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.
It turns out letting your hair air dry after you've washed it is causing more damage than you think. According to Dr Tim Moore (the Australian Vice President of Smart Devices) leaving your hair wet for extended periods of time is putting excessive pressure on your strands resulting in split ends.
Drying your hair after a shower may seem like a simple task. However, it's a crucial step in maintaining the health and appearance of your hair. After showering, your wet hair is in a fragile condition. It becomes more vulnerable to breakages and other damages.
“Hair can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in water,” he said, which typically makes it weaker and more susceptible to damage from brushing and styling. “Natural drying takes time,” he added. “The longer hair stays wet, the more the cortex swells and cracks, permanently damaging hair.”
After washing your hair, most people rub their hair dry to remove excess water, or wrap a towel around the top of their head. This is not the best practice. Instead, gently pat your wet hair with a towel and loosely wrap the towel around your hair keeping it on for several minutes to remove excess water.
Keep hair moisturized after shower
Moisture in your hair makes it easier to combat frizz and detangle any knots after a shower. Many hairstylists recommend hydrating with a conditioner before applying your oil of choice.
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.
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.
If your water is chemically balanced, you can probably wet your hair daily and see no detrimental effects. Your personal preference should factor in, and you should monitor how your hair looks and feels if you opt to use water only on days between cleaning it with hair products.
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.
Hair should be 50 to 60 percent dry before you start blow-drying. “Get as much moisture out as you can with a towel, and let your hair air-dry for a 10 to 15 minutes after you towel-dry,” advises Becca Sible, educator for amika. Brush up on the other common hair myths you should stop believing.
“Going to sleep with wet hair is not often recommended because it limits your styling options in the morning in most cases,” shares Stenson. “Soaking wet hair can lead to unwanted mold and mildew in your pillows.” Saviano agrees, adding that sleeping on wet hair can harm the hair cuticle and create lasting damage.
Twist your hair into a top knot and wrap it into a bun while going to bed. Use a silk scarf and tie it into a headband to make sure your hair doesn't touch the pillowcase. In the morning take your hair down and flip it upside down and side to side. Resist the urge to brush as it causes more friction and frizz.
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!
Towel drying can be beneficial if you know how to do it right. All you need is a soft microfiber hair towel. Remember, regular towels are rough and course and tend to tangle hair badly. Once you finish washing your hair, gently squeeze out excess water, starting from the scalp and moving towards the ends.
General guidelines for hair washing frequency are as follows: Oily hair: Every day to prevent the buildup of dirt. Dry/damaged hair: Every 5-7 days to allow some of your hair's natural oils to be retained on the scalp. Fine/thin hair: Every other day to provide your hair with enough moisture.
Don't tie your hair
As we said earlier, wet hair is fragile and tying it up will only cause hair breakage. Worse, when you use an elastic to tie your hair up after a hair wash, it only leads to further split ends. Besides, tying your hair makes your scalp itchy and there's a possibility of dandruff too.
The way you dry your hair after showering could be causing more damage than you think. Using a towel can cause breakage physically and if it sucks too much moisture out of your hair leaving it dry, brittle, and in severe cases, this can even cause hair thinning.
Wet hair is far weaker than dry hair, being more susceptible to breakage and damage from just about anything – heat and pulling on the hair strands are more likely to damage wet hair than dry.
Unfortunately, ANY amount of heat is damaging to hair, so using a blow dryer (or flat iron, or curling wand) every day is a bad idea. Daily heat exposure can ruin hair by stripping the hair's natural oils, drying out the cuticle and causing breakage and frizz.
If you want to know how long it will take to dry your hair naturally, it will take almost fifteen minutes if you have short hair and two hours if you have long, thick hair.
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.