Debunking Wet Hair Myths

[x]   Tags: wet hair, sick from wet hair, moist hair, catching a cold, damp hair, sleeping with damp hair, catching a cold, catching the flu : cold, flu, sick, fungus, wet, damp, moist, dry, hair tips, hair myths, health tips, hair advice, outside, bed, shower, bath : Health, Health video, Medical videos, Medical, Video

[x]   Transcript: You've heard it before, "Don't go outside with wet hair, you'll get sick." But does this advice carry weight? To find the truth, let's take a closer look the most common wet hair myths. The MOST common myth? Going outside with wet hair will make you catch a cold or flu. Almost everyone's grandmother has probably said this at some point. But for how widespread this belief is, it holds little truth. While going out into cold weather with a wet head MIGHT make you feel chillier, it WON'T make you sick. The only way to get sick is from a virus. Viruses like cold, dry weather and when we spend more time inside around people who might be infected, we're more likely to be infected, too.You may have heard that sleeping with wet hair causes scalp fungus to grow. In reality, sleeping with wet hair may cause your pillow to smell a little funky and leave weird crimps in your hair, but you CAN'T catch a fungal infection. Funguses like ringworm are passed through contact such as sharing a hat, comb, or towel. HOWEVER, if you've COME in contact with a fungus, a warm moist scalp CAN speed up how fast it spreads. So if you are infected, it MIGHT be better to dry off before heading to bed. And...Our final myth. Hair SHOULDN'T be brushed or styled when wet. This one is actually TRUE. Damp hair becomes swollen and can easily be broken. Brushing it can pull strands past their point of elasticity, causing them to snap. To get tangles out while your hair is still wet, use a wide toothed comb or hair pick. To discover more ways to keep your hair healthy, check out the rest of the videos in this series.

[x]   Bio: Dr. Hanjani graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2002. She completed her residency training at the University of Rochester in New York. Dr. Hanjani has clinical interest in hair and hair disorders. She provides education support to dermatology residency program as the Director of the Allen Pavilion Consultation Service. Dr. Hanjani is a Diplomat of the American Board of Dermatology and a Fellow of the American Board of Dermatology. She joined the Department of Dermatology at Columbia in 2006.