Putting hair up when wet?

[Friesiangirl]

Just a quick question...

Is putting hair up (gently) when still wet bad for the hair? I usually put my hair up when it's wet or damp.

Hayley

[Hatsumomo]

I guess it really depends what you put it up with. If it's bobbles or hairties then yes, scrunchies are probably okay though but I know a lot of people aren't keen on them. Hairsticks are fine as long as you're gentle :)

[Friesiangirl]

Well, I generally just use a clip (Pull back into pony, twist into bun and clip), but I quit using elastics all together.

[pdy2kn6]

personally I have never risked this as I didnt want to take the chance of damaging my hair, Usually I keep it down until it is very very dry. If it is essential, and it is only damp I would put it in a hairstick, but only if I have to. I would not reccomend hair elastics though!

[Teazel]

Putting hair up in a damp bun is very good for it, in my experience. :) It helps a lot to keep it moisturised.

Hair pins, like Amish pins, would probably be the most gentle method for holding a wet bun up.

[xrosiex]

I always put mine up when it's wet. I only use a clip. And it stays wet forever but I havent noticed any damage.

[LilyMunster]

Putting it up witha hair friendly toy is fine. I avoid combing or brushing until totally air dryed.

[Friesiangirl]

Hmm, interesting. This may be why my hair had trouble before. I always had put my hair up in a tight elastic bun when wet. (Among many other hair no-no's). I'll remember this is my daily hair care :)

Thanks!

Hayley

[anna1850]

I've heard twisting hair when wet is not so great and also braiding because the hair is stretchy when wet and then when it dries it wants to shrink up so that could damage it a little bit. Although I think with all these things you can worry too much :shrug:

I do put my hair up wet a lot, normally in a kind of log roll thing or a waterfall twist. I don't worry about it too much but my hair's reasonably thick and strong. If I had super fragile hair or was having problems growing it then I'd maybe leave it down but I'm not worried too much myself as I assume I'll be able to reach my goals with enough thickness without too much trouble. I guess it all depends on how careful you decide you want to be with your hair.

My hair does feel nice and soft when it's been in a wet bun though :)

[Friesiangirl]

Well then. I really do want to be careful just because it's never been past BSL and I think that's because I never took care of it. I'm very worried it won't grow any longer. So I want to take good care of it.

[Darya]

I put my hair up wet/damp almost every time it is washed. If I waited to put it up until it was completely dry, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere or do much of anything for several hours as it would be getting into trouble/tangles/food/fish tanks, etc. My hair doesn't behave when it is damp and thinks it's either curly or straight and sometimes both at the same time so it tangles badly if I am active with it down and damp.

Lately I've been putting it up damp in a wrapped bun-thing and securing it with tiny claw clips and I haven't noticed any new damage from this routine.

[Shanarana]

I usually like my length damp when I put it up with some oil in it. It keeps moist and fresh all day.

[Periwinkle]

I find that if my hair dries slowly, it's much silkier and softer than if it dries fast, and the best way of keeping it wet is to put it up.

When I get out of the shower, I wrap it in a towel and then potter about for twenty minutes or so with it like that. Then I take it down, put my leave-in conditioner in and put it up without combing. Normally, I do a figure 8 with sticks, but recently I've been doing beebutts with scrunchies. I know it's not good to twist my hair, but it's too thick for the clips I have and so I don't have much choice. When it's dried a bit, I take it down, comb it verrrrry carefully with a wide-toothed comb, then put it back up. I keep doing that until it's totally dry.

[Friesiangirl]

Thank you everyone! I see there's mixed opinions. I'm fairly gently with it, but I think I'll wait until it's mostly dry and then just fold it over itself rather than twisting :)

Hayley

[spidermom]

Sometimes I do it and it gives me the most awful-looking, scrunched up ends. Other times I get smooth bun curls. I don't like the uncertainty, so I try to let it dry before putting it up. I think any updo that stretches and twists would cause damage over time. Hair is most vulnerable while wet.

[SHELIAANN1969]

When I shower early on fridays, so that I can make it to Bingo with my Granny, I have to put it in a damp bun, I use a hairstick, because I work on the phone and have a headset, I cannot work without having my hair up, if I didn't bun my hair, it would be torn out everytime I take the headset off.

I use a scrunchy at night when I shower, before bed, it's usually damp at this time, and I do a ponytail and the bring it back through to a half pony.

That keeps my hair from being ripped out at night, I toss and turn so much I have to at least try and keep it contained and have yet to find a better method that works for me.

It's still damp in the morning and I bun it for work with a stick or a fork.

My hair is almost always up/damp.

I haven't seen any bad side effects yet.

[Friesiangirl]

Well today I didn't even wash (rinse) so I just took it down, detangled, BBB and oiled and put it back up.

Thanks for all the replies!

Hayley

[ladyshannonanne]

I always put my hair up right after washing it in a really loose ponytail and pull the crown up by hand (covered elastic without metal.) When I don't put it up, it gets frizzy as it dries. But when I put it up, it gets a little volume at the crown but it stays smoother.

[RoseRedDead]

I don't think this will hurt your hair unless you are using un-hair-friendly items with which to secure the hair. Just don't twist too tightly, and if you braid, do so LOOSELY.

[Nes]

Ooooh :(

I've been twisting my hair up straight out of the shower for years! Didn't realise that twisting when wet was bad news.

Thanks for this post, I must get out of this bad habit!

Nes x

[Cinnamon.locks]

I wet bun my hair almost every time i wash, it helps my hair retain moisture better and keeps it from tangling much before drying. after a few hours i let the bun down and let it air dry, or sleep with the wet hair down. i've noticed that my hair gains a bit of volume if i sleep with it damp. i use a crotchetted (SP?) hair band to keep the bun in place, i don't think it damages my hair because it is a crotchetted band and hair does not tangle. you can use anything that has little or no elastic and hair sticks if you are very gentle.

[Juneii]

I'm not entirely sure if it's good for my hair or not

I brush my wet hair with a wide toothed comb and let it air dry for about an hour. it'll be a little bit damp and I'll put it up in a bun with a hairstick. it's the only time my hair would stay up in a bun with only a hairstick, if I try it when it's dry my hair always fall out of the bun.

[jojo]

I always put mine up when wet, but I dont twist I just place my finger on my head and wrap the hair round it, then secure with a scrunchie bobble

[pinkprincess]

I only slightly twist it and put a stick in, just if I've washed my hair and am getting changed. I don't think that would cause damage but i guess it depends how you wear your hair up.

[happymommy]

I try to let my hair dry as much as possible before pulling it up/braiding. Having super damp hair on my scalp all day makes my scalp itch and bump up.

[Katze]

Recently I've discovered that my hair looks better if I dry it in a pulled back twist, clipped with a ficcare, and an elastic headband holding my "bangs" (they are almost too grown out to be bangs) back. Putting a bit of aloe (gel with glycerin, not pure aloe juice) helps my hair be smoother.

My BF puts his hair right back into its usual medium ponytail right after he washes it, and he has massive breakage. I can't seem to train him to not rip the elastic (a Goody "ouchless" one, which nevertheless tangles his fine hair) through it.

[Aries_jb]

I've been wondering this myself. I always thought it would help my hair retain moisture, but now I'm wondering if I'm hurting it more by putting it up. Since my hair is curly it stretches and I worry that as it shrinks up while drying it will snap, even though I don't do tight updos. I think the mere twisting while wet would cause damage.

[Cinnamon Hair]

I almost always make my updos with damp hair. In my experience updos hold more easily with damp hair, combing is easier, and the overall look is much more sleek.

I wash my hair daily (CO method) and wear damp buns daily.. so far I've not seen any negative effects. In fact, it's the opposite --damp hair in an updo is able to retain moisture so it dries slower (or not at all, usually my hair is still quite damp when I take it down) and results in much softer shinier hair.

Another example of a long hair who washes and wears damp buns daily is Karen Marie. At one point she had knee length hair that was the shiniest most gorgeous thick blonde hair you could imagine. I'm not exaggerating. See her page. (http://www.wuvie.net/stressless_tresses.htm) If that's not a testament to advantages of damp bunning, I don't know what is.

Putting dripping wet hair up is a different matter. If you hair is soaking wet, twisting it tightly into an updo then stabbing it with sticks could stretch or damage your hair since wet hair is more vulnerable. This would be an extreme example though, and I think very unlikely. If you just twist like you normally do to make a bun I don't see how you could hurt it.

[Friesiangirl]

Awesome everyone for all the feedback. I've now taken to only rinsing 1-2 x per week and I put it up damp w/oil. This seems to be working well for now LOL

Hayley

[BittSweetCherry]

I always put my hair up while wet - I'm a no-cone 1b/F/i hair that has lots of fly-aways and shorter hairs, and leaving hair down to dry takes too long, impairs my ability to do things in the interim, exposes it to damage, and every shorter hair bends and curls about 1 inch from the end, so my length looks very static-y and is an absolute pain to brush until the next wash. Therefore, I towel dry my hair to about 80% dry and then loosely put it up in a claw clip bun or log roll and finger comb it occasionally until dry, or I gently/slightly loosely bun it with a oversized Amish pin as a hairfork. The result is smooth hair with a little volume at the roots. Periwinkle's comment about slow-drying hair being silkier and softer when slowly dried rings very true to me - perhaps slow-drying means the hair dries evenly along the shaft, rather than the roughed-up ends drying sooner and bending?

Hair will expand, lengthen and be more prone to breakage when wet as many have mentioned, so keep manipulation minimal and hair-friendly (I have a rotating pin comb - like a wig comb, but mine is actually marketed for grooming long-haired dogs (!) which requires patience but completely eliminates the sound of snapping) and don't pull it back too severely, or twist your hair tightly. I've found that if you pull your hair back, wait for it to dry then place both hands on your head and gently slide them forward a few millimetres towards your eyebrows, the tension is right if your hair easily slides with your hands.

[Yeesha]

I make a braid, when it's wet. So it looks better when it's dry (usually it shines more).

I think, it isn't bad, if you carefully put it up or make a loose braid. Just try, to be careful.
But I even think it may depend, whether you are able to put it up/braid it, without having to comb it, or not...

[Arctic_Mama]

Well since I take showers at night I just sleep on it damp and loose, and by morning its dry. But gosh, I used to twist/bun it when it was longer and damp and I never noticed unusual breakage.