Never Go Out In The Cold With Wet Hair. Here's Why
Getting out the door in the morning is a great accomplishment in itself. The necessary primping and prepping while dreaming of coffee takes time. Even for those lucky early birds who have their morning routines down to a synchronized dance, the tempo can get away from them sometimes, leaving no time to dry their hair. It is free of consequences to just accept you're going for the more natural, air-dried look in the warmer months, but think twice before you leave the house with wet strands on the chillier days.
Not leaving the house with wet hair sounds like one of the elementary rules we heard our parents preach to us on autopilot about while growing up. The aim may have been to help us avoid getting sick, but we're here to discuss the proven fact that wet hair exposed to cold temperatures puts our mane at a greater risk of damage. Anwar Zahar, principal technician for Aveda's research and development, shares with Well + Good, "When it's cold outside, it's very important not to leave the house with wet hair as it has a greater risk of damage." Zahar shares the science behind his claim, saying, "Water molecules in the hair can expand — or even solidify if it's below freezing — which causes the hair shaft to swell, making it prone to breakage."
Why cold temps are bad for your mane
Top hairdresser Jason Collier, whose A-list client list includes Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller, and Eva Longoria, shares with Insider another reason for not exposing your wet locks to the frigid temperatures. "It also stiffens the hair strand, which then makes it far easier for the hair to snap and break, leaving you with uneven, split ends all over the head — which, in the worst-case scenario, means needing to get your hair cut shorter to even out the difference."
Luckily for us, there is a way to avoid the risk of breakage. It appears to be all about time management. As temperatures drop, it is way too easy to stay under those warm covers and hit the snooze button. When it comes to drying our hair before going out, Collier advises to Insider, "Either do it before bed, or get up an hour earlier, there's no excuse." We know, we know — easier said than done. But the grisly thought of our hair snapping off in the cold weather encourages us to try our very best to make time for the blow dryer in the a.m.