Is It Bad to Sleep With Wet Hair?
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Due to the fragile state of wet hair, the AAD recommends allowing your hair time to partially air dry before styling or combing it. Washing your hair at night may mean saving some time in the morning, but sleeping with wet hair may be more trouble than it’s worth. Besides a soggy pillowcase, you could be setting yourself up for both hair breakage and a scalp infection. We spoke with two experts about the potential risks of sleeping with wet hair and what you can do to minimize them if you really can’t avoid that night-time shower. The "fun" part about sleeping with wet hair is that these downfalls can even go beyond your scalp and hair.
Natural Insomnia Remedies
People may decide that they should alter their routine to allow more time for drying their hair. Going to bed with damp hair can increase the risk of developing a fungal or yeast infection on the scalp, as yeast finds it easier to grow in warm or moist areas of the body. “After quickly blast drying your hair, use a curl cream like the Schwarzkopf Professional Osis+ Curl Honey Cream before you sleep. Remember to push your hair upwards against the pillow to avoid getting any unwanted kinks in your natural curls.
Dr. Dustin Cotliar,
One braid will give you loosely textured curls, but the more braids you make, the thinner and tighter the curls will get, thus giving you more volume. When you wake up, open all the braids and separate them with your fingers or a wide-toothed comb and instead of a brush. Flip your hair from side to side to help it settle in, and then style it the way you like,” Merchant advises. It's a widely held belief that going to bed with wet hair can be detrimental to your health, but there is a lack of strong scientific evidence to support this idea. While for most people, sleeping with wet hair is unlikely to cause serious health risks, there are some potential risks to consider.
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Hair Breakage
Similarly to what could appear on your head, you could also develop an infection on your face in the form of fungal acne. It would present as small red bumps and sometimes affect the upper body. "I've diagnosed patients with this and traced the cause to their sleeping with their face on a damp pillow caused by going to bed with wet hair," shares Dr. Sherber.
It’s true that you’re much more likely to catch a common cold during the winter months. But this has to do with the ways respiratory viruses proliferate and spread, he says. And in addition to potentially contracting an infection, if you're someone with tape-in extensions, leaving them wet can decrease their lifespan as moisture gets trapped inside the tape.
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Family medicine specialist Matthew Goldman, MD, talks about the potential hazards of wet hair — including a concern you may not have considered. Rehkopf strongly recommends making sure your hair is at least 75% dry before you go to bed. Is washing your hair in the evening a non-negotiable part of your routine?
She also advises changing up your bedding if you’re planning to sleep with wet hair. “A silk pillowcase is ideal for resting your head, as the usual cotton options are extremely rough on your hair and can cause knotting and further breakage. A silken surface allows individual strands of hair to remain separate, thereby reducing tangles and knots,” she explains.
Can wet hair cause a cold?
When you wake up, undo your braids to reveal your air-dried strands and easy heatless style. Whether you’ve just finished an evening workout or got back from a long travel day with that one extra layer of dry shampoo still in your hair. Hair-wash day can turn into hair-wash night and we’ve never thought twice about it.
The common cold is caused by viruses spread from person to person through droplets in the air from coughing or sneezing, or contaminated surfaces. Most adults experience a common cold infection about two to three times per year, whether or not they sleep with wet hair. Some hair styling products strip fatty acids from the cuticle, allowing more water to be absorbed. Without proper care, chemically treated hair is more likely to become frizzy and tangled as it dries.
If you need to (or want to) go to bed with wet hair, there are steps you can take to help protect your hair from damage. If you have naturally straight hair, going to bed when it’s wet isn’t the best idea because it can lead to tangles, breakage, moisture loss and increased frizz. If you shower before bed, allot some time for your hair to air dry or blow dry your hair to about 70 percent dry before you check out for the night. Removing most of the moisture from your hair will help to make it less vulnerable while you sleep. Acne, on the other hand, could be another unpleasant side effect of sleeping with wet hair. While there is no specific evidence linking going to bed with wet hair and an acne breakout, it’s certainly possible.
They believe that sleeping with dry hair can help prevent certain health problems and avoid pillow breakage, as it doesn’t give you a great hair day the next morning. Hair is at its most fragile when wet, so if you go to bed with it damp and proceed to toss and turn against a pillow, you run a higher risk of breakage. But aside from being rough on your delicate strands, hitting the pillow with damp hair puts you at risk of developing skin infections, primarily on your scalp.
Sleeping with wet hair also leads to scalp concerns like unwanted bacteria, fungal infections, skin irritation, itchiness, dryness, redness, and dandruff. Don’t worry if you don’t want to give up your nightly shower routine; we’ve got your back. Below, we’re breaking down the right way to sleep with wet hair for every hair type, from top knots to morning wake-ups.
You can give it time to air dry, or quickly give it a partial dry with a hair dryer. Even wrapping your hair in a microfiber hair towel for a few minutes, just so it’s no longer noticeably dripping, can make a difference. “When you wake up to unruly bedhead, you’re probably going to have to re-wet it again to properly dry it and regain control. For basically as long as I can remember, I’ve been a night showerer and, therefore, also generally a wet hair sleeper. But whenever I admit to this habit, there’s always someone who visibly recoils in disgust, barely hiding the fact that they now see me as less of a human being.
The added friction from sleeping on a pillow with wet hair may also make things worse, pulling some strands of hair farther than their elasticity allows, leading to breakage. Sleeping with wet hair has been found to lead to hair damage, breakage, increased levels of dandruff, and potentially fungal growth. To understand why it’s not ideal to sleep with wet hair and what can happen if you do, we’ve talked to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick and hair stylists Abby Haliti, Creighton Bowman, and Jenn Velez. However, if you’re concerned about going to bed with wet hair but still want the benefits of a late-night shower, try using a shower cap. A shower cap will keep your hair dry and prevent it from getting wet during your nighttime shower. This covering allows you to enjoy the benefits of pre-bedtime showers without worrying about your hair.
When it comes to wet hair, these pillowcases absorb less moisture, keeping hydrating products on your head instead of your pillow. Sleeping with wet hair might seem convenient, but it’s not the best idea for several reasons. When you sleep with wet hair, it dries overnight, and some water evaporates into the air while some gets soaked up by your pillow and bedding. This can make your pillow warm and damp, which might lead to issues around your head and face. Always check your bedding’s laundry symbols for special instructions, but a good rule of thumb is to machine-wash it with hot water.
Drying your hair before bed is best for your health, but don’t panic if you go to bed here and there with wet hair. However, I also understand that showering at night does allow you a few extra minutes to sleep in the morning. I also personally know several people who can’t get in the bed “dirty,” so a nightly shower is a must. “Sleeping with wet hair will make your pillow and surroundings damp, which can disrupt your sleep,” says Wu. In addition to potentially decreasing your body temperature too much for optimal sleep, wet hair can be just plain uncomfortable to sleep on.
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