Cold Hair and Cold Weather?????

Updated on October 25, 2010
K.K. asks from Fredericksburg, VA
24 answers

Hi everyone! I have a question for everyone! :) I am finally growing my hair long ago and its a little past my shoulders now. My friend told me that I could get sick (ear infections and etc) if I have cold hair and go outside in the cold weather. Is this true? I normally just shower and put my hair up in a ponytail. I never really blow-dry my hair. I actually assumed it was bad to blow dry your hair everyday or a lot. I have really thick curly hair and it's not easy to manage. If I normally blow-dry my hair and it gets a little wacky! If I decide to straighten my hair, then I blow-dry it and its so easy to manage. Anyhow, should I be blow-drying my hair after showering because of the cold weather?

Thanks!
Katie

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So What Happened?

Thank you everyone! :) I think if I have the time I will blow dry it for a few minutes. It seems from what everyone has pretty much said; its okay to go outside with cold hair--so if I don't blow my hair (as I never do) it won't make me sick!

I appreciate everyone clearing this up!

Stay warm and thank you!!!!!

Featured Answers

T.M.

answers from Bakersfield on

you cannot get sick. you only catch colds by bacteria and its generally caught in a warm room where bacteria thrive. Cold weather does not make anyone sick, EVER.

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B.B.

answers from Dallas on

Totally agree with Grandma T! My hair is shorter now, but it was always mid-back length. I went out with wet hair every day and never once got sick. bacteria and germs are what get you sick, not cold weather.

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A.S.

answers from Denver on

The reason people get sick more in winter is not because they go out with wet hair or without a jacket, it's because people are indoors more. Germs are transmitted easily on doorknobs and when people share sniffles in the same space.

I don't like to dry my hair much either, but in winter it's warmer to do so :)

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L.B.

answers from Biloxi on

I have thick curly hair and wore it long (mid-back) for years. I would towel dry and maybe run a blow dryer over it to take out the bulk of water, but I always put it up wet. Didn't catch a cold from it.

I do have a girlfriend, who, once, when in a snowy city, left the house with her hair wet and it froze!!!!! "Cause it was below freezing out.

Enjoy your hair !!!!

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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

Nope - sick from germs, not from wet hair. Just cold head from wet hair :)

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K.M.

answers from Norfolk on

I'm from Upstate NY. I spent my entire high school years going out in cold weather with wet hair. It would freeze on the way to school in the winter :) I NEVER got a cold, ear ache or any other kind of sick. My friends didn't either. It might make you feel a bit colder but that's it. Use your own judgment.

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M.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I don't think it will get this cold here, but in Chicago if I didnt' dry my hair a little bit it would freeze and split if I walked outside. My hairdresser has told me to stay away for the blowdryer as much as possible, it dries out the hair and can make it frizzy.
And no you can't get sick, but that's not what i tell my kids.

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C.R.

answers from Dallas on

Nope, not true. Cooties get you sick not the weather.
Just a note: My hair is past my booty and I can never get it really dry during the cooler months before stepping out. Never bothers me a bit ") I don't like to blow dry it much because it makes it appear frizzy even though I have very straight hair.
Congrats on growing it out.
C.

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

Wet hair has nothing to do with cold germs.
It's true we lose a lot of heat out the top of our heads so you wouldn't want to go out in freezing temperatures with a wet head. Put on a hat.
But still, wet hair does not equal germs.

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L.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I go out with long wet hair too in the winter, just wear a hat and you'll be fine. It's all about keeping warm. When you get to work, just turn your hat inside out and it'll dry.

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S.B.

answers from Washington DC on

My hair was down to my waist for all of high school and college and I lived in Chicago suburbs (talk about cold). I never blow dried my hair and was rarely sick. I think I got strep about once a year but that was it. I never really got colds that much and I have never had an ear infection. This is totally an old wives tale. My hair is also really thick. If I dry it I look like a poodle. The only issue I ever had was that my hair would still be slightly damp by lunch time:)

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L.M.

answers from Providence on

If it waas true i would of had lots of ear infections by now. I also always heard dont go outside with wet hair its too cold your going to get sick . Temp. out has nothing to do with it its those damm germs floating around eveywhere!

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M.P.

answers from Provo on

HAHAHAHA!!! In that case I should have permanent ear damage from all the non-existent ear infections I got while going outside waiting for the bus with wet hair and snowing outside when I was 8. Yeah germs cause colds and such, not wet hair.
But being cold does make your body more open to germs so If you're outside for just a little bit, I don't think you will be in danger of anything.

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R.D.

answers from Kansas City on

You do not get sick from going out with a wet head, contrary to what your grandma used to tell you! Colds come from germs. I have very long hair (waist length) and never dry it. I like it to stay healthy. To keep it back, I will wear a braid (starting at the nape of my neck) or a bun. If you put it in a ponytail regularly - especially when wet - you run the risk of a lot of breakage at the gathering. Ponytail holders pinch the hair and it makes it break. My hairdresser figured this one out because I had so much breakage at a certain length - right where the scrunchie was!

If you want to dry your hair, no matter the season you should not get it all the way bone dry. Dry until barely damp for the healthiest hair shaft. (Yes, even if you still use a straightener or curler.)

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L.N.

answers from New York on

yes, i believe in you get sick if you go out with wet hair (head) in cold weather.
my husband does not. he says that's old wives tale.
ok, but the numerous occasions i have gotten a head cold due to going out with wet hair have convinced me. i have not heard about ear infections, but i guess when people say you get ear infections it is because you get a head cold(stuffy nose) which could lead to ear infections.

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M.S.

answers from Washington DC on

A cold is a virus, you do not get a virus from having wet hair and going out in the cold. You must come in contact with the virus (for example touch something that someone with a cold sneezed on and then rub your eyes.) Your friend needs to do a little research and not believe old wives tales.

K.A.

answers from Washington DC on

A wet head causes your body to work a little harder at keeping you warm since (as already stated) a lot of heat is lost from your head. If you have a strong immune system, like regular healthy people do, then you'll be just fine. Now, if your immune system is compromised, like you are already coming down with something, your body has to work even harder to try to keep you warm. It's not the wet head that makes you sick. But you definitely do not want to go out with a wet head if you feel like you're coming down with something. : )

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R.M.

answers from Cumberland on

Yes-going out with wet hair subjects one to a chill which causes stress to the immune system -weakening the immune system makes you more susceptable to viruses which cause colds, etc. which lead to secondary infections-like ear infections or bronchitis, or sinus infections.
I think more importantly-it is better for your scalp to be dried after shampooing. Frequent blow drying is ok-if your hair gets too dry-try a product that you apply to the hair before drying. To avoid colds-wear gloves in public-beginning now-and if you go out without gloves-don't touch your nose or eyes until you wash your hands!

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

myth. cold does not somehow infiltrate and generate into viruses or bacteria.
it's not a bad idea to cover your head if it's wet, though, because we lose so much heat through our heads and wet hair will exacerbate that. being cold gives bacteria a better shot at taking root. so there is a connection, although it's pretty tenuous.
have a hood or a cute hat that you love, but mostly keep your immune system healthy. i NEVER blow dry my hair, i'm just too impatient.
:) khairete
S.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

It became true for me after one particularly bad bout of pneumonia. If I have wet hair in the winter (and it takes 2 days for my thick curly hair to air dry in the winter), I get pneumonia again. So I blow it out straight in the winter (essentially I wash and blow it out twice a week), and go curly in the summer.

Scientifically it makes sense if your body temp lowers, you become prime breeding ground for bacteria and viruses.

THESE days most people go from warm house to warm car to warm building. They're outside for so LITTLE, their body temp isn't lowering. But for people like me who spend hours outside every day, or for those in the past (before central heating) or for *anyone* who dunks in a river/ or in any other way gets hypothermic... yea... it can make you sick. By lowering your immune response in the presence of microbes.

For most people though, their immune systems are healthy enough to deal with the 15 minutes they spend in the cold, wet hair or no.

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T.J.

answers from Washington DC on

This is an old wives tale. You do not lose that much heat from your head - it is after all covered by hair and you lose just as much via your bare arms or legs. Viruses cause colds, not cold weather. I too have curly hair and never blow dry it - I go outside with wet hair in all types of weather and I do not get sick!

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J.C.

answers from Washington DC on

I have never heard about getting an ear infection. Anywho's I used to live in Miami and I would go out with wet hair and then I moved here to Maryland and did the same thing, the only thing I notice is that I would feel a bit colder when my hair was wet and it would take longer to dry. So now what what I do is blow dry it for a about 5 to 10 mins to get as much water out. Also I have never gotten sick from this, so I say not true.

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S.A.

answers from Washington DC on

i don't know, but what your friend suggested sounds a little silly to me. I've never heard of that, and I'be had long hair, short hair, wet hair, dry hair, ponytailed hair, and everything else you can imagine - all in the cold weather. and no ear infections. do what is normal and natural for your hair.

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