Wet hair damage explained

Wet hair probably won’t give you a cold, but it just might lead to hair damage. Let’s look at the mechanics.

Generally speaking, hair is strong stuff – each strand can hold up to 100 grams of weight. But there is a definite exception to this rule: wet hair.

Wet hair is far weaker than dry hair, being more susceptible to breakage and damage from just about anything – heat and pulling on the hair strands are more likely to damage wet hair than dry.

Why wet hair is weaker

Hair is made up largely of a number of proteins called keratins. These are safely ensconced in cuticles, a protective covering a bit like flexible armor.

When hair is wet, proteins form weaker bonds (hydrogen bonds), than when the hair is dry (protein-protein bonds). This makes the hair easier to damage.

That’s because when damp hair is combed, it stretches. Unfortunately, when hair is stretched, it doesn’t snap back into shape like a rubber band can.

Instead, the stretching deforms the cuticle, causing cuticle edges to lift up and crack. Even after the fiber relaxes back, its cuticle armor can stay lifted, making your hair feel rough and damaged.

This means that wet hair needs extra care to keep it in good shape.

How to take care of wet hair

To make sure that your hair stays strong and supple, it’s important to keep some things in mind:

When finished washing your hair, squeeze out excess water with your hands

Instead of rubbing hair dry with a towel, blot carefully instead, working from the roots down

Do not use too much heat on your hair. While dry hair can withstand temperatures up to 350°F (180°C), wet hair needs a gentler touch

Use a wide-tooth comb or your fingers to gently detangle wet hair. To avoid knots, work in sections: first detangle the ends of your hair, then the middle to the ends, and finally roots-to-tips.

Along with these basic guidelines, avoid straightening hair at all when it is wet – modern straighteners get up to temperatures of nearly 400 Fahrenheit (over 200oC) and more.

This can actually boil water inside your hair, and cause permanent blisters to form inside your hair. Hair is very vulnerable to break off at these sites.