Does hair have to dry?

[banglaminerva]

Yes, I know the question sounds a bit icky, but if I can't ask it here, how will I ever know the answer ;)

I've started wearing my hair up all day, but also wash every morning. I do a quick blowdrying (medium speed and meduim heat) just to get the hair starting to dry, but it's still damp when I bun it in a loose bun for the day.

But if I keep it in the bun through the evening, which is not uncommon, it's still damp when I braid it to go to sleep. Definitely not as damp as in the morning, but still damp.

It usually is dry by morning... just before I jump into the shower.

So, my question... in terms of long term care, is this long stretch of damp time OK for my hair? I don't want to increase the blowdrying time or temp and do prefer to keep it up for most hours as I'd like to see what that does to the thickness, but I could wear it down for a while to let it dry.

TIA!

[dancingbarefoot]

I used to leave my hair wet or damp for days at a time, and I never noticed any detrimental effects. At the time, I was living in Hawai'i, and between the humidity and me wearing my hair up or braided, it just never dried. No big deal. :shrug:

[ScrimHazard]

Meh...happens to me sometimes where it doesn't dry thoroughly until around bedtime. Doesn't seem to bother my hair though.

[ladyshannonanne]

I was in England two summers ago. My hair didn't dry for about three weeks. Humidity and rain, heh heh. My hair actually grew more during that three weeks than I think it ever has in such a short time. So, my experience is that constantly wet hair is not a bad thing at all!

[Islandgrrl]

My hair's damp pretty much all the time, too. I bun it wet (not just damp) and it'll stay damp for a couple of days - I usually end up at least getting it wet during that time, too....never noticed any negative effects.

[Arctic_Mama]

As long as you're not having scalp problems from it, it's fine :) Sometimes constant moisture can aggravate scalp conditions like dermatitis.

[Cinnamon.locks]

I've kept it bunned wet for up to 4 days and the only problem i ever had was a certain moldy smell, but once it dired it was fine. and the hair seemed to feel and react better when i bun it wet for hours. I usually do wet bun my hair when i wash it and keep it bunned wet for up to 18 hours, never noticed any harm except on that one time i kept it bunned without letting it loose at all for those 4 days, and the smell did go away as soon as it got dry. i still believe it was the condish and oil mix i was uisng when i did that. have not let it bunned overnight again since that one i did it, so cannot tell you if the change of condish and oil was the culprit. but there was no detriment to my hair.

[Shanarana]

I've also had my hair damp for days at a time.....never noticed any bad effects. I do however let it dry all the way once in a while.

[florenonite]

I'd say just watch for breakage and splits. Over the summer I had damp hair a lot of the time as I was swimming up to several times a day, then braiding or bunning it wet. My ends, which hadn't been cut for over a year, suffered a bit of a beating by the end of the summer.

[Denebi]

Hmm, I would say that the moisture itself isn't any harm to the hair, but you should be careful with it, as the moisture makes hair a bit more damageable. Wet hair stretches easy, and the cuticle is not not so smooth as on dry hair.

But wearing it in a bun to protect the hair seems to minimize the danger.
I wear a bun with my freshly washed hair normally for hours. Sooner or later I open the bun, let the hair get some fresh air and then put it back in a bun. My hair is rather thin, and, er, short ;). It dries quite fast.

[Igor]

Great thread idea! Thanks for starting it!

The usual argument I’m met with when people hear my up dos are still damp is “But your hair will rot!” This is where I ask what part of the hair is “consumable” to bacteria or fungus. At least unless you tend to smear food items in your hair that is?

But the way I see it, an updo on damp hair that stays damp will actually be better than if it gets to dry. Hair stretches and goes longer when it’s wet, so it will shrink up when dry. If an up do is tight, the strands will be pulled by themselves or tug on the follicles

It’s definitely not good for your scalp to stay damp all the time though

[NurseMama]

I think that the only issues would be if you are pulling or twisting it into the updo/ braid, combing/brushing it while damp, or using an elastic to secure the braid at night.

[Periwinkle]

I do that too - I'll bun it wet and leave it and it just won't dry.

However, I'm sure it can't be good. After all, hair is more delicate when wet, so surely if it's wet more, you're exposing it to more damage. And it opens the door to all sorts of yucky fungal infections.

[burns_erin]

If I keep it bunned or braided it can take days to dry. By which time I am ready to wash it again. Before my last chop I went several months without having dry hair (and consequently scalp) and my dandruff got prohibitively bad. of course now I have switched products and started on essential oils so I am interested to see how I will do in this hair incarnation. My hair did not however rot, or have extreme breakage, or anymore than usual damage, or look gross or bad when it was down. there was however a certain unpleasant odor from constantly being wet/damp. however it is very humid here.

[banglaminerva]

You all are super.

I actually blow dry the roots for the most part, so the scalp end does dry as does the ends cause it's thin. It's the nape area that's still moist.

I do comb very carefully when the hair is wet and the bunning is loose held either with a bear claw or stick. I think I risk more harm if I leave it free, between sitting on it and catching it on doorknobs and chairs, etc.

Thanks!

[ChloeDharma]

The only 2 concerns i'd have, have already been mentioned, the possibility of scalp fungus growing, and the hair being more delicate when wet.
Scalp fungus i'd think could be controlled by vinegar rinses, and adding essential oils like tea tree or lavender, and if you want once a week scalp oilings with something like jojoba or neem, coconut oil too is anti-fungal. So lots of options there to counter that easily.....but as you dry it anyway it's obviously not presented a problem so far.
The stretching issue you also already deal with by making your updo's not tight and using hair friendly toys to hold them.
I'd think if you are not noticing any dodgy odours, then the moisture would be a good thing. My hair reacts well when i consistantly mist then bun my hair each day and gets much nicer, softer and more shine.

[Vicky Veiss]

Hair doesn't rot easily. To give a little TMI, in archeological digs it seems fairly common to come across ancient burials that are basically just skeleton and hair! Of course, the same thing occurs with UN-buried bodies in the woods and so forth. The length, color and texture of head hair is one of the major available identifying factors for remains before they go into checking dental records and DNA. :p So no, it's not going to disintegrate from a little moisture.

I can believe you might be able to grow mold IN damp hair, but I doubt that's often an issue! My hair can stay damp for several days after a wash since I bun it all the time except at night, and I've never noticed any sort of musty smell. A damp smell, yes, but that's not quite the same thing. I don't have skin or scalp issues, though the damp area isn't right next to the scalp. That always dries fast. It's the thick coiled areas of the bun that retain moisture the longest.

[Nevermore]

I have wet/damp hair quite often and started a topic similar to this one awhile back. The general consensus was that moldy smell=mold=wash it and let it dry out! and be gentle with it while it's wet.

I've noticed only positive things from keeping my hair wet/damp a good bit of the time. I don't have a nasty smell from it, it mostly smells like a slightly faded version of my conditioner, so it's not unpleasant at all. Usually my routine works like this: I wash, bun, do random hair-up stuff (like dishes or cleaning or whatever) and when I sit at the comp, I unbun and let it dry some. If it's not dry by the time I need to do more hair-up stuff, I don't worry about it. I braid nightly and it may or may not be damp in the morning when I bun for the day. I always mist before bunning to go out (prettier buns than my home cinnabun).

So basically, it's rare to catch me with dry hair and it hasn't been a problem yet.

[vindo]

Another view here: Water dries out hair over time. Moisture for hair is not water but oil.
I am not sure whether your slowly, slowly drying bun actually sucks the hair drier than conventional airdrying though.

Just the thought that the hair is kept wet longer does not seem good to me.

But I have also done it..unavoidable sometimes on my washday.:p

[Igor]

Hair doesn't rot easily. To give a little TMI, in archeological digs it seems fairly common to come across ancient burials that are basically just skeleton and hair! Of course, the same thing occurs with UN-buried bodies in the woods and so forth. The length, color and texture of head hair is one of the major available identifying factors for remains before they go into checking dental records and DNA. :p So no, it's not going to disintegrate from a little moisture.

I can believe you might be able to grow mold IN damp hair, but I doubt that's often an issue! My hair can stay damp for several days after a wash since I bun it all the time except at night, and I've never noticed any sort of musty smell. A damp smell, yes, but that's not quite the same thing. I don't have skin or scalp issues, though the damp area isn't right next to the scalp. That always dries fast. It's the thick coiled areas of the bun that retain moisture the longest.

Interesting! :D