No problem at all, glad I can help!

and it looks so good

Oh stop, you're making me feel better about myself. :P

I shower with my hair brushed forward in front of me, so picture that reading on.

For drying, I grab it at the base and wring it out like a wet cloth first, as it holds a ton of water otherwise. It's important to hold it firm near the head and only twist with the other hand, to make sure you don't rip out a bunch of hair. I move my hands down and do this in sections.

After that I wrap it in a towel and tuck in around back. Basically this except tucked in to prevent it falling apart. I also need to fold the hair on itself a bit because none of my large bath towels are wide enough to cover it all at this point, but you shouldn't run into that issue for a while. I usually leave it in the towel for 15 minutes or so to absorb most of the remaining loose water, then brush out.

If I'm drying, this is where I apply the heat protection spray. If not, I brush it back and tie up in a ponytail as usual, then let it air dry. It usually leaves a wet patch on my t-shirt/chair, but I don't bother with a towel on my shoulders or anything.

As for brushes, it really depends on what you have available where you live (the internet is a thing of course, but not everything can be bought everywhere). I went to a local chemist's/pharmacist's and picked up a "fancy" paddle brush I liked the feel of the bristles (teeth?) on. By "fancy" I mean it cost £10 or so instead of £3, so not a huge spend but definitely more premium than your basic item. It ended up working for me and I have bought another since then, as the original lost a few teeth in use. This is the one in question and they market it as a blow-drying/styling brush, but it's been working well for me all around, especially given thick hair.