Thoughts on braiding wet hair?

[Nadine <3]

What do you all think about braiding hair when it is wet/damp after being washed? I've been putting my hair into a single french braid after I wash it, and I like it because it keeps me from fiddling with it while it dries, it keeps it from soaking the back of the shirt I'm wearing and it discourages me from checking the length once it dries, and the braid waves the next day keep me from seeing my true length. They also give my hair a nice amount of texture so my buns stay up much better until next wash day.

I'm just wondering what you all think as far as damage? I'm super careful when I do it, apply leave ins, detangle and then very carefully braid it and of course I use an non damaging hair tie (the little terry cloth ones typically used on children.) to tie it off.

What do you think?

[lapushka]

I can't do that with my SD. My roots need to be dry. I can't "suffocate" them with a wet braid, or else... consequences. YMMV.

[Bellechevelure]

I did braids on wet hair for years. Actually, i do braids all the time and i love them! No damage at all! They allow my to grow from apl to hip without any problem. Just do it carefully like you already do. ^^

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I can't see any harm in it as long as you are careful - which you are. Just don't braid really tightly.

[Nadine <3]

I can't do that with my SD. My roots need to be dry. I can't "suffocate" them with a wet braid, or else... consequences. YMMV.

Hm, my scalp seems to be okay with it so far, but thank you! I never dry my roots and my braids are so thin they dry pretty fast. I'll keep an eye on how my scalp does with it over time.


I did braids on wet hair for years. Actually, i do braids all the time and i love them! No damage at all! They allow my to grow from apl to hip without any problem. Just do it carefully like you already do. ^^

Yay thank you, I just love when I pull the braid out in the morning. It really holds the smell of my conditioner in there haha

[Nadine <3]

I can't see any harm in it as long as you are careful - which you are. Just don't braid really tightly.

Aesome! I do them pretty loose so it looks like I have more hair than I really do :)

[meteor]

I do this all the time!
Mostly for convenience: my hair takes forever to dry, so when I wash it and have to go somewhere, I braid it loosely (without detangling!), then put it up and go about my day. When I take it down at night, I let it airdry, detangle, airdry some more, put it in a braid and go to bed.
I must say: ideally, I would air-dry my hair loose right after a wash before braiding or putting it up, but that's just too impractical, because my hair takes so long to dry.
Since I think that wet manipulation can be potentially damaging, I make it a point to braid loosely when wet. I am probably still getting a bit of damage this way, but nothing too dramatic.

[swearnsue]

I've been braiding damp for years now. I have to remember to braid loosely so the hair can shrink as it dries. I don't know that hair shrinks as it dries, but just in case it does.

I think my hair tangles less with braid waves somehow because the hair has a flow to it instead of wild uncontrolled hair without direction!

[Hairkay]

I do it all the time. I've got really thick curly kinky hair. Putting it in 4 - 16 braids helps it dry faster without getting tangled. They're more protective than leaving it out or putting it in a hair band to dry. I've usually oiled it a bit and detangled before doing the plaits/braids.

[endlessly]

This is what I do every time I wash my hair and I've found it to be the most effective at preventing further tangles as my hair dries. Typically, it takes 3-4 hours for my hair to air dry and even then, there are still some wet patches. When I detangle it post washing, then braid it, it seems to dry so much faster and especially seems to be in much better condition every time I do it, so I highly recommend it.

[jacqueline101]

I've wet braid my hair since last fall and I haven't noticed any damage. My hair has grown a lot and I contribute braiding to part of the growth. I agree you have to be careful when braiding make sure you use hair friendly ties and don't braid too tightly.

[FallingDarkness]

Wet hair is soooooooo annoying. I let it air dry for about an hour, then I put it in either an English braid down my back or two twin braids for faster dry time.
My hair takes like 5+ hours to dry completely (non-braided). It's a nightmare.
I see nothing wrong with doing so as long as you aren't tightly braiding or tying it with the wrong type of hair ties.

[Ambrielle]

i braid my hair loosely in a single or two english braids every time i wash it and this is also how i 've been wearing it in bed for almost two years now, i know it has helped minimize mechanical damage because the thickness is travelling down much faster than before i started this routine :)

[cathair]

My hair doesn't like it. Even if it's a bit damp when I braid it it makes it felty, tangley and generally not nice when it is undone. I don't see how it would be damaging though.

[Becs]

I braid my hair damp all the time and have done so for several years without any kind of damage or issues

[-Fern]

My hair is so fragile when wet... I (actually!) shuddered at the thought of putting it in a french braid while damp, but now I am wondering if there's a real basis to that fear. Been so long since I tried... might have to revisit this while being careful, like you mention.

[MsVenus]

I never tried braiding my hair wet. I think mine would feel too thin when wet. I let it hang around a bit until it air dries some to get a little substance to it, then I can do a braid.

[Kendrix]

My hair laughs at this one. I have this issue where if I braid or bun my wet hair, it never dries. It can stay damp for days. so if I braid my wet hair at night? Guess what brushes out straight in the morning? Braid waves from initially wet hair are a distant memory from when I had APL hair years ago.

[flemeister]

I braid my hair damp all the time and have done so for several years without any kind of damage or issues
Same here. I did a basic english braid for work each morning for a few months. It's better if anything as I don't need to use any oils to make it easy to handle. I probably need to trim out my layers, as it's damn impossible for me to braid my hair when it's dry. The further I go down my length, the more it poufs out and becomes harder to keep track of. -_-

[yahirwaO.o]

I did it for years without damage... Ive been putting dutch lace braids then finish them as fishtails in days I dont want to deal with hair and also regular ennglish braids dont hold anymore with my new slipery hair, lenght and front layers...... my hair is totally way more voluminious after a day or two of having them!!!!

[meteor]

My hair laughs at this one. I have this issue where if I braid or bun my wet hair, it never dries. It can stay damp for days. so if I braid my wet hair at night? Guess what brushes out straight in the morning? Braid waves from initially wet hair are a distant memory from when I had APL hair years ago.

I have the same thing going on! I have to basically wait for all the hair to be 95% dry or something. THEN I can braid it for the night to wake up to braidwaves in the morning.
If I go to bed with wet hair, I wake up with wet hair, too! :lol:

[Creagan]

Yeah, I've got the same issue. Or I did back when my hair was longer. A fresh from the shower braid will take a good 24 hours to completely dry. The braid waves stayed in forever, though.

[Sharysa]

Yep, wet braiding is fine as long as you make sure not to braid too tight. Putting my hair in pigtail Dutch braids is the only way it can dry practically--it already takes two or three hours to dry, but leaving it loose would mean SO MANY tangles.

[Kyla]

I braid and bun with wet/damp hair all the time. I haven't noticed any damage.

[Aurum]

Braiding wet gives me insane Ramen Noodle hair because my hair is really... "moldable"(?). It also takes a lot longer to dry in a braid, so I usually don't.

[LauraLongLocks]

I'm with those whose hair will never dry if left in a wet braid or bun. If I want braidwaves or bun waves, I have to wait until it is 95% dry before braiding or bunning or it will just remain wet.

[MINAKO]

i would do twin braids to dry my hair in case i want to wear it out without straightening it, but they take ages to dry, so does a bun, but i dont really care since i can feel that anyways. i dont why it would be damaging, but i have a bad feeling about ANYTHING that touches my ends, so even with the softest elastic i would still think im getting more dryness simply because and then overoil as usual, hehe.

[rusika1]

I wash at night, leave it in a towel until it stops dripping, carefully (re)detangle while it's wet, then braid it and go to bed. If it's cold or rainy out, I might put it in two braids instead of one so it'll dry faster. I also braid pretty tightly except for the first couple of passes; loose braids come out on me. It's worked for me for decades with no issues beyond that of occasionally having dampish hair in the morning.

[lunalocks]

Just be careful with how you fasten the end of the braid. Wet hair is so much more fragile than dry.

[Calypso]

I also have the problem that my hair takes forever to dry when I braid it wet. I try to wait for it to get as dry as possibly before braiding or putting up, otherwise it will still be wet by the time I next wash it!

[gwenalyn]

I braid when damp if I want curls/waves for the next few days. (Still haven't found my holy grail routine yet ...) Yes, hair is much more fragile when wet. Last time I tried French rope braids I could hear snapping, and I'd never heard that before. Certainly not when I do French rope braids on dry hair.

[Olavi]

I wish I could do wet braids... I think it might be about the thickness, but if I do wet braids (or buns), in any stage of wetness, they just stop drying and stay wet/damp.

[CremeTron]

If I braid or twist my hair, I do it wet and works fine. Dries with a shine too.

Go for it if it suits your hair.

[mamaherrera]

I can, but I hate to manipulate wet adn then my hair compresses and stays "little" if I braid it wet , like the braids don't allow my hair to poof,which is what I depend on for volume.

[Kendrix]

Just be careful with how you fasten the end of the braid. Wet hair is so much more fragile than dry.

Wrapped wax dental floss. Works wonders.

[Imalath]

I also braid my hair wet all the time. If possible, I will air dry my roots or blast them with a blow dryer on cold first, and then loosely braid before going to bed. I make sure to bun my hair the next morning (any remaining moisture dries faster bunned). I haven't had any SD flareups as long as my scalp gets a chance to dry out before the next wash.

[MoonlitWitch]

I love braiding wet/damp as it tamed my frizzies so what ever style I do the next day looks smooth.

[Avis]

I don't see anything wrong with braiding wet hair, but for me, it's not a good thing. I can't help but want to braid tightly and whenever I braid my wet hair, it takes 12+ hours to dry completely and it always seem oily when I unbraid it.

[yahirwaO.o]

Wrapped wax dental floss. Works wonders.

What a great idea..... Totally giving a try next time!!!!

[SunlightShines]

I've been damp braiding when the weather is warm enough. I't makes my hair feel really smooth and gives it lots of shine. If I don't want defined braid waves, I dry it on cool for a minute& then very loosely braid it.

[Nadine <3]

Oh, wow! Thank you all so much! I'm going to keep braiding my damp hair then! I'll keep an eye on the ends to make sure I'm not getting any hair tie damage. I never have the issue of my hair not drying in a braid. When I wake up in the morning and pull out the braid it's dry and fluffy and very very shiny! :)