What happens to your hair when you’re too lazy or have no time to dry it before bed
When we think of the ideal environment for a good night’s sleep, we tend to picture a cosy, airy bedroom with a warm duvet, lots of soft pillows and perhaps a soft, meditative tune. There’s no room for wet hair in this scenario, but nevertheless, for many, it’s an objective reality quite fit for bed.
Sleeping with a wet head is a bad thing, we’ve been hearing since childhood – mothers all over the world, regardless of nationality and religion, consider it a duty to instil this truth in their daughters. And judging by the advice of stylists and therapists, this is one case where rebelling against maternal advice will not do us any good. Sure, it’s not a total disaster if you crash after an evening shower, but if you tell your hairdresser that you consistently go to bed without drying your hair, he or she will probably shake their head in disapproval.
It’s time to shine a light on the lurking menace of wet hair and find out what the real risks of sleeping with a wet head are. So, is it true that…
…you could catch cold.
The hidden threat: What happens if you go to bed with a wet head (photo 3)
The implication is that your head might get too cold, which might put you at risk of catching a cold before you leave the bedroom. Experts are mixed on this point. Any doctor will tell you that a cold is a virus that cannot enter the body due to temperature changes, as studies confirm. However, the same doctors will also tell you that wet hair (as well as socks, shoes or mittens) is uncomfortable on the body and therefore compromises the immune system. The fact is that when the body cools down, blood vessels constrict, preventing the free access of virus-fighting white blood cells – i.e. a wet head contributes to an already caught cold. All in all, the connection is pretty murky, but just in case you can’t change your habits, sleep with wet hair in a warm room and comfortable bed to avoid putting extra stress on your body.
Or hurt your hair.
The hidden threat: What happens if you go to bed with a wet head (photo 5)
There’s a lot more to it than that. As celebrity hairstylist John Ruggiero confirms, sleeping through a wet head ‘isn’t a good idea because when you wake up, your hair will be a mess, unless it’s Halloween-they’ll be responsible for more styling in the morning and you might have to wash your hair all over again. If you must go to bed with wet hair, Ruggiero suggests a few precautions: ‘Put a little conditioner in your hair to detangle it and, if you have long hair, braid it into soft braids and then bun it at the top. That way your hair will look manageable in the morning and even have a nice curl to it.
Another tip from the hair experts is to use satin pillowcases. “This will allow hair to dry more quickly by moving freely on the pillow and will prevent tangles and frizz, which are very difficult to get rid of in the morning,” explains Ruggiero. – Also, rubbing a wet head against a cotton pillowcase will rob you of more hair overnight than contact with a satin fabric. Smooth silk is also good for facial skin because it protects against wrinkle formation.
