The less water you have in your hair, the better to minimize damage. If you can get in a quick blow dry or are able to shower a few minutes earlier for some extra air-drying time, do it. Dry and detangle hair as much as possible Use conditionerĬonditioner helps seal the hair cuticle, reduce friction, and make hair easier to detangle.īleached or chemically-treated hair can benefit even more from regular conditioning.

This isn’t recommended if you have seborrheic eczema, however, since coconut oil could make it worse. The oil reduces the amount of water absorbed so it’s less prone to damage. When wet, your hair soaks up water and swells, causing these flaps to stand up, making hair vulnerable to damage. The hair cuticle is made up of flaps similar to shingles on a roof. There is evidence that coconut oil protects wet hair from breakage. If drying your hair fully before bed is just not an option, here are some things you can do to make going to sleep with wet hair as safe as possible: Apply coconut oil to your hair If you can’t avoid sleeping with wet hair, your best bet is leaving it down.” Mudgil warns: “This is particularly an issue if hair is braided or in a tight updo, which adds more tension to the hair shaft. Adarsh Vijay Mudgil, MD, a New York City dermatologist who’s board-certified in dermatology and dermatopathology. The main risk (other than cosmetic ones) is breakage of hair when tossing and turning while sleeping,” said Dr. Along with the inevitability of waking up with some seriously kinked bedhead, you may also do damage to your hair. Sleeping with wet hair does impact the hair itself. This included Aspergillus fumigatus, a common species of fungus responsible for causing severe infections in people with weakened immune systems. It thrives in a warm environment and a wet pillowcase and pillow provide the ideal breeding ground.Īn older study on the fungal flora found on bedding discovered anywhere between 4 to 16 species per pillow tested. Shah says that it does increase your risk of developing a fungal infection of the scalp.įungi, such as Malassezia, can lead to conditions like dandruff or dermatitis, according to Shah, who recommends going to sleep with dry hair when possible.Īlong with the fungus naturally present on your scalp, pillows are also a hotbed for fungus. Though sleeping with wet hair won’t give you a cold, Dr. In the United States, colds are more likely during colder months because of the start of the school year and people spending more time indoors, in close quarters with others. You can also catch it by touching a contaminated surface or hand-to-hand contact with an infected person. The virus enters your body through your nose, mouth, or eyes and is spread through droplets in the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or speaks. The common cold doesn’t really have anything to do with being cold, but rather being infected with one of over 200 cold-causing viruses, usually a rhinovirus. “When one gets a cold, it is due to being infected with a virus.”

“There is no evidence that one can catch a cold from going to bed with wet hair,” Shah said. Chirag Shah, MD, a board-certified emergency physician and cofounder of Push Health, an online healthcare platform. Though they’re usually right in general, they’re wrong about wet hair and colds, according to Dr. Getting sickĬatching a cold appears to be the most common concern thanks to folklore and protective mothers and grandmothers. The risks are pretty minimal, but there are a few you should be aware of before thinking you can hit the hay sopping wet every night. There’s no need to lose sleep over what your mom told you about getting sick by sleeping with wet hair.

Should i sleep with my hair up