Surely on numerous occasions we have been warned of the drawbacks of having wet hair: what if you have colds, what if your hair breaks … Is it true or are they popular beliefs? Is it really bad to sleep without having dried our hair?
Below we will explain what happens when we keep our hair wet for too long.
What happens when we leave our hair wet?
Having our hair damp until it dries out at room temperature is not always a good thing. If we are talking about summer times, we could afford it; but in winter or areas where our hair takes a long time to dry, the most advisable thing is to use the dryer.
Keeping hair wet makes it much more sensitive and can lead to health problems . Hair contains a property called hygroscopic , which is dedicated to the absorption of moisture or water that is present in the environment. Therefore, the water enters the hair cuticle and causes the diameter to be increased, making the proteins that make up the hair not compact and can be lost.
But having damp hair not only affects the scalp or the hair itself, but the entire body. Respiratory or joint problems may appear, since moisture can be transmitted to the rest of our body.
Sleep with wet hair, yes or no?
As we mentioned before, wet hair is much more sensitive than when it is dry; therefore, it is more prone to fall more or the famous split ends appear. In addition, moisture favors inflammation of the muscles . Your back will start to hurt more often, you will have tightness in your neck and even notice cracking.
Other problems with sleeping with wet hair are:
- Dandruff When dandruff appears in our hair it is due to the malfunction of a fungus (malasezia) that lives in us. The main function of this fungus is to feed (for a month) on the fatty oils of the follicles to renew the cells of the scalp.
Moisture alters the life of the fungi and in this case, makes them reproduce more quickly, promoting an accelerated and uncontrolled cell turnover. Hence, the new cells mix with the fatty oil and form a kind of scale (dandruff). - Cold Yes, it is not a myth. The cold of the humidity penetrates through the pores, and it is also transferred to the sheets and pillow with which we sleep. Since the tissues are in contact with our body, we get cold and we can have throat problems.
- Headache When we sleep, our body rises in temperature, so when we unite it with humidity, a kind of evaporation occurs. The consequence is a gradual inflammation that ends in an intense headache. If you usually sleep with wet hair, you may end up with chronic migraines.
