Air drying in coolish weather?

[free_hug]

Dear all,

I normally air dry in a temperature of 17°C or warmer (about 62°F). To me it feels okay, maybe a little cold, but i really don't want to blowdry unless i have to.

A friend just scared me saying my hairs will catch a cold and fall out O_O now, unlike me, she has tons of hair, it's really beautiful, although i do suspect that is mostly due to genetics... but still, she says she wouldn't go outside, even when it's sunny, under 25°C (about 77°F).

What do you think? Or what did you hear/read? Does cool air cause hairloss?

[AnqeIicDemise]

Dear all,

I normally air dry in a temperature of 17°C or warmer (about 62°F). To me it feels okay, maybe a little cold, but i really don't want to blowdry unless i have to.

A friend just scared me saying my hairs will catch a cold and fall out O_O now, unlike me, she has tons of hair, it's really beautiful, although i do suspect that is mostly due to genetics... but still, she says she wouldn't go outside, even when it's sunny, under 25°C (about 77°F).

What do you think? Or what did you hear/read? Does cool air cause hairloss?

I would think that cold climate peoples would lean toward having more hair. -shrug- I only think of this because I know I am a LOT colder when I shave my arms frequently on a cool day, vs if I've been lazy and haven't. I would think the same concept would apply to head hair too.

Besides, I've never heard of 'cold hair damage' unless we're talking in the minus degrees where the slightest humidity freezes on one's hair like icicles. Its usually heat-styling, blow drying and other heat-related issues that cause a lot of breakage.

I think this is a case of old wive's tales. :o

[rosek]

Agreed! The only way cool weather will cause damage to your hair is if it freezes. This may cause damage to the hair, as water expands as in freezes. Just having damp hair in cool air will have no effect :)

[Firefox7275]

If that was true then every person who works outside in winter would be bald! Your scalp doesn't get colder because your hair is wet it just gets cool more quickly, and that's only if it your body is too cold to send warm blood to your scalp. I've been leaving home with wet hair for years even when it snows, my scalp dries quickly due to bodyheat it's just the ponytail dries slowly which is dead hair anyway. Many animals get a thicker coat in winter if they spend time outside, most human hair grows more slowly in winter which I suppose could appear to equal less hair if the shed rate remained constant. :confused:

[Night_Kitten]

I don't think it's true - I airdry during the winter as well, and have gone outside with wet hair during the winter, and never had increased shedding or damage compared to the summer... (where I live the winter temperature is between 5 and 15 degrees celcius, depending on time of day and weather...)
The only way hair can be damaged by cold is if the hairshaft freezes and then breaks, but that's not the case your'e describing...

[Misti]

I think that one was made up by the hair dryer manufacturers! ;)

I have air dried my hair all my life, and I keep my house at 52F (11C) all winter. I haven't noticed an increased shed rate from it.

[Othala]

She is talking rubbish.

[Finoriel]

I air dry all the time and have not discovered any difference in shedding compared to the times when I still blow dried.
Skin or hair don't get a "cold" in that sense. You're safe as long as you don't get frostbite on your scalp :wink: it's a myth.

Btw. freezing ones wet hair isn't really dangerous either when viewing it from the angle that frozen water expands. Mother nature did a good job with designing our "fur" :wink: hair can safely expand to a certain amount and the amount of water it can take up + the amount this water can expand when it freezes, is still well below the point where it would become dangerous for our hair. (I actually had a calculation of that somewhere :o ah the things when we're bored :p.)
I freeze my updos quite regularly in winter and it doesn't effect it negatively at all.
The only problem with damage is when frozen hair is mechanically stressed by movement/bending, but as long as it's not bent/moved overly much while it's frozen, it's nothing to worry too much about imo.