Whether due to laziness or being in a hot season of the year, all the people who have long hair have gone to bed on more than one occasion with their hair freshly washed and without drying it. The sensation of freshness and comfort may be encouraging, but you should know that sleeping with wet hair, in summer or winter, can have harmful consequences not only for your hair, but for your health in general.
Over time, there has been a lot of debate about the effect that going to sleep with wet hair could have and, despite the fact that not everyone agrees on the same hypotheses, the truth is that most specialists agree that it is a bad habit. That is why, in this new OneHOWTO article, we are going to tell you if it is bad to sleep with wet hair for a series of reasons that will surely make you not want to continue doing this routine with your hair.
causes colds
You may have asked yourself many times “What happens if I don’t dry my hair?”. It is shown that the cold is not what makes people cold. However, being subjected to a low wind chill for a long time can cause your defenses to decrease and make you more likely to catch any virus in the environment.
So sleeping with wet hair and a cold are two facts that can be directly related, far from being one of the typical myths. During the night, our body is more unprotected and if, in addition to this, we have a low thermal sensation on our scalp, we will be tempting fate.
Promotes hair loss
Hair loss is not caused by sleeping with wet hair, however, doing this habit for a long time will weaken your scalp, which makes your hair grow weaker and more likely to break or fall out. Using specific products for your hair and preventing it from accumulating moisture is vital for it to look healthy.
That is to say, if you are wondering “What happens if I wash my hair at night?”, you have to know that leaving it wet during sleep can promote hair loss. So we recommend you dry it very well to preserve your hair in all its splendor. If you want to know more habits to avoid, check out our post on Common mistakes when caring for hair .
Promotes the appearance of dandruff
Going to sleep with wet hair, in summer or winter, is bad since the fact that our scalp accumulates moisture for a long time is that, in the long run, it will deregulate the PH and interfere with the composition of the skin, causing that the fungus Malessezia , responsible for feeding on fatty acids and renewing the cells of the scalp, has a malfunction and accumulates the hated dandruff.
Dandruff is not part of myths about sleeping with wet hair, but rather it is old cells of the scalp that accumulate and fall in the form of white powder . Despite sometimes being a problem in hygiene, in the type of skin or in the low quality of the products, going to sleep with wet hair favors this unpleasant process. If you have dandruff, check out our article on How to get rid of dandruff with baking soda .
damage the hair
Strong hair is achieved by being constant and dedicating time to your hair. To do this, we must have a good shampoo and a good mask that gives vitality and strength to the hair. However, if at the time of sealing and drying the hair, we decide to leave it damp and go to sleep, what we are going to achieve is that the hair spends hours accumulating humidity in the same position, which not only damages the hair, but also It can cause skin lesions on the scalp, as well as tangle our hair.
It is possible that you did not know that it is bad to sleep with wet hair and your hair is damaged, to help you at this point, we recommend you consult our posts on How to treat dry and damaged hair and Home remedies for damaged hair .
causes fungus
It is also bad to go to sleep with wet hair since this favors the appearance of fungi, and it is in the humidity where these microorganisms live best. The appearance of fungi can cause problems on your skin, generating an itchy sensation and upsetting the flora of your scalp. So the benefits of sleeping with wet hair are rather non-existent.
gives a headache
Humidity also has internal effects on our body since, when we go to sleep, our thermal sensation rises and, being in contact with the humidity of our hair, a small evaporation is caused in the scalp that can cause inflammation and a annoying headache throughout the night and when waking up. Therefore, there are no beneficial benefits of sleeping with wet hair in this context.
If you suffer from a headache because you went to sleep with wet hair, we recommend you read our article How to get rid of a headache .
Generates itching sensation
In addition to the presence of fungi, the simple fact of having a source of moisture on your head for several hours can cause your skin to wrinkle due to excess hydration and this can lead to swelling. This sensation can cause great itching all over the head, as well as injuries if you have sensitive and atopic skin .
We understand that sometimes it’s lazy to spend all the time drying your hair, but if you do it religiously, you’ll notice how your hair regains its vitality and strength, you’ll sleep better and avoid discomfort and related problems. It is also important that the products you use are of quality and adapted to your specific needs.