We usually imagine the cozy twilight of a ventilated bedroom, a warm duvet, lots of soft pillows and, perhaps, a barely audible meditative tune. There is no place for wet hair in this scenario, but nevertheless, for many it is an objective reality, quite suitable for bed.
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We have heard since childhood that it is not good to sleep with a wet head - mothers all over the world, regardless of nationality and religion, consider it their duty to instill this truth in their daughters. And, judging by the recommendations of stylists and therapists, this is the case when rebelling against maternal advice will not benefit us. Of course, if you suddenly get pimples after an evening shower, it won't be a disaster, but if you tell your hairdresser that you constantly go to bed without drying your hair, he will probably shake his head in disapproval.
It's time to finally shed light on the hidden threat of wet hair and figure out what the habit of sleeping with wet hair actually entails. So, is it true that...
...YOU MAY GET A COLD
This means that your head may become cold, and you risk catching a cold without leaving the bedroom. Experts have mixed opinions on this matter. Any doctor will say that a cold is a virus that cannot originate in the body due to temperature changes, which is confirmed by research. However, the same doctors, in addition to what has been said, will report that wet hair (as well as socks, shoes or mittens) are uncomfortable for the body, and therefore undermine the immune system. The fact is that when the body cools down, the blood vessels contract, preventing the free access of leukocytes fighting the virus - that is, a wet head contributes. In general, the connection is quite murky, but just in case, if you are unable to change your habits, sleep with wet hair in a warm room and a comfortable bed to avoid additional stress on the body.
…OR DAMAGE YOUR HAIR
Here everything is much more obvious. As celebrity hairstylist John Ruggiero confirms, sleeping with wet hair "isn't a good idea because when you wake up, your hair will be a tangled mess, fit for Halloween, and you'll end up with more styling hassle in the morning, which you might end up with." I'll have to wash my hair again." If you absolutely must sleep with wet hair, Ruggiero advises a few precautions: “Apply a little detangling conditioner to detangle the strands, and if you have long hair, then place it in a bun at the top of your head. This way your hair will look tolerable in the morning and will even acquire a nice waviness.”
Another life hack from hair experts is satin pillowcases. “This will allow your hair to dry faster, moving freely across the pillow, and will prevent frizz and frizz, which can be hard to get rid of in the morning,” explains Ruggiero. - In addition, rubbing your wet head against a cotton pillowcase will remove more hairs overnight than contact with a satin fabric. Smooth silk is also good for the skin of the face, because it protects against creases that lead to the formation of wrinkles.”
Why do signs warn against sleeping with wet hair?
Since ancient times, hair has been considered a strong conductor of energy. Russian women always wore their hair long and even men did not cut their hair too short. Our ancestors believed in the ability of curls to protect against the evil eye, trap bad energy and turn it into good energy. It was believed that after water treatments, all protection is washed off from the hair, which cannot be restored immediately.
For this reason, it was possible to wash your hair at a strictly defined time and only at home. The evening is ideal for this, but long before bedtime. By the time a person goes to bed, the hair should be completely dry, while being saturated with the energy of home and family.
Going to bed with wet hair, a person finds himself defenseless against dark forces, he becomes vulnerable, and can easily attract a variety of misfortunes to himself. According to legend, anyone who violated this rule could get sick, face some dangerous situation or problems in the house.
According to one of the old signs, those who do not have the opportunity to dry it with a towel sleep with wet hair, that is, the deceased, who, as you know, are washed. To avoid being in their place, you need to eradicate the habit of going to bed immediately after water procedures.
Wet hair can also cause loss of attractiveness. During sleep, due to friction against the pillow, the ends of the hair suffer, they become thinner and brittle. According to some beliefs, it is in the tips that the vital force is concentrated, and having lost it, a person will begin to fade.
In addition, our ancestors had other superstitions related to washing their hair and wet hair:
- You can't wash your hair on your birthday. It is believed that it is on the day when a person is born that all evil spirits become active and try to harm.
- Before a long trip. A traveler on the road will definitely need the protection of his home, and if it is washed away, it will not have time to recover and the person will be vulnerable.
Is this sign relevant today?
The warning to go to bed with wet hair has both a mystical and practical basis. Even if a person is skeptical and prefers not to believe in omens, it is better not to go to bed immediately after water procedures. According to doctors, this can have an extremely negative impact on health and lead to some diseases and unpleasant consequences.
Cold
When we sleep, blood circulation in our body slows down, which leads to cooling of the skin, and additional moisture only enhances the cooling. If the room is cool and your immune system is weakened, you may wake up in the morning with a sore throat, stuffy nose, and even a fever.
Allergy, suffocation
The pillow absorbs moisture from wet hair, which creates a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria, germs and mites. The result is allergic reactions, itching and dermatitis.
Hair problems
Trichologists (specialists who deal with hair health) do not even advise combing wet hair, let alone going to bed with it. Wet curls are more susceptible to breakage, tangling and various damage. This can also include the appearance of dandruff, itching and irritation.
The styling is deteriorating
If you fall asleep with wet curls, in the morning it can sometimes be difficult to return to your previous hairstyle; your hair will become tangled and wrinkled. Even if you wet them, they will still take on a “night” shape.
So what to do if you don’t have time to dry your hair before bed? It is believed that a towel wrapped around the head can save the situation. However, experts say that this is a misconception. The towel will get wet from the hair and become wet itself, the hair will not dry out longer, and the mites and germs in the pillow will receive a portion of the moisture they love so much. It’s better not to be lazy and dry your curls with a hairdryer. If you don’t even have time for this, washing your hair can be postponed until the morning.
Going to bed with wet hair is not a good idea, regardless of whether a person believes in omens or not. Like our ancestors, modern experts agree: such a habit can negatively affect health. It is better to dry your hair with a hairdryer or postpone washing your hair altogether.
What harm does washing your hair at night cause and is it harmful at all?
Going to bed with wet hair all the time can really damage your hair in the long run.
As you know, hair has a porous structure. Thanks to this, human hair can absorb and retain water up to 45% of its own weight. When wet, hair breaks and gets tangled much easier.
In addition, after sleeping with wet hair, it is often much more difficult to style in the morning because it has already dried out, taking on a different shape than you would like. Sometimes you have to re-wet your hair to get an acceptable style.
But one of the main fears - catching a cold due to sleeping with undried hair - has absolutely no basis. It's time to get used to the obvious idea that acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections are viruses, and they don't care whether your head is dry or wet. What is true is that hypothermia lowers the immune system, so sleeping with wet hair in a cold room makes a person more susceptible to the virus - in the vast majority of cases, however, not so much that you get sick solely because of it.
Too warm air is much more dangerous for wet hair. The warm, moist environment that the scalp becomes during such sleep is favorable for the growth of bacteria and fungus. This can lead to dandruff and even increased hair loss.
However, all these threats come only from constant sleep with wet hair. Nothing will happen from a couple or three times a month. In addition, there are effective ways to minimize the negative effects on hair.
How to minimize the effects of sleeping with wet hair
As already mentioned, when exposed to moisture, hair temporarily becomes more brittle. The damage in this case is mechanical in nature - the hair is simply frayed. This means our task is to reduce friction and stress on the hair.
So, these rules are for you if you often have to go to bed without drying your hair:
1. Use a mild, non-aggressive shampoo, preferably sulfate-free, and a conditioner that does not weigh down your hair.
2. Dry your hair well with a towel after washing. The towel must be of high quality - soft and able to absorb most of the moisture. Of course, do not rub your hair under any circumstances, but only blot it with a towel.
3. Use a leave-in product (conditioner or serum) that adds volume to your hair.
4. Be sure to comb your hair after washing at night. To do this, use only a wide-tooth comb or Tangle Teezer.
Today we’ll talk about why you shouldn’t sleep with wet hair. Caring for hair, especially long hair, is a curse for many women and girls. Let the one who has never had to refuse to go out into the city or cancel an important meeting throw a stone at me because of a total lack of desire to wash and dry her hair.
3 reasons why you shouldn't sleep with wet hair
- If your hair doesn't tend to dry out, then the best solution is to wash it in the evening. They will be fresh all day long, which will save you a lot of time.
- When you wash your hair the night before, you are tempted to skip drying your hair and go to bed with wet hair. Contrary to popular belief, by refusing to use a hair dryer you are not helping them. Going to bed with wet hair puts your hair at risk, as a wet head is an ideal breeding ground for dust and bacteria in your bed. The scalp is very vulnerable and there is an increased risk of dandruff or fungus.
- Sleeping with a wet head can result in a cold. And this happens not because we go to bed immediately after a bath, but because the window is open at night to let fresh air into the apartment. Even at a relatively high temperature in the room, you can catch a cold infection (sore throat or snot). Inhaling the bacteria accumulated on the pillow, which was formed as a result of the laundry coming into contact with a wet and hot head, is the first step to catching a cold.
Conclusion
Wet hair is more susceptible to damage than dry hair. Rubbing your wet head on the pillow leads to matting of the hair, and it also becomes mercilessly tangled. So what if you save time on drying in the evening if you have to work hard to comb them in the morning.
Now you know why you shouldn't sleep with wet hair. Take care of your hair, it gives you charm and beauty.
Do you sleep with wet hair?
What does ideal bedtime look like? Clean bedding and underwear, a moderately firm and firm bed, a high-quality blanket, a ventilated room, face cream and no gadgets. A head that is not dry after a shower does not fit into the idyll at all. Let's figure out the consequences of going to bed with wet hair.
If you are one of those “lucky ones” whom grandmothers and mothers forced to wear a scarf at night or fall asleep with a towel, then you know firsthand the dangers of sleeping with a wet head. And this is the very case when my mother’s prophetic “when you grow up, you will understand” comes true. Indeed, regularly going to bed with damp curls threatens you (in addition to the condemnation of the hairdresser) with at least two consequences.
- You might catch a cold
Therapists have differing opinions on the question of whether you can get sick from having wet hair. The temperature is rising due to a virus that has nothing to do with the hairstyle. But coolness in the head area can become an uncomfortable factor for the body and a trigger for the immune system to succumb to the disease. Vessels narrow from the cold and interfere with the movement of leukocytes - the body's guard cells. Thus, the risk of getting sick is when an infection has already crept into your body. If you are too lazy to dry your hair or don’t have time, at least make sure that the room is warm and cozy.
- Your hair is damaged
When rubbing against a pillow, creases form in the hair, which, in addition to a terrible morning hairstyle, threaten in the future with faded and lifeless hair.
How to sleep with a wet head correctly?
If we abstract from the fact that sleeping with undried hair is, in principle, WRONG, then we can come up with several recommendations on how to minimize harm to your strands.
- If you do decide to do the “wet thing,” apply a little conditioner to your hair from mid-length to ends to gently comb it in the morning. Long hair should be braided in loose braids or tied into a loose bun above the back of the head. In the morning you will not be afraid of your reflection in the mirror, you will be able to put your hair in order without broken comb teeth and even admire the light wave.
- Get satin bed linen. At a minimum, a smooth pillowcase. Sliding along the pillow, the hair will not get into knots, will dry faster and will be less prone to splitting due to friction against the coarse cotton material. The benefit of silk is that you can sleep with your face in the pillow without fear of sloppy indentations in the morning and skin creases.
It is better to visit the bathroom in advance, a few hours before bedtime, so that your hair can dry naturally. Do not rub them with a towel, blot them carefully, shaking the strands. Use express conditioner and thermal protection. You should also not comb your hair while wet: even using a special brush for this purpose can be traumatic.
