When hair is healthy, the natural oils in the cuticle – the outer layer of hair – nourish and protect the inner layers. These oils also reflect light, giving your hair shine and lustre. In dry hair, this moisturising outer layer breaks down, and your hair starts to look dull and unhealthy.
It's perfectly healthy and the absolute most natural way to dry hair. The fact that this question even needs to be asked says a lot about modern hair product/tool/accessory marketing.
When plastic comb is rubbed against dry hair, the plastic comb becomes negative and dry hair becomes positive.
For the record, any form of heat styling (blow-dryers included) takes a toll on your hair strands. A groundbreaking 2011 study published in the Annals of Dermatology specifically mentioned that not using hair-dryers results in “a relatively well protected hair surface,” while the use of one led to more hair damage.
Air drying has become a more favourable approach to hair care in recent years – it is said to make each strand stronger and healthier. But here's a surprising fact: Air drying can actually cause more damage to your hair than blow drying it. “It may seem counterintuitive since we're all aware of heat damage.
Getting a good deep conditioning treatment once a week will nourish your hair and restore its natural shine. If you have very dry hair, doing a hot oil treatment once a month will help moisturize it. Wash your hair, dry it with a towel and apply your favorite hair oil.
“When hair is wet, it is stretched out, the result of water putting all these bonds under pressure, even the stronger keratin bonds. Hair also loses its elasticity when wet, making it more prone to breakage or being ripped out at the root. This is why you should never have wet hair longer than necessary.”
Coily Hair
- Hair is tightly coiled with Z-shaped curls. This is the most dry of the hair types, and needs extra moisturizing to prevent breakage. While everyone's hair is different, as a general rule, those with curlier hair will need to be more careful about using hot tools as your hair is more prone to damage.
It turns out, leaving your hair to dry naturally could actually be causing more harm than good. Just when you thought that washing your hair in the evenings, so it dries overnight would be a genius time-saving hack and the best thing for your hair, here we come being the bearers of bad news.
While it's true that excessive heat can cause damage to the surface of the hair strands, air-drying can cause trauma to that inner layer, per the study. As Dr. Longsworth explained, when the cell membrane complex layer swells, it can weaken the hair over time.
Is it bad to go to sleep with wet hair? The short answer: Yes, it's bad for your hair to go to bed when wet. “Wet hair strands are much more fragile than dry hair strands,” explains Dr. Michele Green, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist in New York City.
It's Healthy
"When hair is damaged, the cuticle on the outer skin layer may come opened, contributing to more rapid drying of the hair as compared to slower drying that occurs when the hair is healthy." So if your hair is taking its time to dry, it could be a good indicator of hair health.
While healthy hair feels smooth, has minimal breakage, and appears shiny, unhealthy hair usually has frizz, split ends, roughness, and a lack of luster. All of these latter signs point to intrinsically weaker hair1.
A general observation across experiments was that straight hair was perceived as younger, healthier, and more attractive than wavy hair and darker shades (medium copper and brown) were perceived more positively than blonde hair.
Generally, he says, the range is somewhere between once a day and once a week. “If you have very fine or thin hair, you may need to wash more often, while those with thick or curly hair may need to wash less often,” says Dr Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, a double board certified dermatologist and hair health expert.
Dry hair occurs when your hair doesn't get enough moisture or fails to retain it. This can make hair appear brittle, lifeless, and frizzy. The hair shaft loses its protective outer layer, the cuticle, making it vulnerable to environmental damage and breakage.
When your hair dries naturally, it may remain damp for longer periods compared to when using a hair dryer, which can put the fibers under stress. Over time, this can lead to a weakened hair structure, increased breakage, and reduced elasticity.
Benefits of Washing with Only Water
It's a natural alternative to chemical-laden shampoos. Chambers-Harris claims that over-washing hair with such shampoos can not only strip the hair of its natural oils, but can also cause product build-up and toxins to enter the bloodstream, leading to myriad health issues.
Hydrating your hair is just as important as moisturizing your skin. So once you've determined that your hair is dehydrated, it's time to get to work. Address the moisture deficiency by taking a look at your hair care routine.
When hair is dry, it separates; this provides the scalp with more coverage. The moisture from the water also weighs the hair down, giving wet hair the appearance of having less volume than dry hair, whether you have a hair loss condition or not.