Most women have experienced first-hand the effects of hot and humid weather conditions on our hair (ugh… frizz!), but what a lot of gals fail to realize is that winter weather can be just as damaging. For example, cold and dry air can actually cause the cuticle of the hair strand to lift ever so slightly.
On the other hand, cold air seals the cuticle of the hair shaft for a smooth and shiny finish and helps your style stay in place. This is why it's often recommended to apply cool air to your hair after blow drying with hot air. Heat is damaging to hair, so blow drying with cold air is a healthier choice for your mane.
Tuck your hair into a hat or scarf to help to protect it from the elements and very cold temperatures during the winter. This will help your hair to retain its moisture and reduce damage.
So, if you were planning to go outside in cold weather with wet hair and without a jacket, you might want to reconsider. Even though you do not get sick from wet hair, your hair becomes more prone to breakage in cold weather.
Cold Winter Air Lacks the Moisture That Your Scalp Needs
The cold temperatures we experience in winter months can cause the air to be dry and damaging to your skin, and that includes your scalp.
Cold water for hair ensures your scalp remains cleaner for longer as it closes the pores, making it less vulnerable to grease, oil and dirt. Cold water controls breakage, frizz and pesky flyaways, which is important for those with curly or thin hair. Cold water improves blood circulation.
Kathleen Riley, another Mane Addicts stylist, confirms this, noting that air-drying your hair in winter will leave your hair drier and frizzier than in warmer months. “It'll also take longer to dry because it's cold out,” she says.
Air drying is the minimalist's match made in heaven—it can save you major time and effort with the right tricks. It's also a great way to avoid or recover from heat damage. The key to healthy air drying? Don't let your hair stay wet for too long.
Reasons why you should not leave your hair to airdry:
“Keeping your hair wet for long periods of time (for example, overnight or air drying on a regular basis) can cause hygral fatigue, which is damage to the hair from excessive swelling,” explains trichologist Stephanie Sey on behalf of Nizoral.
On top of breakage, air-drying can also increase frizz, build-up, and mildew, especially for afro-textured and curly hair. "Hair that stays wet or damp for a long period can attract bacteria and fungus, especially if you have very dense hair," explains Jennie Roberts, a celebrity hairstylist and texture hair educator.
Yes, there's actually a reason this is on your blow dryer. When you finish drying the hair, flip to the cool setting and it will lock the style into place. The cool air helps the cuticle seal which means the hair will be strong and smooth, staying exactly where you told it to go with your blow dryer.
"I recommend using a blow dryer with cold air and no product, using a combination of a brush and your fingers to help straighten," says Rojas.
"Simply put, hair is at its most vulnerable when wet. Sleeping with wet hair can lead to a host of problems for the scalp: unwanted bacteria, fungal infections, skin irritation, itchiness, dryness, redness, and dandruff," says hairstylist Miko Branch, co-founder of hair care brand Miss Jessie's.
When used timely and moderately, blow drying is better for scalp and hair. Air drying (like over washing) over an extended period can cause scalp to compensate, over produce oil leaving hair more oily, and causing you to fight the imbalance with more and more shampoo for oily scalp and hair.
Hair is at its most fragile when wet, so if you go to bed with it damp and proceed to toss and turn against a pillow, you run a higher risk of breakage. But aside from being rough on your delicate strands, hitting the pillow with damp hair puts you at risk of developing skin infections, primarily on your scalp.
The Australian Vice President of Smart Devices, Dr Tim Moore, revealed why people shouldn't leave their hair wet. He said that when hair is wet it swells, which means water puts pressure on the cuticles which could cause them to break and create split ends.
According to Colombini, healthy hair actually takes the longest to dry. While it's less than ideal, your hair may take a long time to dry simply because you maintain healthy hair practices and your strands are able to easily absorb and retain moisture.
Warm, dry air is best for drying clothes, because warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. This is why we often get rain wen a cold front sweeps in. When drying clothes, a breeze is useful, but not essential.
When to wash. Rossi generally tells his patients they should wash their hair once or twice per week. But if you've had chemical treatments that can make your hair drier — such as bleach, perms or relaxers — you might want to wash it less than once weekly to avoid breaking or brittle hair or split ends, he said.
This is because the strands of your hair are more vulnerable when wet, and in the cold weather, water molecules in the hair can expand, which can make the hair more likely to break.
Cold showers increase circulation and decrease inflammation, improving skin and hair health and appearance. Cold water also tightens skin pores.
It is best to sleep with your hair down if your hair length is short. This also lets the air flow freely through your hair, which makes you sleep more comfortably. On the other hand, if you have long hair, it is recommended to tie your hair loosely to prevent knots and breakage.
The kind of breakage that comes with sleeping with wet hair only develops after doing so chronically, Dr. Cheng says. So, if you can, try not to only sleep with wet hair and try not to do it every single night. But doing it once in a while isn't likely to cause problems.
Use a scrunchie or tie made of silk or satin, instead. If you have unruly hair, style in a loose braid tied with a silk scrunchie before bed. Not only will the silk scrunchie prevent friction and subsequent breakage from affecting your strands, but it also likely won't create ridges in your hair after it's removed.