Hair staying wet in a bun?

[Rin4Christ]

Hi All,

I rarely blow-dry my hair because I am trying to avoid heat damage. Instead I just put my hair up the way I want it and let it dry naturally. BUT when I shower in the morning and put my hair up (usually a basic cinnamon bun) I find that it is often still damp when I take it down at the end of the day.

Is this damaging to hair in any way? I find that my hair lays down nicely all day when I put it up wet because it dries in the direction I want it to lay. Also, the bun is easier to put up wet than if I let it dry overnight.

Convenience and results make me hope that it is ok, but if I am damaging my hair by leaving it wet so long, I'll change my routine.

[enfys]

Many people do this without damage. Just remember the wetter your hair is the stretchier it is so buns need a teeny bit of slack so they don't become too tight and damaging as your hair dries.

Keep an eye out for an damage; if you don't notice any it's probably not a problem.

I can't stand my hair in damp buns but that's because I can only detangle when dry; my damp hair is having none of it if I try then.

[aenflex]

I dont think it's bad. I leave my hair up to dry as well, and while it doesnt take all day, it can take 5-6 hours to dry in my pony tail. Never had a problem with it :) I guess maybe if you left it wet for days on end something bad might happen...

[Rin4Christ]

I always detangle with my fingers while my hair is conditioned during my shower, then brush it after my shower and/or before putting it up.

Since I have started wearing my back in a bun most days, I very rarely have problems with tangles, which I love.

My hair will dry pretty quick in a pony tail, but sometimes is still damp when I take it out of a bun 12-14 hours later. After that it always drys by the next morning.

I'm still pretty new to paying attention to my hair at all, so its a learning curve to me to know if something is damaging or not.

Thanks for the quick responses!

[BrightEyes7]

I used to bun when wet. I now let my hair dry before putting it up. I did start to notice that I had more breakage when I would bun when wet. I think it is because hair is more fragile when wet, so putting the stress of a bun on it made it break more. But everyone is different, if it works for you keep doing it. If you notice a lot of breakage maybe you should let it dry before bunning.

Different strokes for different folks!

[feralnature]

I don't know if this is true for everyone but a firend of mine said that she used to have really long hair and used to bun it and it stayed wet all the time. She said it began to smell funky and it mildewed. I would think that was very possible and I like the idea of my hair completely dry each day and not wet where it can harbor festering microbes. But that's just me.

.

[Madora]

Hair is at its weakest when it is wet. In order to protect it you should treat it gently by:

1) finger combing it first before you bun it.

2) Next, take a wide tooth comb and taking a section of hair at a time, comb UP ends until you reach the scalp.

3) When all the hair has been detangled you can then
bun your wet hair. Be sure not to pull it tightly!

[Carolyn]

I do it all the time with no damage. After I wash my hair, I let it air dry while putting on make up and getting dressed. I bun it the last thing before leaving the house. It's not sopping wet by that time. I will often take the bun down once or twice during the day, finger comb my hair and re-bun it. I have never had mildew or a funky smell from doing this. A damp bun seems to be more secure for me but I try to remember to to the bun a little looser than normal. I can tell if it's too tight if there is a lot of resistance when I insert my hair toy of choice for the day. If you are inserting sticks and you hear snapping then it's wound too tightly. I also think it's a good idea to vary the type of bun and the placement on the back of your head.

[restourceful]

...comb UP ends until you reach scalp...

I think what Madora means is to comb downward starting at the tips and working your way UP toward the scalp, just in case that was confusing.

[heidihug]

I never do more than finger comb my damp hair, and I always damp bun the morning after night washing. It would take hours and cause way too much damage to comb or brush my hair out when it's damp as it is fine and fragile. I've never had it smell musty or get mildewy, even in the humidity of summer.

[feralnature]

I don't know if this is true for everyone but a firend of mine said that she used to have really long hair and used to bun it and it stayed wet all the time. She said it began to smell funky and it mildewed. I would think that was very possible and I like the idea of my hair completely dry each day and not wet where it can harbor festering microbes. But that's just me.

.

The friend I am talking about here never really let it get dry between washings if I remember the story right.

[Rin4Christ]

mine is never still wet by the time I wash it again. I wash every other day, and at the most its wet until I go to bed the first day.

I'll try to make sure not to pull it too tight, though I don't often hear a stick breaking the hairs.

for those of you who use wide tooth combs or finger comb it, how do you get it to lay flat on your head? I've not tried it, but it seems like I need my brush or a regular comb to get my hair to not clump while it is still damp.

[chelles2kids]

I wet bun religiously, yes...even in the wintertime.

What I've found is, if I can 'readjust' my bun several times a day by the end of the day it's about 90% dry.
Then when I go to bed I take it down and lay it over my pillow and it finishes drying during the night.
I wash mine on average about 3 times per week.

I totally agree with those that mention how tightly to wrap a bun when it's wet.
You want to wrap it a tad on the lose side rather than having a slicked back kind of look, if that makes sense?
Because as it dries it will 'shrink' a bit and before you know it, you'll have kinks throughout you're hair once you take it down, not to mention wrapping it too tightly can give you a headache.

I've been "wet bunning" now for about 3.5 years and it's always worked well for me.;)

As far as detangling while wet? Yep, I do this as well with a *very* wide toothed comb, by sections, starting at the ends of my hair and working up the "section" a small bit at a time.

[Carolyn]

For those of you who use wide tooth combs or finger comb it, how do you get it to lay flat on your head? I've not tried it, but it seems like I need my brush or a regular comb to get my hair to not clump while it is still damp.I bun my hair up and then smooth the scalp hair with a fine tooth comb.

[mtstorm]

I damp bun 3 to 4x a week and my hair is still damp when I take it down at night. I have never had mildew or a smell from damp bunning. I have less damage damp bunning than waiting for my hair to dry and then styling it.

[Robbin]

My hair holds water like a sponge and is still somewhat wet at the end of the day.

[Rin4Christ]

Sounds like I'm not the only one who does this then.

As winter comes on I don't want to walk a mile to school with a damp bun, so I am showering at night more often, and its usually dry by morning.

[Coan-Teen]

I damp bun frequently. It helps me style my hair easier and makes it more amenable to handling. I haven't noticed any damage yet, and when I was younger I went out with wet hair all the time. It used to freeze while I waited for the bus. ^_^ Never noticed any damage from that either.

[kschr2004]

I damp bun a lot. I never noticed any mildewing, and damp bunning was a main reason why I was able to grow my hair to waist length the last time I started growing it. Wearing it down, I always have to blow dry if I wash it in the morning. It would never be dry before work otherwise.