Using the right hair products and providing protection from external aggressors – these are two primal examples of what we do daily to keep our hair healthy. Sadly, we often forget about one crucial thing. What is it? The proper way of treating wet hair. Why does it matter?
Hair is highly prone to damage when wet, and thus it needs us to treat it with special attention and gentleness, which we often forget about. It’s proven that wet hair is less resistant to mechanical damage and heat. Naturally, you don’t do harm your hair on purpose, and the “wrongdoings” are simply the consequence of unawareness. Therefore, we’ve prepared the following article to help you steer clear of hair damage. By the time you read the last sentence, you will know what things you shouldn’t do to wet hair.
1. Don’t wrap your wet hair with a towel
This is one of the very first things to do after washing the hair – grab a towel and wrap the wet strands with it. Sadly, this habit affects hair negatively. Firstly, being in such close contact with a rough fabric drastically increases the risk of hair breakage. Secondly, the head generates heat, and when wrapped with a towel, the heat accumulates under the doom of the towel, which encourages glands to produce oil. Instead of hiding your hair under a towel, just remove the excess water using a cotton t-shirt. Cotton is smooth so it won’t break your hair.
2. Don’t comb wet hair
It’d be better for your strands to brush it and detangle prior to washing. This will help the hair absorb nutrients delivered with a conditioner or mask. Actually, there is one condition under which you can run a comb through your wet hair – to distribute a hair conditioner or mask along the strands evenly. Why can you do that? Because you’re distributing a coating and in a way lubricate the hair, so it’s protected from damage.
3. Don’t sleep with wet hair
As you know it, wet hair is prone to damage, and while you’re turning the head on the pillow, you expose the hair to friction. It’s also worth realizing that cold strands reduce the head’s temperature, thus you may wake up with a headache. Additionally, the pillowcase absorbs water from wet hair and creates an environment perfect for bacteria to multiply. Another good idea to mention is swapping your regular pillowcase for a silk one. Why is that? Because a silk pillowcase doesn’t expose hair to mechanical damage. Lastly, if you braid your towel dry hair before going to sleep, you will wake up with stunning no heat curls.
To blow dry, or not to blow dry?
Now you know 3 things that aren’t good for wet hair. Now we will present you one thing that – contrary to common beliefs – can be done to wet hair. It’s about blow drying. Let us put it straight: You don’t do harm to hair if you help it dry faster. Just remember about these things
- Before turning on your hair dryer, apply a heat protection to the strands.
- Keep changing the temperature setting from low to medium (never set the temperature setting to high!).
- Hold the hair dryer around 10 inches away from the head.
- Don’t direct the air stream to one strand only.
- Skip drying the hair ends.