capelli, prendo un asciugamano pulito.

Prima di means before.

In Italian, prima di + infinitive is a very common pattern meaning before doing something:

• prima di uscire = before going out
• prima di mangiare = before eating
• prima di asciugare i capelli = before drying my/the hair

So in this sentence, prima di asciugare i capelli introduces the action that happens later, and prendo un asciugamano pulito is the action that happens first.

Because that is the standard Italian structure when the subject is the same and you want to say before doing... or after doing....

Compare:

• Prima di partire, controllo tutto. = Before leaving, I check everything.
• Prima di dormire, leggo. = Before sleeping, I read.

If you want to say before someone else does something, Italian usually uses a full clause instead:

• Prima che tu parta... = Before you leave...

So here, since the same person is doing both actions, prima di + asciugare is natural.

Both can be possible, but they are slightly different in how explicit they are.

• asciugare i capelli = to dry the hair / to dry one’s hair
• asciugarsi i capelli = to dry one’s own hair

In everyday Italian, especially when the context is clear, asciugare i capelli can be understood as drying your own hair. But many speakers would also say:

• Prima di asciugarmi i capelli, prendo un asciugamano pulito.

That version makes it completely clear that the hair is my hair.

So the sentence you were given is fine, but a learner should know that asciugarsi i capelli is also very common.

Italian often does not use possessive adjectives with body parts when the owner is already clear from the context.

So instead of saying:

• my hair

Italian often simply says:

• i capelli

This is especially common with body parts and personal items in routine situations:

• Mi lavo le mani. = I wash my hands.
• Si è rotto la gamba. = He broke his leg.
• Asciugo i capelli. = I dry my hair.

So i capelli sounds natural because it is obvious whose hair is meant.

In Italian, capelli is normally plural when talking about the hair on someone’s head.

• capello = a single hair
• capelli = hair / someone’s hair

So:

• Ho un capello bianco. = I have one white hair.
• Ho i capelli lunghi. = I have long hair.

That is why the sentence uses i capelli.

They are different kinds of articles.

• i capelli uses the definite article because Italian usually uses the definite article with body parts.
• un asciugamano uses the indefinite article because it means a clean towel, not a specific previously mentioned towel.

So:

• i capelli = the hair / my hair
• un asciugamano pulito = a clean towel

If the towel were already known, you might say:

• prendo l’asciugamano pulito = I take the clean towel

Italian often uses the present tense to talk about:

• habits
• routines
• general actions
• instructions in a natural, immediate way

So prendo here can mean something like:

• I take
• I usually take
• I take (as part of my routine)

This is very normal in Italian. If the sentence is describing a habitual sequence, the present tense is exactly what you would expect.

Because Italian is a pro-drop language: the subject pronoun is often omitted when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• prendo already means I take
• asciugare is just the infinitive to dry

So io is unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast:

• Io prendo un asciugamano pulito, non tu. = I take a clean towel, not you.

In a normal sentence, leaving out io sounds more natural.

In Italian, adjectives often come after the noun.

• un asciugamano pulito = a clean towel
• una casa grande = a big house
• un libro interessante = an interesting book

Some adjectives can come before the noun, but with a straightforward descriptive adjective like pulito, the most natural position is after the noun.

So un asciugamano pulito is the normal word order.

The comma is very natural here because the sentence begins with an introductory phrase:

• Prima di asciugare i capelli, ...

In Italian, when a subordinate phrase comes first, a comma is often used to separate it from the main clause. It helps readability and sounds well structured in writing.

You may sometimes see short introductory phrases without a comma, but in this sentence the comma is a good and standard choice.

Yes, it is grammatically correct, but it sounds less natural in ordinary Italian.

Because Italian usually avoids possessives with body parts when the owner is obvious, i capelli is preferred over i miei capelli here.

So:

• Prima di asciugare i capelli... = more natural
• Prima di asciugare i miei capelli... = correct, but more explicit than necessary

Yes. Italian can also put the main clause first:

• Prendo un asciugamano pulito prima di asciugare i capelli.

This means the same thing.

The version with Prima di asciugare i capelli at the beginning simply puts more focus on the sequence of actions. Both word orders are possible.

Asciugamano means towel.

It comes from the verb asciugare (to dry) and is literally something used for drying. In everyday Italian, it normally refers to a towel.

Common related words include:

• asciugare = to dry
• asciugarsi = to dry oneself
• asciugacapelli = hair dryer

So in this sentence, un asciugamano pulito clearly means a clean towel.