Going out with wet hair might seem an innocuous or a rather trivial matter, yet it leads to some really serious health and hair consequences. While people do not know the dangers of going out into the cold or wind with newly washed hair, many results are experienced. We shall talk, in the lines below, about the science behind why wet hair is a bad idea, possible health risks, and how it’s going to affect your locks adversely. By the end of this topic, you’ll come to understand why you should eschew this seemingly harmless habit.
Stop Going Outside with Wet Hair
1. Wet Hair and Cold: How It Affects Your Body
Now, let’s start with the basics. As you leave your house by wetting your hair and letting it expose to colder temperatures, the core of the body might cool down much faster than it normally does. That is because your wet hair may increase the cooling rate if you are wind exposed. Wetness within your body causes your body to lose heat at a far faster speed.
A National Institutes of Health published one case where your wet hair might make your body lose temperature faster compared to if it were dry at the same time in the same environment. If your body gets too cold, hypothermia may result; this is a serious loss of body temperature. Hypothermia causes a confused and dizzy condition, and it may lead to death when untreated.
While it’s highly improbable that going out with wet hair on a mild day will result in hypothermia, the reality of losing heat does take place, though at a slow rate, and is, therefore, not purely an illusion and deserves some credence.
2. Increased Likelihood of Contracting Illness
It is indeed true that going out with wet hair gives you more chances of catching a cold, and it is not to be dismissed as just an old wives’ tale. Even though viruses are indeed the real pathogens that induce colds and flu, and susceptibility triggered by exposure to cold air may compromise your immune system. The American Society for Microbiology research indicates that people who stay outdoor for many hours in cold and wet weather conditions develop a higher propensity to attract viruses.
This is how it works: when your body experiences cold and wet situations, the blood vessels constrict, thus limiting the white blood cells present to combat infection. This lessens your immunity. Wet hair itself will not make you ill, but it is one of the triggers for lowering your body’s defences.
3. Wet Hair in Windy Conditions is Hazardous
Wind and wet hair do not go together. At least not when cold. Wet hair will present a greater amount of surface area exposed to the cold air, so your head will cool very quickly. The wind accelerates this. This is when frostbite happens when someone may be outside in sub-zero temperatures with wind chill along with wet hair. Frostbite generally occurs on exposed areas including your ears, face, and scalp.
A report in the Journal of Wilderness Medicine says that wet scalps are one of the common area’s frostbites occur, as frostbite often happens across your scalp when your head is wet, and the temperature falls below freezing. Risk is highest when windy conditions are also prevalent; then your body will be losing heat much more rapidly. If your hair is still wet when you head outside in such conditions, you risk significantly higher chances of contracting frostbite.
4. Hair Damage and the Harmful Impact on Your Locks
Moving out with your hair wet not only poses a threat to your health but also proves detrimental to your hair in the long run. Wet hair is brittle and is more likely to break easily than dry hair. The cold wind when you step outside can snap your strands when you leave your house with your hair wet.
Another study by the International Journal of Trichology has proven that hair is weakest when it is wet and can stretch up to 30% of its original length before it snaps. Hence, wet hair exposed to harsh elements such as wind and cold has a higher susceptibility to break or split, resulting in a ropey, unhealthy appearance.
Even more critically, water in the hair freezes at colder temperatures and damages your hair’s structure. Freezing causes the cuticles, your outer hair layer, to open up and cause dryness and frizz. This constant stress on your hair may eventually cause hair thinning and breakage.
5. Scalp Health Effects of Wet Hair
The exposure of wet hair to cold weather is terrible not only for your strands but also for your scalp. Blood circulation decreases when it becomes too cold, causing dryness and flakiness with dandruff sometime. Irritation in the scalp can be caused by a sudden change from a warm indoor environment to cold, wet outdoor conditions.
Research suggests from a post in Dermatology Reports, cold, dry air and the freezing and then thawing of moisture on your scalp are also factors that compromise your scalp to fungi and flaking. In addition, repeated exposure to wet hair and cold triggers seborrheic dermatitis, a common inflammatory condition of the skin, characterized by red, scaly patches on the scalp.
6. Wet Hair and Its Repercussions on Frequent Washing
Another area of worry is the pattern that damp hair may get into. Of course, anyone who ever emerged from the doors of their homes with their hair wet knows that it tends to necessitate increased shampooing. And this makes it a vicious cycle because wet hair damages it, thereby making you want to wash it more often to recapture the balanced state. This might then lead to loss of the natural oils present in your hair, causing dryness and lack of shine.
Research by the British Journal of Dermatology found that a person is highly likely to end up having dry and brittle hair if they wash their hair more than thrice a week. Wet hair combined with frequent washing can make your hair unruly and very susceptible to long-term damage. In fact, the decision to forego washing after going out with wet hair is a healthier choice for retaining hair vitality.
7. Psychological Effect: The Hidden Stress
Apart from the effects it brings along when you venture outside with wet hair, there can also be psychological effects. The tendency to rush outside in cold conditions when your hair is wet is commonly associated with stress and lack of planning and time. When you are constantly working to overcome the cold or wet feeling, you may end up experiencing mental fatigue. In most cases, this stress affects your health and well-being.
According to a 2020 Psychology Today article, the levels of cortisol increase when frigid weather conditions are paired with pressure or the inability to feel comfortable. You end up negatively affecting your immune system, skin, and mental health because of prolonged exposure to high levels of cortisol.
8. What Are Some Things You Can Do to Protect Your Hair and Health?
Given your knowledge of the risks, it’s time to expose you to methods of protection, and here are some very basic tips on how to keep your hair and body safe:
– Don’t Go Out with Wet Hair:
Avoid going outside if at all possible until your hair is completely dried off. If you do not have enough time to air-dry, you can use a blow dryer while setting it to cool.
This includes:
– Cover Up:
If you really must go out with wet hair, then wearing a warm hat or scarf could protect your hair and scalp from the wind and cold.
– Dry Your Hair Quickly:
When the weather is chilly and you are pressed for time, use a blow dryer to expedite the drying process. The quicker the hair dries, the less space the cold has to do damage.
– Plan Ahead:
Take time to dry your hair properly before leaving the house. This way, you avoid rushing and give your hair enough protection.
Conclusion: The Importance of Dry Hair
It may be the smallest problem, but going out outside with wet hair can have devastating effects on your health and hair condition. The consequences are in multifaceted scale, beginning from increasing the risk of getting an illness to harming hair and scalp conditions. With such huge effects, it is about changing the small habit. Therefore, the next time you feel the urge to skip drying your hair, think about the science risks and take some time out to protect yourself. Your health and your hair will appreciate it.
