Your hair already goes through a lot of stress when you are braiding it. Doing braids when the hair is wet will obviously put even more pressure on them. Your hair is at its weakest position when it is wet.
Ideally, you should not braid your hair when it is wet, as it could seriously damage them. But, there are some more things to keep in mind. Braiding is beautiful, but definitely not easy. Going for braided hairstyles requires a lot of small learning.
Braiding increases tension in the hair strands from the roots, which can lead to hair fall and breakage. Wet hair is easy to pull out. So, braiding already wet hair will definitely contribute to significant hair fall and damage.
What Are The Risks Of Braiding Wet Hair?
- Braiding wet hair will lead to a huge frizz when they dry up. No braid will stay the way it was earlier. Will end up giving you a tired and messy look that you don’t want.
- Breaking off pieces of hair, pulling out sections of hair, and even causing split ends.
- Your scalp will swell. Water adds weight to your hair. Doing braids on top of it can be the reason for neck pain and headache.
- Your hair will have to sustain significant damage. They will get brittle, the shafts will break off, and hair will fall off from the roots.
Why Does Braiding Wet Hair Irritate My Scalp?
It will take longer to dry if wet hair is braided. And when your hair shafts stay wet for too long, your scalp will lose its natural moisture. A dry scalp with heavy braids is the worst combination for your comfort. This is why you feel irritations on your scalp by exercising this practice.
How To Braid Wet Hair Without Damaging It?
- The best way to do it is to allow the hair to dry. Do not get confused here. Dry your hair just a bit. Use damp hair for braiding.
- Prep the hair for a few weeks before styling it with braids. Moisturize your hair, and improve its health so that it can take the pressure of damp braiding.
- Be patient with the braiding task. Do not hurry, because it will be your loss. Slowly make the braids so that your hair roots can adjust to them.
- Use a hair cream to smoothen your strands. Doing so will ease the pressure while styling.
What Is The Best Way To Braid Wet Hair?
Dutch braids are perfect for wet hair styling. You can create this style with bigger sections and thicker braids. Less tightened braids on a bigger volume of hair mean less weight on your scalp.
Very similar to this is the fishtail braid. Dutch braids have to be created at an angle, fishtail braids can be created completely straight. Other than that, the process is totally the same.
Both styles are one of the simplest braiding hairstyles and are suitable for wet hair. Just follow the normal interlocking pattern with thicker strands on bigger sections. Lock the style with a clip or band.
Is It Better To Braid Wet Or Dry Hair?
The outright best option is to braid dry hair. Wet hair already puts a lot of stress on your head. Braiding over that can be disastrous. And dry hair may also provide you with more styling options with braiding.
Which Would Cause More Damage: Braiding Wet Hair Or Dry Hair?
Braiding wet hair is supposed to cause more damage to your hair. You can lose your hair, and the remaining ones will become dry, frizzy, and weak. That does not mean braiding on dry hair will not damage your strands, they will.
FAQs
Yes, it is, but you can do it if you feel comfortable. Your hair is very sensitive, thus putting so much pressure on braiding wet hair is not good.
If you like your hair straight, then yes it is bad. Because doing so will make your hair wavy or bring minor curls.
There are a few different ways to braid your hair before bed, and the method you choose will depend on your hair type and desired outcome. If you have short hair, try braiding it into one or two French braids. For medium-length hair, try Dutch braiding (in which the strands are crossed over rather than under each other) or three French braids. Longer hair can be styled into four or five French braids, a fishtail braid, or a waterfall braid.
Micro braids are tiny, often created by using human hair extensions. They can be either straight or wavy. Micro braids are lightweight and take little time to put in.
Related Articles
- Can Micro Braids Get Wet?
- Can Crochet Braids Get Wet?
- Can You Get Goddess Braids Wet?
Conclusion
Given that you are trying to make your hair wavy, you can do it by creating braids on wet hair. The other methods are much more artificial and harsh. But remember to prep your hair the right way for it. Your hair should be healthy and strong to withstand it.
