Wet Hair Myths
Wet Hair Myths – Will going outside with wet hair give you a cold? Learn the truth about wet hair myths in this video.
Expert: Michelle Hanjani, MD, FAAD Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons
Transcript
You’ve heard it before, “Don’t go outside with wet hair, you’ll get sick.” But does this advice carry weight? To find the truth, let’s take a closer look the most common wet hair myths.
The MOST common myth? Going outside with wet hair will make you catch a cold or flu. Almost everyone’s grandmother has probably said this at some point. But for how widespread this belief is, it holds little truth. While going out into cold weather with a wet head MIGHT make you feel chillier, it WON’T make you sick. The only way to get sick is from a virus. Viruses like cold, dry weather and when we spend more time inside around people who might be infected, we’re more likely to be infected, too.
You may have heard that sleeping with wet hair causes scalp fungus to grow. In reality, sleeping with wet hair may cause your pillow to smell a little funky and leave weird crimps in your hair, but you CAN’T catch a fungal infection. Funguses like ringworm are passed through contact such as sharing a hat, comb, or towel. HOWEVER, if you’ve COME in contact with a fungus, a warm moist scalp CAN speed up how fast it spreads. So if you are infected, it MIGHT be better to dry off before heading to bed.
And…Our final myth. Hair SHOULDN’T be brushed or styled when wet. This one is actually TRUE. Damp hair becomes swollen and can easily be broken. Brushing it can pull strands past their point of elasticity, causing them to snap. To get tangles out while your hair is still wet, use a wide toothed comb or hair pick.
To discover more ways to keep your hair healthy, check out the rest of the videos in this series.
Last Modified: 2013-08-29
Category: Beauty, Health and Nutrition, Videos
