I like to partake in an evening shower. Spiritually, I like the feeling of washing the day away. More practically speaking, it also works out best because I’m a night person. Which conversely means that I’m very much not a morning person. Plus I consider a shower to be a relaxing, self-care activity, and I wouldn’t want to rush that. So in summation: I take my showers at night, and that includes washing my hair, which I dry off with a special towel and then sleep on damp after laying a separate towel over my pillow. Over the years I’ve found that this method really shows off my natural curls, so they’re in peak Shirley Temple-meets-Andie MacDowell mode the next day. Well, now some experts are out to rain on my bedtime parade. Apparently, sleeping with wet hair can adversely affect your hair, skin, overall health, and bedding. But… my curls look good! Here’s what Better Homes & Gardens, Wad-Free Bedding founder Cyndi Bray, and the Sleep Foundation have to say on the matter:
Potential health issues: According to the Sleep Foundation, sleeping with wet hair can lead to hair breakage (especially if it’s treated with chemicals), exacerbate skin conditions (such as acne) and even cause scalp infections due to fungal growth. The good news is that the organization actually debunks the old wive’s tale that sleeping with wet hair can cause a cold. They also indicate that the negative effects on hair and skin have not been proven to affect everyone who sleeps with wet hair. But, is it worth the potential risk? If you have chronic conditions, such as an itchy, flaky scalp or clogged pores, and regularly hit the hay with damp hair, it’s a good idea to rework your routine.
Bad for the bedding: “Inevitably, wet hair will dampen the pillows, pillowcases, and sheets for hours at a time, providing a breeding ground that nasties thrive in,” Bray says. If enough moisture accumulates over time, you could be breathing in spores and exposed to mold toxicity. So, while sleeping with wet hair won’t cause a common cold, it still has the ability to make you sick. “Any hair product applied before bed transfers to the bedding, potentially staining and weakening the fabric,” Bray adds. Undoubtedly, your health taking a toll is more dangerous, but it’s also important to know that you’re unnecessarily shortening the life of your sheets, pillows, and mattresses — which can be expensive to replace.
Tips for drying your hair if you still shower at night: Use a microfiber towel immediately after washing your hair to soak up as much moisture as possible. If you only have limited time or energy to dry your hair manually, focus on getting the roots, as they will have the most contact with your bedding throughout the night. If your hair is still damp, consider sleeping with a silk scarf or bonnet or on a silk pillowcase. Although the material can still attract bacteria when exposed to moisture, it will do a much better job of protecting your hair from damage.
Wash your sheets & pillows: Make sure to wash sheets regularly (at least once per week as the suggested standard) and ensure that they’re dry before remaking the bed. Wash your pillows (not just the pillowcases) as well, especially since they’re most often in contact with your hair, scalp, and face. It’s recommended to do so roughly every three months and, surprisingly, experts suggest they be replaced every one to two years.
Ok, in my defense I am already doing most of their suggestions for us diehard night-washers! Special towel to dry hair immediately after showering? Check. (I’ve been using Turbie Twists, but if I need to upgrade to microfiber then so be it.) Vigorously working to dry off the roots? Check. I have a silk pillowcase I should try, but frankly I’m a bit surprised they didn’t mention putting down a towel. I use a fresh one, not the Turbie Twist for my hair or the towel for drying off my body. And everything gets washed! Except fine, you got me, I haven’t been washing the pillows themselves. That’s a new one to me, thanks for adding to my list of chores, BH&G.
But in the name of science (and my bone-deep reluctance to alter my nocturnal routine in any way), I went directly to the Sleep Foundation’s website. I invite you to do the same, because I found their tone to be way less dire. Their language spoke to potential risks, but seemed to emphasize that no definitive links have been found between sleeping on wet hair with developing acne or follicle damage. Or am I crazy (don’t answer that) and just projecting my wishful thinking? For now, I’m just gonna ruminate and sleep on these warnings. Yes, likely with damp hair.
Photos via Instagram/Turbie Twist and Vlada Karpovich and Olly on Pexels. This post contains affiliate links.
I’m Team Sleep With Damp (not wet) Hair. I hang out with a towel on my head after my shower to absorb moisture for about half an hour, then air dry with my fingers. I never blow dry my hair and only rarely put product on it, so I don’t have to worry about that. I wind it up loosely in a scrunchy so I get nice beachy waves in the morning, no styling necessary! And I sleep with bamboo pillowsheets that I change once a week if not more (okay, I’m not washing my pillows either but still). Never had a problem! And in the summertime a cool or cold evening shower is the best way to cope with no air conditioning…
I cannot abide a morning shower, I hate the feel of water on my skin when I wake up….it’s weird I know but I love my evening shower, it’s so relaxing. Self care includes slathering my moisturizer of choice all over, face skincare, the works…There is no way I could manage all that in the morning LOL
Look. I’m skincare obsessed. But I also have to live my life and find it somewhat enjoyable. Night showers work best for me. So does sleeping on my side.
I’m not going to change the way I sleep for better skin / fewer wrinkles. I draw the line. I love to sleep. I’m not going to ruin that for myself by “training”’myself to sleep on my back.
Life is short. I’m going to wrinkle if I get to continue to be alive. Same goes for my hair. I’m not changing based on some random fear mongering. Tell me it causes Cancer? Then I change.
I’m so used to evening/nighttime showers that whenever I take one in the daytime for any reason I get extremely sleepy and my brain just shuts down and wants to go back to bed, even if I had a full night’s sleep and felt completely rested and even energized before showering.
So I try to avoid doing daytime/morning showers if possible. I do try to shower early enough in the evening so that my hair gets enough time to get fairly dry at least near my scalp and so it’s only my ends that are wet.
I’ve done that pretty much my whole life and my hair has been down to my butt (it’s currently to the middle of my ribs, because my hair is thick and it gets heavier the longer it gets, but it was down to my butt like… A year and a half ago?). Obviously everyone’s different, but seeing how groggy morning showers make me (I’m fairly sure I could show up drunk or hangover and have more energy than I have after showering 😅) I really don’t like taking one then unless absolutely necessary.
Ok so I have been looking/lurking since the way back times (what’s for breakfast type) and you gave me a giggle. Keep it up fellow wet head with a blanket on the pillow.
It definitely depends on the hair / skin type. I have fine hair. If I leave my hair wet, it causes dandruff. That doesn’t happen to everyone, so it took some time for me to figure it out. I enjoy morning showers anyway. So, I just dry my hair quickly after taking shower, which gives volume to my hair (another positive aspect for me).
Years back I had a job I despised.
Arriving home at the end of the day, I would enter the house, strip off and right into the shower.
I got to the point, I had almost shaved my head to make “getting the job off me” faster.
Nope, unless I am ill, no damp hair at bedtime for me.
I was unfortunately one of the folks that ended up with severe scalp iritation/fungus from falling asleep with a damp towel on my head at one point – it took me months to get rid of it. It was absolutely horrible. I rarely shower at night but if I do, Im blow drying the crap out of my hair!
I’m black and I have chemically treated hair and never sleep with wet hair. I just assumed it would break my hair. And I can’t imagine sleeping on a wet pillow is a nice feeling.