Damp bunning - pros and cons?

[my2cats1]

Hi, all.

Many of us wear our hair up in protective styles at least part of the time, but what are the pros/cons to doing so while the ends of hair are still damp? Do you think it helps to moisturize the hair? Or does rewetting just encourage damage (putting hair in a fragile wet state)? Do you dampen with just water, or water and oil? Or is it just about convenience, ie, your hair did not have time to airdry so you just put it up?

Thanks for your thoughts! :eyebrows:

[jeanniet]

I generally try to dry my hair while it's down, but I always spray it before putting it in a sleep cap for the night. Previously I was using distilled water only, but lately I've been using Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn spray, diluted 4:1 water/spray. This gives me soft, moisturized hair in the morning. Water alone also seems to have a moisturizing effect overnight. I'm a big proponent of damp bunning; it's really helped my ends.

[Emy Sue]

I used to damp bun in my early 20's, and one winter my hair started to get this really musty under-the-kitchen-sink smell to it. My cousin pointed out that my bun was probably beginning to mold. It might just be the climate I live in/how wet the winter was, but I refuse to damp bun anymore. I can't take the chance of moldy hair.

[Thenolegirl]

All I know is that my cousin who served in the military had two friends that had to do damp sock buns to hold back their long hair. Well, their hair literally molded and had to be cut clear up to the jawline.

I wondered about this too. How do you prevent hair from doing this? I sometimes put it up in a bun if I'm busy but not often.

[spidermom]

The major advantage of damp bunning as I understand it is that it compresses the cuticle so that it's nice and smooth and shiny.

[jacqueline101]

It will make your hair smooth and shiny. Its bad for getting a fungus of the scalp.

[DragonFlyPie]

I've been damp bunning for 10+ years & never had an issue with mold. Many times I'm soaking-wet-bunning because I need my hair up for work (laboratory) & do not have time to air dry it.

My hair has been wet for 14-16+ hours in buns, regularly.

I do find that slightly damp bunning makes my hair super soft, smooth, silky & I love the bun waves/curls. So i would never stop doing it.

I can't imagine how hair could mold in a bun in less than a day. Just sounds odd to me, i guess just because I've never experienced any negative effects of wet bunning myself. =)

ETA: My hair used to be waist+ length prior to my huge 2006 chop, so I always had it bunned back before then, too. Just wanted to clarify, in case people see my pics & wonder how I could damp bun with no hair LOL I only had super short hair for a very brief length of time.

[CocoBean]

I've gone to bed with a wet bun after washing, and it'll be damp in the morning, then let it down and air dry some more, only to put it back up before work. I've wondered about the mold thing... I love the bun waves, but a damp braid dries faster, except makes braid waves which are choppy on me.

[nerdymomma]

I often put damp hair (more often downright wet hair, just toweled off a bit and not even combed) in a bun or twist. My hair would still be damp in the evening, when I go to bed. In fact, my siggy pic is what my hair often looks like before bed. My hair has never molded. BUT, I have fine hair that will dry pretty quickly if left down. And if I'm damp bunning, it normally either dries out all the way the next day, or it gets the hose again.

[Bene]

I've been damp bunning since I was a kid. I've NEVER had a molding problem. I'm wondering if that's a result of how the washing/rinsing goes? From what I understand, mold and those smelly bacterias only grow if they have something to feed on. Maybe some scalps are more palatable than others?

[DreadfulWoman]

I damp bun all the time. In fact, I'm doing it now. In the dry climate I live in it's really the only reliable way to get enough moisture into my hair. I think mold would only be an issue if your hair was never getting 100% dry.

[Teazel]

I'm a big fan of damp bunning, it's a great way to get moisture into my hair. Never caught the slightest whiff of mustiness, I'm glad to say.

[ApatheticFairy]

I've been doing the one month hair up challenge and have damp bunned for a few weeks now and no mould. My hair feels supersoft.

[Shepherdess]

I rarely put my hair up in a bun, but I do braid my hair while it is wet and leave it that way. I've never had trouble with it smelling musty or anything so I'm glad.

One thing that bugs me about my hair though is that after I take a shower in the morning and leave my hair out loose all day it still is wet before I go back to bed. I really don't know how to dry my hair faster, it seems to always be wet, maybe because it is so thick?

[catamonica]

After I wash my hair I let it dry to just about damp. Then I bun it. On weekends before bed
I wet the braid. So its wavy in the morning wearing it down. I guess it depends where you
live. I live in a hot climate. So maybe the colder the climate, the chance of getting moldy hair.

[Phalaenopsis]

I'm a big fan of damp bunning, it's a great way to get moisture into my hair. Never caught the slightest whiff of mustiness, I'm glad to say.
The same here :)

It makes my hair smoother and softer. I do make sure it eventually dries up the same day. I don't keep wet hair for 24 hours or something.

[Phexlyn]

Wow, I didn't know hair could actually get moldy but damp bunning. Eww.

I don't like damp bunning because my hair then takes ages to dry (can take more than a day) and the strands clump together afterwards. It's better if I do a damp braid because that dries more quickly. I will do the occasional bun with slightly damp hair when I'm pressed for time, though.

[Lize]

I usually do it after I wash my hair. The pros for me are nicer texture (waves) and that my hair gets less frizzy. If I let it only air dry when down it gets awfully frizzy. Cons would be (obviously) longer time to dry. I usually put it in a bun when it has gone a bit more dry than soaking wet and I take it down after a few hours to let it dry fully. How long I let it stay bunned depends mostly on what I am doing.

[Jing]

I don't like the feel of damp hair, so I never put it up before it's dry unless I really have to run out the door. Then again maybe damp updos would actually stay put for more than an hour.

A vinegar rinse (the more acetic acid, the more effective) should eliminate the possibility of mold. That stuff requires humidity to grow, and it doesn't just spontaneously appear out of nowhere, so unless your climate is mold friendly to begin with, it's not that big a risk.

[rock007junkie]

What I like the most about damp bunning/ braiding is the awesome waves I get from them!!!

[XcaliburGirl]

Another who put hair in a bun wet daily for years. (Not at my current length, of course.) I always took it down at night to completely dry and washed every morning. I never had an issue with mold.

That said, I have had problems with flakes and scalp build up, but I'm inclined to think that was due to 'coney conditioner on my scalp. The wet hair all the time may have contributed, though.

[Mayflower]

I damp bun almost every night, in a top knot so I get loads of volume. I just put it up in a very high ponytail first, then lightly wet the ponytail and twist it into a bun.

[GeoJ]

My hair will not fully dry if I damp bun it, and I live in a very mold-friendly environment, so I don't regularly damp bun, just in case. Heck, even my windows get some kind of mold growing on the glass! :disgust: It's like a black dendtritic pattern radiating from a central node...interesting, but yuck!

Anyway, my hair does not feel any better from being damp bunned, sometimes it is even rougher. My hair feels the smoothest and softest after being in a braid (damp or dry; damp braids will dry on me during the day). If I go to bed with damp hair, though, I have to leave it loose. Anything else and it will still be damp in the morning, and that aggravates my scalp issues (and makes me fear moldy hair).

[MinderMutsig]

I don't like the feel of damp hair, so I never put it up before it's dry unless I really have to run out the door. Then again maybe damp updos would actually stay put for more than an hour.

A vinegar rinse (the more acetic acid, the more effective) should eliminate the possibility of mold. That stuff requires humidity to grow, and it doesn't just spontaneously appear out of nowhere, so unless your climate is mold friendly to begin with, it's not that big a risk. I agree, the mold is most likely caused by product residue or some kind of chemical imbalance and not by just putting your hair up damp. An acidic rinse might help prevent that from happening in the future.

[QMacrocarpa]

I just hate having damp hair for a long time (makes me cold in winter and hot in summer), so I pretty much avoid damp bunning.

[Khiwanean]

I'm pretty sure the mold issue is very climate-dependant. It would be a much bigger problem when there is high humidity, when hair stays wet much longer.

[florenonite]

That said, I have had problems with flakes and scalp build up, but I'm inclined to think that was due to 'coney conditioner on my scalp. The wet hair all the time may have contributed, though.

FWIW I can't damp-bun unless my hair is 99% dry when I put it up or it aggravates my scalp. It also leaves my hair looking stringy and greasy if I do it when my hair's too wet; I think that's because it's fine, though.

[Vanilla]

I love damp bunning. I do it almost every time I wash my hair. I do let it down a few times during drying and I end up with beautiful soft waves and nice moisturized ends.

[Dorothy]

I use vinager in the rinse, towel dry, then put 3 drops camillia oil in it and messy damp bun. I let that sit until my roots dry, for volume, and then take it down, finger comb it, and sit under the ceiling fan....at the computer...until it's dry. This gives me volume at the roots and makes my hair look thicker, and makes it straighter and fluffier, rather than flat and thin lookng. Plus softness.
I'll try the overnight thing. What buns give the best waves?

[Vanilla]

I personally love the cinnabun for bun waves better than sock buns. When my hair is longer, I may like the sock bun better.