Wet Hair Care: 7 Essential Tips to Follow

You know that your hair is far more fragile while wet than dry, but what does that mean for your haircare routine? And, what specific things should you never do with wet hair?

If you aren’t sure, you might be causing accidental damage, leaving your hair looking tired and robbing your look of its full potential!

Thankfully, you can get your regimen back on track by avoiding these top seven fatal errors. Read on for all the details. 

1. Rough Drying 

If you only remember one hair care tip from our list, make it this one! Rubbing and roughly drying wet hair can cause it to tangle and break, even if you use a soft towel.

Instead, use a gentle squeezing or scrunching motion to remove excess moisture. You can also flip your hair upside down while doing this for a small root lift and potentially a bit of extra volume. 

If you’re in a hurry, opt for a super absorbent towel like microfiber. Or, try using an old cotton T-shirt. We promise, that this trick really works!

2. Over-conditioning Your Roots

Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp, and slathering yours with conditioners and styling products is guaranteed to deliver unwanted results. Your body creates plenty of natural oil to keep this area in balance, and adding chemicals to the mix won’t help.

In fact, this is a great way to wind up with sticky or clumping roots, dandruff, and other unattractive issues.

For people with acne-prone skin, it can be helpful to apply these products from ear level down. This helps to prevent breakouts.

Everyone else should start an inch or two from their hair’s roots. 

If our hair is easily weighed down by conditioner, try using a nourishing oil instead. Start at your hair’s ends and work your way up, using “praying hands” to smooth the product in.

3. Sizzling Heat Tools

If you want a silky smooth and straight finish, opt for a keratin treatment over damaging heat tools. The results are more impressive and longer lasting – and the treatment won’t wreak havoc on your hair.

Of course, you’ll still need to use heat tools for touch-ups and fast styling. But, these types of treatments shouldn’t be performed on soaking wet hair. 

Simply put, if you hear a sizzle while using your styling tools, you’re doing it wrong!

Make sure that your hair is nearly dry before using an iron or blow dryer on it. And, be sure to apply a protective treatment before you do.

4. Tying It Back

Sometimes, you just need to throw your hair in a bun or ponytail and deal with it later. But, you should make sure your locks are done drying before you do.

When used on wet hair, rubber bands and hair elastics can cause breaking, damage, and split-ends, even if they’re advertised as gentle or non-damage causing. 

Try using a fabric headband or bandana to keep your hair out of your face instead. Or, opt for a satin scrunchie or a claw clip. 

5. Going to Sleep 

Right before bed might seem like the perfect time for hair maintenance, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Going to sleep with wet hair allows your strands to rub against the pillowcase all night, working against all of your anti-frizz efforts. This friction will strip shine and moisture from your hair, even if you’ve used hydrating and straightening treatments.

If you’re applying an overnight treatment like a hair mask, use a shower cap or specially designed plopping fabric to protect it. This will also keep styling products and conditioners out of your bedding and off of your skin. 

6. Turban Wrapping

Wrapping your hair in a towel while you get dressed is an age-old habit, and most of us have been guilty of it at some point or another. 

Unfortunately, this strategy bends strands at an unnatural angle, putting pressure on the roots and potentially causing breakage, too. Wrapping wet hair also traps moisture inside, which can lead to an itchy and uncomfortable scalp, dandruff, and other nasty situations like fungal infections.

Instead, let your scalp breathe while your hair is drying, and opt for the scrunch or plop method if you want to remove moisture without manual drying. 

7. Using a Brush to Detangle

No matter what kind of nutrient-rich hair treatments you’ve been using, a bad brushing session is nearly guaranteed to undo all your hard work. 

Rough brushing will snap even fairly healthy hair off easily, and the damage is even worse if you aren’t using the right brush for your hair type. 

For most people, a wide-toothed comb is best for detangling. Then, a round or paddle brush can be used for sectioned styling, blowdrying, and more.

Care For Your Wet Hair

Now that you know a bit more about wet hair care, it’s time to make a change to your everyday washing and styling habits.

Start with an accurate self-assessment. What mistakes have you been making? And, what top-of-the-line products should you add to the mix to fight frizz and keep your hair looking its very best?

If your situation is dire, don’t despair! Visit a Magic Sleek salon for guaranteed results from a professional stylist. A fresh cut and deep repairing treatment will get you back on track, even if you’ve been damaging your wet hair for a while.