Every curl needs moisture to thrive, and that's why Curly Girls everywhere are trying everything under the sun to keep their hair hydrated.
Hairstylists and bloggers recommend many remedies to prevent dry hair and retain moisture, including sulfate-free shampoos and leave-in conditioners.
One remedy that's not as well understood is wetting your natural hair every day. There are many proponents of this hydration method, but some are not so sure.
If you're on the fence about whether you wet curly hair every day, you're in the right place. We'll clear things up for you in this article.
Should I Wet My Natural Hair Every Day?
Curly hair strands are prone to dryness and can almost always benefit from more water. Whether you're wearing your hair in a wash-and-go, high puff, deva cut, Rezo cut, or even braids, wetting your hair every day can go a long way to retaining its moisture levels.
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Though this is the case, there are some things that you should be aware of when wetting your hair every day. In the sections below, we'll detail a few of them:
Note: The techniques in this article are designed to prevent dryness for people with natural waves, curls, kinks, and coils. If you have straight hair, these techniques may work for you too, but they've been specifically written for ladies with curls.
Key Takeaways
- Daily Hair Wetting for Curly Hair Types: Wetting natural hair daily, especially for curly or kinky hair types (e.g., 'type 4 curl patterns'), can help maintain moisture levels. It's beneficial for various hairstyles, from wash and go to protective styles, promoting healthy hair.
- Temperature and Hair Health: Use lukewarm or cool water to wet your hair, as hot water can dry out the hair shaft, leading to dry scalp and hair. This is crucial for maintaining the natural oils and moisture in black hair and other naturally curly hair textures.
- Hygral Fatigue Awareness: Frequent wetting and re-moisturizing may contribute to hygral fatigue, characterized by symptoms like excess tangling and the loss of hair luster, although the research behind it is limited.
- Hard Water Effects on Hair: Hard water can strip the hair of its natural oils, leading to dryness and product buildup. Using a water softener or special hair care products (e.g., sulfate-free shampoo or moisturizing product) can mitigate these effects, especially for high-porosity hair and dry natural hair.
- Proper Wetting Techniques: Refreshing curls with a water spray bottle and minimizing product reapplication can prevent issues like product buildup and hygral fatigue. This approach is beneficial across various hair types, including thick hair, wavy hair, and oily hair, ensuring the best results for hair health.
Hot Water Can Lead to Dryness When Washing Curly Hair
Wetting your hair while you're taking a warm or hot shower may seem to be convenient, but doing so can very quickly lift and dry out your hair cuticles.
If your hair feels dry after wetting it with hot water, the temperature of the water is probably the culprit.
Lukewarm or even cold water is a much better option if you want to keep your hair moisturized. Feel free to wet your hair every day with cool water (or warm water) - your hair will thank you.
Hygral Fatigue and Wetting Your Hair Strands Everyday
If you have no idea what hygral fatigue is, let us fill you in. Hygral fatigue is the idea that your hair strands get damaged by swelling with water and shrinking back again and again. There isn't much evidence for it, so treat the signs below as a reason to ease up rather than a diagnosis.
If you wet your hair down to your scalp every day and reapply moisturizing products every time, hygral fatigue is something that you should keep an eye out for to avoid damaged hair.
Signs of Hygral Fatigue
Here are some of the signs of hygral fatigue:
- Your hair gets tangled more often than usual.
- Upon touching your hair, you notice a gummy texture.
- When you look at your hair in the mirror, you'll find that it has lost its shine and luster.
- Your hair is falling out or shedding excessively.
- The hair feels dry regardless of how much moisture you apply.
- Your hair is frizzier than usual.
If you notice any of the above signs of hygral fatigue, we recommend limiting damaging hair practices (heat styling, relaxing, harsh shampoos, chlorinated water, etc.) and wetting your hair less often. You should see your hair return to normal over time.
Hard Water is Bad for Hair
Hard water and hair never mix. Why? Because hard water is full of minerals that bind to your hair and form a stubborn film. This film acts as a barrier against moisture.
If you have hard water and you continually use it on your hair, you'll find that your hair stays dry no matter what you do to it.
Here are some signs that you have hard water:
- You notice spots on your dishes after washing them in the dishwasher.
- When you wash your hands in the water, you'll feel a film on your hands.
- Your hair is frizzy, lacks shine, or feels weighed down even when you haven't applied any hair products to it.
- Your scalp is irritated after you wash your hair, no matter what products you use.
- Your hair doesn't have much movement or looks stiff.
Water softeners can easily remove the hard water minerals from your water. We suggest you use one whether you plan on wetting your hair daily or not.
Note: If you have hard water, we highly recommend reading this article on how to create a natural hair regimen. The article will outline the process of creating a hair healthy routine that includes a shampoo, leave-in conditioner, deep conditioning treatment, protein treatments, and more to ensure your hair is getting enough moisture.
How to Wet Your Hair Every Day
There's a right way and a wrong way to wet your hair every day. Find out more in the sections below.
Refresh Your Natural Curls
Your day one wash n' go may look perfect, but after sleeping on it, it's normal for the style to go flat and dry. Water is the perfect thing to bring your wash n' go back to its formal glory.
The best way to do a daily curl refresh is to spray it with water from a spray bottle. The water will remoisten the products that you applied to your hair on day one.
You can then use your fingers to reshape the curls however you'd like. The less product you add, the better. Reapplying product to your hair daily may not only lead to hygral fatigue but could also lead to buildup on your hair and scalp.
Moisturize Protective Styles
Just because your hair is in a protective style doesn't mean that it doesn't need moisture. Your hair can still become dry if you don't take steps to prevent it.
Spraying your hair and scalp every day with water will help to restore their moisture levels. If you'd like, you can add natural oils to your water spray for an extra dose of hydration.
Wetting Your Hair in the Shower
There are instances where wetting your hair in the shower every day may be necessary. For example, if you work out daily and sweat excessively on your scalp (e.g., exercise for hair growth), a daily rinse can help keep your scalp fresh.
When you do wet your hair in the shower, make sure the water is lukewarm or cool. This will help to stave off hair dryness.
If you don't wash your hair every, consider wearing a plastic shower cap while you shower to avoid getting your hair wet.
Pros and Cons of Wetting Your Hair Every Day
By this point, you may notice that wetting your hair every day doesn't come without issues. In this section, we'll illuminate all of the advantages and disadvantages of daily hair wetting.
Pros
- Water is the most hydrating substance available, making it a fantastic hair hydrator.
- It doesn't take long to rinse or spray your hair with water.
- Hydrated hair is easier to manage.
Cons
- Wetting your hair repeatedly can become tedious, and so can waiting for your hair to dry.
- Daily hair wetting and product reapplication increase your chance of developing hygral fatigue.
- Wetting your hair daily could mean repeated blow-drying and styling, which could lead to hair damage and breakage from over-manipulation.
You'll have to decide whether the pros outweigh the cons.
Related Articles
- How Often Should You Wash Your Hair
- How Often Should You Moisturize Your Hair
- Best Moisturizers for Low Porosity Hair
- Protective Styles You Can Get Wet
Is Swimming Daily Bad for Your Hair?
Swimming daily can be damaging to your hair, and it's because of what's in pool water. Public pools, for example, have salt and chlorine in your hair - salt and chlorine can both dry your hair out. Chlorine can also severely dry out your scalp, which can interfere with hair growth.
If you are a swimmer, we recommend protecting your hair from the chemicals in the water by doing one or more of the following:
- Fully saturating your hair with plain water before getting into the pool water.
- Rinsing the chlorine from your hair immediately after getting out of the pool.
- Apply oil to your hair before swimming.
- Wearing a swim cap while you're swimming.
If you do one or more of the above, you'll notice a positive difference in your hair!
Final Thoughts
Now you know that you can wet your hair every day. That is, as long as you are not using hard water, reapplying moisturizing products every time, or using super-hot water. If you decide to wet your hair daily, pay close attention to your hair.
You may need to rinse or spray your hair less often if you're experiencing hygral fatigue. We wish you the best as you learn how to care for your natural hair.
