Should I Wet My Hair Every Day?
Developing the proper hair care routine can be challenging.
There are hundreds of factors to consider, such as using the right products, styling your hair with the least heat, and identifying your hair type or porosity.
It gets overwhelming.
You may feel lost or confused, but taking baby steps and learning what works for you in the long run will help improve your hair’s overall health.
When in doubt, it’s always recommended to seek advice from a licensed hairstylist or cosmetologist.
How often should you wash your hair, and what products are the best?
Something as simple as washing your hair can get confusing.
It’s easy to get lost in a whirlwind of questions. Even wondering if wetting your hair every day can lead to uncertainty.
So, should you wet your hair every day?
There are multiple factors to consider. Your hair type, texture, porosity, and elasticity can all determine whether wetting your hair daily is healthy for you.
As we take a deeper dive into how wetting your hair every day can affect you, it’s significant to clarify one thing.
Hair is personal, and what works for one person may not work for everyone, but it’s always interesting to learn something new every day.
Does Wetting Your Hair Every Day Damage It?
Everyone has different needs when it comes to hair.
Some people have hair that is resilient and absorbs products well, while others have the opposite.
Wetting your hair can be more damaging for specific hair types and textures, too.
Now, you may have heard countless times that washing your hair every day or even every other day isn’t good for the health of your scalp and strands.
However, people with extremely oily hair often wash their hair daily to keep it clean and fresh.
However, does wetting your hair every day damage it? First, it’s essential to learn what dampening the hair means and how to do it at home.
How To Wet Your Hair Properly
Wetting your hair means rinsing it with plain water. You can mist water into your strands, or you can thoroughly wet them in the shower.
However, it doesn’t replace shampoo and conditioner.
One thing to consider before wetting your hair is that if you do it incorrectly, you can end up stripping the natural oils your hair and scalp need to remain healthy and balanced.
Stripping oils away isn’t always a good idea.
It is always recommended to add a nourishing or moisturizing element while wetting the hair if you plan to water the hair every day.
This will ensure that you don’t lose moisture or oils that your hair needs to remain intact.
Hair Type and Porosity
Your hair type, texture, and porosity will help you determine whether wetting your hair every day is the right choice for you. Multiple combinations make up your hair.
For example, people with fine hair can still have dense and thick hair.
Just because the texture of your hair is fine doesn’t automatically mean you have thin, stringy hair.
However, it can indicate how water will affect your strands and other characteristics. Thankfully, it’s not too tricky to figure out.
Hair Type
There are four general hair types you should know about. Within each hair type are three variations. The following hair types are:
- Straight (1A, 1B, 1C)
- Wavy (2A, 2B, 2C)
- Curly (3A, 3B, 3C)
- Coily (4A, 4B, 4C)
1. Straight
You can wet your hair daily with straight hair, but you may not need to.
Straight hair is the most prone to breakage when it’s thoroughly wet. While it’s damp, please wait for it to dry before brushing or combing.
However, if you must wet your hair, the best tool to detangle straight hair is a wide-tooth comb. Don’t forget your leave-in nourishing products, either.
Also, a little product goes a long way. Straight hair can quickly look greasy or stringy when oily.
Hair is the most fragile and prone to breakage while it’s wet, so if you do want to try wetting it daily, brush through it while it’s dry before going in with the water.
This will get the knots out, minimizing damage while your hair is damp.
2. Wavy
Wavy hair can go either way. This is where personal preference and experimentation will come into play.
You will need to determine whether wetting your hair works best for your hair type.
Also, it’s recommended to add a hydrating ingredient, such as a leave-in conditioner.
Just in case your wavy hair doesn’t react well to wetting your strands daily.
It still needs hydration and nourishment to retain its healthy structure, so adding a leave-in conditioner can be beneficial.
3. Curly/Coily
Each of the hair types above will act differently towards water.
Curly and coily hair tend to have a dry scalp and hair, while straight and wavy hair is more prone to an oily scalp and hair.
This is the main distinction between the hair types.
When it comes to wetting the hair daily, anything in excess isn’t beneficial.
However, some hair types will need it more than others.
For example, individuals with curly or coily hair can benefit from wetting the hair daily.
It’s important to clarify that wetting your hair with water and washing it with shampoo and conditioner are two different things.
Curly and coily hair types are more likely to be dry, so adding moisture each day can help retain curls.
However, when wetting curly and coily hair, always add a leave-in conditioner, oil, mask, or a moisturizing hair product to keep the curls full of life.
This can also help reduce frizz and create more defined curls.
Porosity
Porosity refers to the ability of the hair to retain or absorb moisture.
It is also essential to know whether you are shopping for a new hair product or are interested in wetting your hair daily.
A quick hair lesson, the strands of your hair are composed of three layers:
- The Cuticle – the outermost protective layer of the hair
- The Cortex- the thickest layer of the hair that determines the hair’s pigment
- The Medulla- the center layer within the hair shaft
How tight or open your cuticle is can help determine the Porosity of the hair.
There are three levels of porosity:
- Low Porosity: The hair’s cuticle is tightly closed together, making it challenging for water to saturate the hair.
However, once the cuticle allows it to penetrate the cortex, it will be hard for the water or moisture to leave the hair. - Medium Porosity: The cuticle is not tightly sealed, but there are fewer gaps.
- High Porosity Hair: The hair cuticle is open, with wide gaps that allow moisture to be absorbed quickly, but it can be not easy to retain that moisture.
Once you determine your hair’s porosity, you can further conclude if wetting your hair daily is the right choice for you.
Learning how your hair absorbs or holds in moisture will also help you next time you need to purchase a hair product.
The Takeaway
So, can wetting your hair every day damage it? Not necessarily, especially if you wet your hair with a leave-in conditioner.
It can add moisture that your hair may need. Washing your hair daily, on the other hand, can damage your hair.
Is wetting your hair for all hair types? Those with straight or thin hair may be prone to breakage when brushing or combing wet hair.
It’s recommended to avoid wet hair, but if you decide to wet your hair, brush it first while it’s dry.
You may want to use gentle accessories to help keep your hair from breaking, too.
Wavy-haired individuals can go either way when it comes to dampening the hair.
Some people may find it nourishing to add moisture to their hair every day, while others may find that it causes more breakage.
Wavy hair can also be coarse and prone to frizz.
Those with curly and coily hair will most likely see the best results with hair wetting.
Whether it’s in the shower or with a spray mist, wetting the hair and following with a hydrating product can help keep the curls defined.
Overall, it’s all about personal preference and trial and error.
If you know a trusted hairstylist or cosmetologist, it can be beneficial to seek out their advice.
Remember, hair is personal, and we all have different needs and goals.
If you are interested in wetting or dampening your hair daily, find your favorite hydrating or leave-in product.
Also, anything done too long can lead to unwanted results, but lightly wetting the hair for moisture can have its advantages.
Your hair can act as an extension of your health, so it’s essential to treat it well.
