sleeping on wet hair
Printed From: HairBoutique.com
Category: Long Hair Happenings
Forum Name: Long Hair Support
Forum Description: Growing it long takes commitment and support.
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=32193
Printed Date: October 30 2025 at 8:23pm
Topic: sleeping on wet hair
Posted By: akiz
Subject: sleeping on wet hair
Date Posted: June 24 2005 at 7:45pm
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Hey guys, I'm posting mainly because I'm curious about something that has happened twice to me. I've been trying very hard to take care of my hair since I found this board (ACV rinses, CO washes, not blowdrying, shampooing infrequently, using jojoba, not coloring, etc.). My hair quality has improved, but it's still somewhat frizzy and I'm just biding my time, growing it out past the damage i did to it before. Twice in the past few weeks, I've showered late at night and had to sleep on my hair wet. I put down a regular old towel since I don't want to wet my pillow and both mornings when I wake up my hair is incredibly soft and, like, glowing it's so shiny. This is totally counter-intuitive to me. Everything I've read indicates that you should NEVER sleep on wet hair since hair is so fragile when it is wet. I'm just curious if anyone else has come across this. It's a time saver and it's much less frizz inducing than the normal air drying so I might do it from now on, but I don't want to risk damaging my hair. Anyone else have similar experiences? It's also entirely possible that this is happening because my hair is completely insane and contrary, which wouldn't surprise me.  |
Replies:
Posted By: eKatherine
Date Posted: June 24 2005 at 8:38pm
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My experience is that there are no hard-and-fast rules that apply to everyone. Lots of the stuff that works for me is supposed to be absolutely destructive to the hair. Like, I always comb it when it's wet, rather than waiting til it dries into a rat's nest. I often use a brush, which I find to be gentler than any but the gentlest combing. And yes, if it's time to go to bed and my hair's wet, I put a towel on the pillow and go to bed.
For me, the hair is frizzier in the am, not silkier. I don't let that concern me. If it works for you, do it. ------------- 
Just looking for a few good hair slaves - is that too much to ask? |
Posted By: Viktoria
Date Posted: June 27 2005 at 11:55am
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I often sleep on wet hair. Showering in the morning has just never been part of my routine, since I either exercize in the evening or have hard labour jobs. I did avoid it when my hair was about BSL, but as it has gotten longer, it works better. It does not seem to damage my hair. What did damage my hair, and a change has improved it tremendously, is shampoo quality. Major benefit! ------------- The more you complain, the longer God lets you live. |
Posted By: Katja
Date Posted: June 27 2005 at 12:19pm
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I try not to sleep with wet hair, because they say it's bad and everything, but sometimes I just can't help it. Usually I'll put it in braids before sleeping when it's wet though (which is also bad I know As for it being soft and shiny when I wake up... sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. There are days when it looks great and I don't have to do anything to it before leaving the house and there are days when I wake up and it's a complete rat's nest. If it works for you and doesn't seem like it's causing damage, I say more power to you! ------------- "If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative." -Woody Allen |
) because if I leave it down I'll wake up with a lump of hair sticking up in the back and it's not easy to fix.Posted By: Kalika
Date Posted: July 04 2005 at 8:55am
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when I had long hair and slept on it when it was wet, it was also less frizzy. I think what happened is when you sleep your hair lies flat under you and it dries that way, instead of air drying when your up and walking around, when you can get fly aways. thats just my thoery anyway |
Posted By: papillon_purple
Date Posted: July 07 2005 at 9:59pm
| I always allow my hair to air dry at night. I don't go to sleep with my hair dripping wet. I do dry with a towel first. |
Posted By: enfys
Date Posted: July 09 2005 at 4:27pm
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When I go to bed with wet hair, I don't use a towel, I never use them on my hair anyway. I just squeeze out all the excess I can, then shake my head to loosen the rat-tail effect and when it comes to sleeping I just pull it over my shoulder, run my fingers through to separate it a little and tuck it back under my arm and fall asleep. This happens a lot because cleanliness is secondary to study as a student, but I don't find it makes a difference to when I air-dry in the day. I don't even bother using a towel to sleep on. That may be why my matress makes weird noises - rusty springs
------------- http://www.myspace.com/waltzin_with_the_open_sea - http://www.myspace.com/waltzin_with_the_open_sea Ah-ha, a place I can soon add hair pics...once I do some |
Posted By: ACCOLADY
Date Posted: July 10 2005 at 1:12pm
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Hello Akiz, EKatherine has a very valid point, what applies and works for your hair is what works for your hair. I sleep on wet hair all the time and it doesn't appear to have caused any trouble for my tresses. Because my hair is detangled with conditioner on, then rinsed straight, I gently twist it into a rope, then wrap it around and around my head until I run out of hair, then put my towel on. When I lay down, I simply release the twist of the towel and let it lay on my pillow. There are times I don't even remove the towel from my head, which serves as a sort of heat turban while I sleep. When I wake, my hair is generally still pretty damp and can then be combed and air dried, or put back into a bun for the day.
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Posted By: Jade30
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 2:20am
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wow! I never knew so many people slept with wet hair. I never do it cos it just feels so uncomfortable for me. |
Posted By: eKatherine
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 1:35pm
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Usually I want til my hair is half-dry to sleep on it, but if it is wet, I put a doubled towel on the pillow to keep it from getting wet. When the towel is uncomfortably damp, the hair is only damp, and I can throw off the towel and sleep on a dry pillow. -------------
Just looking for a few good hair slaves - is that too much to ask? |
Posted By: AnaisSatin
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 2:07pm
Amen! Sometimes I'll end up doing a hairwash at 1 o'clock in the morning, usually because I'd have gone a week and a half between washes  . This effectively has me sleeping with
at-least-damp hair. It hasn't done damage as far as I can tell. I try
to keep it on the damp side, not wet, for practical reasons.Anais ------------- http://anaissatin.livejournal.com">  my LJ , 40 inches long
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enfys wrote:Posted By: enfys
Date Posted: July 11 2005 at 2:33pm
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AnaisSatin, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. Big advantage of long hair number 35743: You can let it get greasy as hell and it can still look ok in a braid. ------------- http://www.myspace.com/waltzin_with_the_open_sea - http://www.myspace.com/waltzin_with_the_open_sea Ah-ha, a place I can soon add hair pics...once I do some |
Posted By: Viktoria
Date Posted: July 12 2005 at 11:56am
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True! This is a major benefit! No more bad hair days! ------------- The more you complain, the longer God lets you live. |
Posted By: blueorca84
Date Posted: July 14 2005 at 1:27pm
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That's what happens to me- my hair usually feels smoother and softer when I sleep with wet hair... |
Posted By: ACCOLADY
Date Posted: July 14 2005 at 3:27pm
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Big advantage of long hair number 35743 Okay, I give in and have to ask...forgive my ignorance, but what does this mean? ------------- Birds of a feather flock together & then crap on your car. ___________ If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague. ____________ Member since 2000, not reg. until 2005 |
Posted By: DaveDecker
Date Posted: July 14 2005 at 8:10pm
Merely that there are tens of thousands of advantages to having long hair. You know, as in "this is just # 35743 on the list."------------- |
Posted By: glorya_cam
Date Posted: July 15 2005 at 5:05am
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whoa!!! 35743rd on the list? i wonder what the other 35742 advantages are?...am trying to convince my self to wait for my hair to grow...i have this itch to have my hair cut, cut, cut short every time i feel it's not growing as fast as i want to...... |
Posted By: eKatherine
Date Posted: July 15 2005 at 8:31am
You need to work on the patience thing to become a true longhair. Being a longhair is learning to make a commitment to what you want to be. This is #8996 on the list. Growing long hair is a reflection of acquiring patience. This is #16745 on the list.  -------------
Just looking for a few good hair slaves - is that too much to ask? |
Posted By: ACCOLADY
Date Posted: July 17 2005 at 9:10am
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Ah, there we go, thank you all. I guess that one of the few disadvantages would be one's cat having a hayday in your hair without even realizing it. The other night our Tuxedo cat; Figaro, was laying on the bed just rousting about, having a good old time. As my hair was partially twisted and laying on the bed, I didn't notice what he was doing until I couldn't stand his activity any more. What a mess! LOL ------------- Birds of a feather flock together & then crap on your car. ___________ If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague. ____________ Member since 2000, not reg. until 2005 |
Posted By: Layla
Date Posted: July 17 2005 at 12:44pm
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I do it all the time even though they say it's not good. It's either that or blowdrying. ------------- Type: 3c/4a Natural Current Length: 6" Goal: Healthy, tip of nose /neck/shoulder length hair. BC: 02/08/06 |
Posted By: ACCOLADY
Date Posted: July 17 2005 at 1:54pm
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Hi Layla, First, please note that I am not picking on you, but rather I'm in a funny mood. When I saw your signature, the first thing I read was Goal: Armpit length 4" I do realize this means your head hair, but I had to laugh as I've apparently not had enough sleep or exhibit a lack of vitamins. Perhaps I sound a bit silly, but to look at my legs in the winter sometimes you'd think I had a goal for leg hair length.
------------- Birds of a feather flock together & then crap on your car. ___________ If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague. ____________ Member since 2000, not reg. until 2005 |
Posted By: DaveDecker
Date Posted: July 17 2005 at 6:08pm
 Yes, I guess there can be a few disadvantages to having long hair... And on what you noticed in Layla's
signature. I read it as 4" long armpit hair. I'm guessing
she really means head-hair-which-is-4-inches-past-armpits-long? ------------- |
Posted By: Jade30
Date Posted: July 18 2005 at 12:15am
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I remember growing up my grandmother would never let us sleep with wet hair. She always said sleep with wet hair = headaches the following morning. So my sisters and I have been trained never to sleep with wet hair. :) |
Posted By: DaveDecker
Date Posted: July 18 2005 at 7:07pm
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I will occasionally sleep with wet hair and it has caused me no known problems. YMMV
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Posted By: ACCOLADY
Date Posted: July 18 2005 at 8:46pm
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LOL, Dave, I had to look that one up on Google. YMMV Your Mileage May Vary ------------- Birds of a feather flock together & then crap on your car. ___________ If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague. ____________ Member since 2000, not reg. until 2005 |
Posted By: DaveDecker
Date Posted: July 19 2005 at 6:30pm
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Hi Accolady... I guess I'm showing my age. I still (vaguely)
remember TV ads for cars in which the announcer proudly stated their
city/highway mileage, and always quickly followed up by saying "your
mileage may vary." (An infamous disclaimer to say that consumers
shouldn't necessarily expect that their mileage won't be as high as advertised... for those who might not have known - there ya go).
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Posted By: akiz
Date Posted: July 22 2005 at 7:13pm
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Hey everyone, Thanks for all the responses. I've been pretty much sleeping on wet hair ever since I posted (my laziness knows no bounds; this is like a coup for me) and it's working out really well. My hair dries so much better and glossier that way. Go figure. Also, just to throw this out there, flax seed oil is incredible. (thanks Anise!) |
Posted By: AnaisSatin
Date Posted: July 22 2005 at 11:54pm
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Oh isn't it?? I love flaxseed now. Best of all it goes wonderfully with macaroni tuna salad. ETA especially when people want to cut down on the mayonnaise. (to save the mayonnaise for deep conditioning??) Thanks Anais ------------- http://anaissatin.livejournal.com"> my LJ , 40 inches long
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