By not drying hair at all after a shower, the water droplets stay in your hair, which makes your hair swell up. This swelling causes damage to the proteins that make up the structure of your hair. When these proteins are impacted, your hair looks and feels rough (cue frizz).
If you have the time, it's best to let your hair air dry naturally. Air drying minimizes heat damage and allows your hair to rejuvenate at its own pace. A downside to this technique is that it takes a while for the drying to complete.
So while direct, excessive heat can cause damage to the surface part of the hair strands, air-drying can cause trauma to that inner layer. When the cell membrane complex layer swells, it can weaken the hair over time, explains Dr. Longsworth. It can also cause something called hygral fatigue.
Going outside or to bed with wet hair does not increase the risk of becoming sick. However, warm and damp environments, such as going to bed with wet hair, may lead to bacterial, or fungal infections on the scalp or face.
Hair also loses its elasticity when wet, which means it will be more prone to breakage or being ripped out at the root. This is why you should never have wet hair for longer than necessary.” A study at Yonsei University in Korea, which compared air-drying with heat drying, corroborates this.
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.
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.
Air-drying is not bad for your skin! There's no reason you would need to towel off after getting wet, other than the water may get on your clothes or make you a little colder. And as we've covered, air-drying can actually have benefits, so the answer is really quite the opposite!
5) Airdrying hair after a shower
Needless to say, rubbing a cloth towel harshly on wet hair will cause it to break more easily. To avoid any missteps, opt for a microfiber towel and gently squeeze out the water from your strands and then let it air dry naturally.
When your cuticles are open, moisture gets into the hair strands, expanding the hair as it dries, leading to frizz. Conditioner helps to close or seal these cuticles and lock in moisture, reducing frizziness and flyaways, which is especially important when air-drying your hair.
Usually, it takes an hour or two for damp hair to dry completely. However, this time may vary depending on the hair length and porosity. Highly porous hair can take an entire day to dry.
Instead, pat yourself dry leaving your skin a little damp. But do concentrate on drying specific areas such as on skin folds, between toes, underarms, etc., to prevent future infections or rashes. After that, immediately apply moisture as it can help lock in water into your skin and nourish it.
The best way to dry your hair is to let it air dry under the fan as much as possible. However, some experts believe combining air and blow-drying is healthier than just air drying. It is good to let your hair air-dry seventy percent of the way and then blow-dry till they become dry ultimately.
If you have fine hair, it will cause the hair to stretch and appear more limp, says Hurtado. If you have textured or curly hair, it will make your strands more frizzy. And the worst case scenario is if you have overly dense hair, where the damp environment can attract bacteria and fungus, leading to scalp problems.
“Air drying dense hair for extended periods of time can be more damaging than using a blow-dryer at low heat and at a safe distance,” says Longsworth. “But even low density [i.e. thin] hair that is washed or wet every single day is susceptible to damage.”
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.
“Aggressively drying your hair with a towel results in frizz and tangled hair,” Branch tells Allure. “Rather, dab your hair with an old or unwanted T-shirt for a smooth and absorbent approach, then gently squeeze out the moisture so that your hair is no longer dripping wet.”
By not drying hair at all after a shower, the water droplets stay in your hair, which makes your hair swell up. This swelling causes damage to the proteins that make up the structure of your hair. When these proteins are impacted, your hair looks and feels rough (cue frizz). Does air drying your hair make it frizzy?
There's nothing wrong with wearing a bra while you sleep if that's what you're comfortable with. Sleeping in a bra will not make a girl's breasts perkier or prevent them from getting saggy. And it will not stop breasts from growing or cause breast cancer.
Hair is more vulnerable when wet, therefore sleeping with wet hair down may result in damage, split ends, and tangles. It may also cause scalp issues, such as flakes and irritation. If you need to wet your hair at night, at least try and dry it slightly so it's damp—not sopping wet.
*Wearing socks to bed improves blood flow to your feet. *It improves cracked heels. *Studies have observed that foot warming using bed socks during sleep in a cool environment was found to have positive effects on sleep quality.
It all comes down to several basic rules of thumb: use a product that's appropriate for your skin and cleaning needs, wash your entire body (even between your toes) once per day, put your loofah or washcloth in a place where it can dry completely, don't use too much soap, wash with water that isn't too hot, and stick ...