View Full Version : Wet Hair Question...
LadyGunn
July 22nd, 2008, 12:10 PM
I have very oily skin/scalp & have to wash my hair every morning. I put it up with a hair stick while it's still damp (it holds better & I'm impatient :p). It is usually still a bit damp when I take it down in the evening. My question is - is that unhealthy for it? Can I get some sort of hair-fungus from allowing it to be damp so much?
P.S. I'm loving this place! After being badgered about having long-ish hair by my family, it's nice to see someplace where other people understand & don't care about following the latest trends. :) Love the pictures too...
bex487
July 22nd, 2008, 12:15 PM
I really doubt that anything bad will come of damp hair. I think it's more a personal preference (I, for one, HATE the feeling of damp hair).
burns_erin
July 22nd, 2008, 12:19 PM
When my hair was longer I had the same problem. I never got any fungus or bacteria or anything, but my hair did start to smell musty. So, I washed it at night and did not put it up to give it more time to dry.
spidermom
July 22nd, 2008, 12:26 PM
I don't think it's a particularly good idea. Fungus thrives in warm, moist places.
LeaM07
July 22nd, 2008, 12:28 PM
My hair is almost always at least somewhat damp. I do the opposite -- I wash at night, scrunchie bun while it's still wet, then put it up with a stick in the morning, still damp. I've never had a fungus problem, and it actually works quite well to tame down my waves so I can make reasonably neat updos. :)
LeaM07
July 22nd, 2008, 12:33 PM
Disclaimer (after reading the other responses): I speak from personal experience only and am not a fungus expert. Bun at your own risk. :D
Cinnia
July 22nd, 2008, 01:10 PM
I had a period of ALWAYS wearing the hair damp-bunned, basically NEVER let it dry completely.
My hairdresser claimed this to be a very bad idea and convinced me to let it airdry. She thought it would show up mould and fungus, and of those two I would say it's the fungus I'm worried about. It wont appear in a single day though, but I made it routine to let my hair dry completely before updo's.
Just in case ;)
LadyGunn
July 22nd, 2008, 01:14 PM
Guess I should work on my patience, huh? ;) Thanks so much everyone.
Riot Crrl
July 22nd, 2008, 01:29 PM
Eh, I do it too. Unless I blow dry my hair (well, actually even if I do, since I don't dry it all the way), it's going to be wet some hours and dry some hours each day. It's only a difference of a few hours. I have yet to grow mold or anything.
Kirin
July 22nd, 2008, 02:56 PM
Continually damp hair can, and does grow mold. Mold spores are everywhere in the air, and lodge in your hair. Its a perfect enviornment. If your hair smells "musty", thats the mold. It is usually the same type of mold that grows inside your shower curtains/fixtures.
Not everyone gets a mold problem in their hair, but contact with mold for long periods can have lasting health effects. Headaches, fatigue, even up to dimentia. Though "bathroom" mold is the most common it is possible to have other more foul and health threatening molds accumulate in the hair. This is particularly bad for those who dont wash often or at all and constantly have damp hair.
Islandgrrl
July 22nd, 2008, 03:10 PM
I have very oily skin/scalp & have to wash my hair every morning. I put it up with a hair stick while it's still damp (it holds better & I'm impatient :p). It is usually still a bit damp when I take it down in the evening. My question is - is that unhealthy for it? Can I get some sort of hair-fungus from allowing it to be damp so much?
I suppose it's possible for your hair to grow mold, but if you're washing it on a regular basis and it isn't smelling musty, it should be fine. In winter, my hair typically takes a couple of days to dry if I have it up while wet (which I usually do). I've never had a problem with mold or musty smelling hair, not even when my hair was still knee length - and then it took several days to dry completely.
Damp bunning your hair is generally considered to be a good thing.
kettle
July 22nd, 2008, 03:17 PM
I have to say I often do this on wash days - I've always thought damp bunning was a good thing. It doesn't seem to do my hair any harm... I'd even say it does it good. My hair loves and needs moisture! I guess the difference could be that I don't wash my hair every day - usually every three days or so. But I do frequently spritz my hair a little, most days actually, so it's rare it isn't a little damp if it's up in a bun. :shrug:
The mold thing makes sense though! Perhaps it makes a difference that I live in the UK and am therefore rarely hot enough to foster mold?! I've certainly never noticed a musty smell. If you notice no problems, no musty smells, I'd say... carry on regardless!
flapjack
July 22nd, 2008, 06:35 PM
Bacteria and fungi are crazy creatures and there are millions of different varieties that can live in just about every environment you can possibly imagine. So hair that is very moist for long periods of time continually in the heat or the cold*, is not going to make any difference.
That being said, it is going to have to be something extremely moist for a long time, weeks on end, before there is enough bacteria hanging around to create a musty smell. It's possible, sure, but in reality, I wouldn't stress over it if I were you. Just make sure that there are definitely times when your hair is COMPLETELY dry on a fairly regular basis and that is is loosened and fingercombed/shaken/combed/brushed/whatever so that air gets in there.
In my personal experience I have had damp hair for 3-4 days in a row before (this doesn't happen often) and I've had no issues. I always make sure that my hair does stay totally dry at least 50% of the time I'm not bathing. And I do wear it down for at least an hour or so a day, even if I had my hair up that day... before I braid it for bedtime or something. So moving air will reach all of my scalp.
*by our "human" standards of temperature... the temperatures we live in are pretty mild and in a narrow range compared to what these guys can play in.
dancingbarefoot
July 22nd, 2008, 06:42 PM
When I lived in Hawai'i, I wore my hair up wet almost all the time. In three years, I never got any mildew or icky fungus or whatnot in my hair, despite the high humidity and wet hair. I think it's very unlikely to happen. :twocents:
socks
July 22nd, 2008, 09:48 PM
My hair is almost always at least somewhat damp. I do the opposite -- I wash at night, scrunchie bun while it's still wet, then put it up with a stick in the morning, still damp. I've never had a fungus problem, and it actually works quite well to tame down my waves so I can make reasonably neat updos. :)
Basically the same here. I've only received positive, wave-taming effects from wearing my hair up while it's still wet. Still, I only wash my hair every four days, so it is not constantly wet and people with different routines could easily have very different results.
Chamomile betty
July 23rd, 2008, 05:33 AM
My hair does well wet/damp so it's not caused me any problems.
However, if you are worried I think letting your hair down a bit to air dry would be helpful. Maybe try some new styles instead of a bun.
HTH
Nimawae
July 23rd, 2008, 10:13 AM
When I was younger, I used to wet my hair and put it up all the time. My hair was rarely dry. I stopped doing it though when my hair started to smell musty. I really don't think it's healthy as a rule. Once in a while is perfectly fine (in my opinion), but it's probably not good for your hair in the long run.
Again though, this is just my opinion. :) I'm certainly no expert.
sexyjacksparrow
July 23rd, 2008, 10:17 AM
Yikes - I hope I'm not going to get moudly hair. I do most of my updos from damp as that's the only way braids stay put and tidy and that I don't get that annoying halo of baby hairs.
I do wash my hair on alternate days though, wear it lose as often as not and always sleep with it loose, so it always dries eventually.
Shanarana
July 23rd, 2008, 10:21 AM
Many years ago, my sister would alway put her hair in a high ponytail everyday when wet...I don't think I ever saw it totally dry. She did end up getting mold in her hair. It was awful and smelled bad as well.
Periwinkle
July 23rd, 2008, 10:23 AM
I only wash my hair once or twice a week, but I do bun it with a stick when it's wet.
I've found that it dries a hundred times faster if I keep a wide-toothed comb around and every hour or so, take my hair out, quickly comb it for a minute or so and then put it back up. It hardly takes any time at all but it more than halves the time my hair takes to dry.
You could also try making sure it's as dry as possible when you put it up. Experiment with half-ups if you can; wearing the top part of your hair up (I find that an infinity bun looks really nice like this) means that the bottom can dry really quickly.
WritingPrincess
July 23rd, 2008, 01:48 PM
As far as I know, it would have to be constantly wet for a period of time to grow anything. That said, YMMV.
LadyGunn
July 23rd, 2008, 03:52 PM
I love your avatar! I'm a huge Firefly fan. In fact, I'm watching 'Our Mrs. Reynolds' on iPod here at my desk now. Shiny!
LadyGunn
July 23rd, 2008, 03:53 PM
D'oh! :rolleyes: That was directed at sexyjacksparrow.
MissBiss
July 23rd, 2008, 09:26 PM
I love your avatar! I'm a huge Firefly fan. In fact, I'm watching 'Our Mrs. Reynolds' on iPod here at my desk now. Shiny!Same here. ;)
When I wash and bun in the morning, I always let my hair down in the evening so it can dry thoroughly.
Riot Crrl
July 23rd, 2008, 10:15 PM
When I wash and bun in the morning, I always let my hair down in the evening so it can dry thoroughly.
Me too. I don't think it's a big deal if it gets cleaned regularly and spends some hours each day being dry.
Lady Godiva
July 23rd, 2008, 10:42 PM
Black and white piedra:
http://www.emedicine.com/DERM/topic788.htm
http://www.mycology.adelaide.edu.au/Mycoses/Superficial/Black_piedra/
http://www.mycology.adelaide.edu.au/Mycoses/Superficial/White_piedra/
Riot Crrl
July 23rd, 2008, 10:59 PM
Black and white piedra:
http://www.emedicine.com/DERM/topic788.htm
http://www.mycology.adelaide.edu.au/Mycoses/Superficial/Black_piedra/
http://www.mycology.adelaide.edu.au/Mycoses/Superficial/White_piedra/
I have a hard time seeing where that says it's contractable from damp bunning for a few hours. The second one implies it's contagious from sharing brushes.
heidihug
July 24th, 2008, 01:31 PM
My hair is always damp the day after wash day, as I shower right before bedtime every other day (in the summer, anyway). I bun it, or braid it if it is more on the dry side than the wet side. I've never had a problem with my hair getting moldy or musty or anything. In fact, since it is damp, the scent of my conditioner or oils is more pronounced than when it is dry, and I like that. It typically takes a full 24 hours for my hair to dry completely, as I don't take it down until the evening.
I'd like to point out, though, that my hair is straight and relatively thin, so YMMV.
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