View Full Version : Updo aficionados: How long do you let your hair stay wet?

June 2nd, 2010, 08:19 PM
I've learned a couple of updos since I've been frequenting LHC :) and this morning, after I washed my hair, I put it up in a figure 8 bun. Then I had a long, busy day. And I just took it down--and it's still wet. Of course.

Now, if I were like some people on this board, I would also sleep with it in a bun or braided. Which--since I have to go to bed now because of an early morning--means that my hair could easily stay wet for 24 hours.

How do those of you who wear your hair up daily and braid it or bun it at night deal with the constantly-wet issue? Isn't that hard on hair?

I'm going to bed with my usual loose hair so it will have a chance to dry, and tomorrow I'll probably wear it only half up, but I was just curious....:confused:

June 2nd, 2010, 08:36 PM
Being wet is the most vulnerable time for hair, so I avoid it. If at all possible, I want my hair fully dry before I comb it back, twist it, wind it - etc. Sometimes it's not possible, but I let my hair dry as soon as I can.

If my hair is wet or damp at night, I leave it loose and arrange it over the top of my pillow to partially or completely dry by morning. (I toss and turn a lot, but it tends to stay where I put it at this length, pretty much.)

June 2nd, 2010, 08:41 PM
I didn't comb or brush my hair before I put it in the figure 8 bun--my hair is straight and untangles on its own after washing--and the only way I can have my hair be even partially dry before I put it up is to wash it the night before--which I do sometimes--but when I shower in the morning, the wet updo is a must so I can get to work--if I'm going to do an updo, which is a very new habit for me.

And the other advantage to putting hair up while wet is that it stays better. I couldn't do a figure 8 with dry hair.

I guess I just won't be one of the "hair up for a year" people. My hair needs its down time!

June 2nd, 2010, 08:42 PM
I just leave mine wet most of the time. :)

I shower and WC (or CO) at night, bun while still fairly wet, then re-bun (still damp) the next morning. When my hair is damp, it's easier to detangle and do somewhat smooth updos.

June 2nd, 2010, 08:43 PM
I just leave mine wet most of the time. :)


I'm thinking that would damage my hair. (Delicate when wet and all!) But what do I know! :confused:

June 2nd, 2010, 08:44 PM
I always wait for my hair to dry fully before putting it up, but then mine isn't nearly as long as yours is so if I leave it down for an hour or so I'm good to go.

June 2nd, 2010, 08:48 PM
I dont like mine wet. I cant do anything with it and my updos are a mess. If I have time to let it air dry before bed, then I do but otherwise I get it to almost dry before I do anything by using a blowdryer on low heat on my scalp and the cool setting on the rest. It would make me crazy to have damp hair all of the time. Now that my hair is healthy it is less porous and only take a few minutes to get mostly dry by just using a little bit of low heat if necessary.

June 2nd, 2010, 08:54 PM
I put mine up wet, mainly because I wash it in the morning and I don't have the time to let it dry before I leave for work. So I carefully wrangle it into a lazy wrap or something similar with minimal twisting and combing. When I get home its usually still wet and I just take it down and let it finish airdrying before braiding it for bed.

June 2nd, 2010, 09:06 PM
I like to wash it at night before loosely braid it for sleeping. Sometimes its still a bit damp in the morning, but I can bun it and not get it wet in the shower. Then I'll brush it and let the last little bit of dampness air dry while I eat breakfast, get dressed etc. Then I'll either braid it or bun it and sort out my bangs... I do find "drying time" to be a problem. It just takes so long. I would prefer to be asleep and unaware of it.

June 2nd, 2010, 10:13 PM
I put my hair up while it is still damp quite often. It's still damp when I take it down, which is sometimes the next day. I have never had a problem with damage.

June 3rd, 2010, 01:01 AM
I put mine up wet almost every day and let it down at night. I don't like sleeping with a braid, so being out at night gives it a chance to dry. Also, living in a dry climate with relatively coarse and somewhat thin hair means it dries really quickly even at 36".

June 3rd, 2010, 01:52 AM
My hair usually takes about 2 hours to dry completely. When I have no other choice, I'll head to work with it down and put it up when I get there. Generally, though, if I know I'm going to be unable to wait for my hair to dry and I need to shower, I'll wear an extremely unattractive shower cap, so my hair won't get wet in the first place.

June 3rd, 2010, 01:52 AM
I always thought that was a protective thing to do. Maybe it depends on your climate?

June 3rd, 2010, 02:16 AM
I generally try not to put my hair up while its wet since it never dries completely that way. My hairdresser actually warned me about putting it up wet every day and never letting it completely dry, you could eventually start growing mold in your hair...ack. Honestly, my opinion is to let it dry if you have the time, but the occasional updo with it wet probably won't harm it especially if you're being really delicate with it to avoid damage.

June 3rd, 2010, 02:28 AM
My hair seems to be the happiest if it stays wet as long as possible which works out well since I wash my hair every morning and wear it up 98&#37; of the time (and I don't blow dry). My hair also stays up much better when it is wet/damp so if my hair happens to be dry when I want to put it up I will usually spray it with water until it is at least slightly damp.

I have never noticed damage from wet combing or twisting it into a bun but maybe I'm just lucky?

I braid my hair at night and some of the hair is usually still damp. By morning it is usually all dry though.

I don't think my hair would mold if for no other reason then I wash it every day, even if it stayed wet all the time it would get washed with shampoo every 24 hours give or take.

June 3rd, 2010, 06:14 AM
I at least let my hair air dry enough so that it definitely doesn't drip, even when squeezed, and doesn't slide to much, them I find that its only slightly damp when I take it out and I let it air-dry for a few hours on my shoulders

June 18th, 2010, 06:45 AM
The only time I don't wear my hair in a braid or up is on wash day because it takes the whole day to dry. I usually just put it in a low ponytail while it dries, then the next morning put it up.

June 18th, 2010, 08:14 AM
I won't let it stay wet for more than 24 hours. If I wash at night, bun for bed then updo the next morning. It'll still be wet that evening so I always take it down to let it dry. I don't like the thought of it being wet for too long.

June 18th, 2010, 08:59 AM
Huh. I'm not sure why, but it had never occurred to me that doing my fancy updos that I do while my hair is wet might be a contributing factor to my million fly aways. Hm.

Thanks to this thread, I think I'll start washing my hair at nights. An extremely loose braid at night will give it time to mostly dry and they I can do the fancy updos in the morning.

June 18th, 2010, 03:48 PM
I tend to just go to work with my wet hair down, and put it up when it's mostly dry. If I put it up when wet, I eventually get annoyed by the feeling of wetness on my scalp.

June 18th, 2010, 04:09 PM
If I don't put my hair up wet after I wash it, it's not going up. It's just too slippery the first day clean.

Then at the end of the day I leave it down for a couple hours to make sure it's dry before I go to bed. I can't sleep with a wet head.

June 18th, 2010, 04:24 PM
In general I find wet hair to be depressing. I just don't like it. It's a fifty/fifty chance for me, usually. I may put it up, I may let it dry down. I don't know until I do it. If I put it up wet, I will let it down to dry overnight.

June 18th, 2010, 07:48 PM
I have very fine hair and try not to comb or twist it tightly when wet, but there is really no avoiding it sometimes. Even if I sleep with it down at night it is still wet in the morning, so I figure I am better off gently braiding and bunning it to avoid the extra tangles than having it be wet, tangled, AND loose and thus annoying me greatly). If I wash it at night it is wet in the morning, wet in the evening again when I take my day's style out, and damp into the next evening. But I have still not noticed any major breakage or stretching with it, compared to when I used to dry it more vigorously. As long as you aren't tearing it like crazy when wet, or having single strands under significant tension, I doubt you'll see an increase in damage. Drying it more is MUCH more damaging, for me, than having it wet and confined. So even though it takes at least five hours to dry when hanging down my back, I get a lot less snarls and damage from it taking 40 hours to dry when braided or bunned :)

June 18th, 2010, 09:22 PM
I shower every night after work and most nights, put my hair up wet. If I have time later, I leave it down until it needs to be put up (with it being at tailbone, I can't do anything with it not in my way if it's down) again. I sleep with it braided for protective purposes. It's usually still damp in the morning and goes up again for work that way. By the time I get home, it's usually still slightly damp.

So, in short, my hair stays wet until I have a chance to sit on my rear and let it dry, which might be a few hours or a week. I haven't noticed any damage from it and for me anyway, the most important thing is to keep it up as much as possible whether it's wet or dry. I've been doing this generally-damp hair thing now for probably ten inches. If it was going to cause problems, it probably would have already.