August 27, 2012

Your Say: Would you walk out the door with wet hair?


I do. Nearly everyday.

I've been told by a previous boss that it's "unprofessional" to arrive at work with wet hair, but I'm stubborn and figured she could not fire me for this alone. So although I pony-tailed it after that, I never took a hair-dryer to it.

It wasn't till I arrived in Hong Kong that I heard that Malaysian and Singaporean girls are told not to go out with wet hair for fear that someone will think they've been up to some rumpy-pumpy. This is crazy! Why has no one ever told me this? 

A colleague of mine who's a lady through and through is also deeply against it, and I admit I'm slightly swayed by her opinion. But still I persist in walking out the door when my hair's still damp from the shower. 

Here's why:
Blow-drying damages hair
This is a BIG one for me. I already shed so much it's a wonder I'm not bald and the idea of increasing hair breakage is anathema to me, and also because...

I wash my hair nearly everyday
In summer especially, my hair just greases up so I need to wash it just about everyday. I may try and skip a day now and then, rubbing some dry-shampoo in my hair and bunning it. But fact is I LIKE washing my hair and will absent-mindedly do it even when I've planned not to. 

Usually in the morning
Because at night would mean either staying up while my hair dries, or going to bed with a wet head and waking up with a funny hairstyle. 

We live in a tropical country
I see how prejudices like this crop up in countries where walking out with a wet head means you'll catch pneumonia and all your hair will freeze and fall off. But we don't. The weather here is HOT, my hair dries in about an hour flat. So the fact that it's wet is really a very temporary condition. Plus..

Wet hair is harder to avoid than you think
Rain, after-gym showers, sea, pools, in hot countries these are hard to avoid and who the heck would want to? Just to keep your hair dry? Puh-leeze. Life's way more fun when you let your hair get wet. 

But these are just my reasons and I'm eager to hear whether you do or don't walk around with scandalously wet hair, and why. 

12 comments:

kuri said...

I'm all about wet hair!
Especially during the hot Tokyo summers, my hair dries really quickly and I find it more efficient and "eco-friendly" as a bonus. However, these days I have to shower at night to wash off the sweat so I tend to just go to sleep with my hair wet and wet it down in the morning.

I'm with you - I need to wash my hair every day - my scalp just feels dirty - and I enjoy it.

beetrice said...

LOL I didn't hear about the wet hair thing until recently either! Can't get away from it though, I still prefer washing my hair in the morning and can't be bothered to wake up an hour earlier just so I have time to blowdry it. :P

Syen said...

On a work day, I'd really hate leaving the house with wet hair. But I rarely have to deal with that as I always wash my hair at night anyway. Turn my ceiling fan on to full blast and watch an episode of House or something. =)

tiffany_keep_going said...

many girls in hong kong do that!!
The reason why they keep their hair wet is that they wash their hair in the morning and they don't have the time to blow dry their hair so they let their hair to dry "naturally" i guess!!!
I personally think it is gross!! the air in hk is so polluted, the dustand dirt in air may stick to the wet hair!!

Michelle Beh said...

I used to go out with wet hair until recently, when I went to a salon, the hairdresser told me that the hair which is wet will become harsh due to some growth on it ( I can't recall the name) if we do not dry it. She said that not necessary to use hair dryer, ordinary fan also can. That's what the hairdresser told. :)

Kahani said...

Interesting views ladies!

Kuri, Bee & Syen: On muggy days I turn on the dehumidifier but that's the furthest imma gonna go!

Tiffany: Didn't think of it that way, but if you wash your hair daily it's not going to stay dirty for long. =)

Michelle: I have to admit I have some doubts as to the hairdresser's claims. But whatever you feel most comfortable doing is probably best.

plue said...

i walk out with wet hair, or semi wet hair, if it's not for work or event those kinda stuff.

i wash my hair at night, if i wash my hair in the morning i normally would go into sleepy mode and the hair just doesn't feel right!

Esther said...

...walking out with a wet head means you'll catch pneumonia and all your hair will freeze and fall off.

Whoops, I'd better remember this! I used to pop to uni with wet hair without thinking twice about it. Nowadays, I blowdry it a little, but it's still a little damp when I go out.

Missy Lois said...

Ah guilty. I usually walk out of the house with wet hair. I like feeling fresh when I go out. so it's usually a shower right before! Not a fan of blow dryers though, I prefer to let hair dry naturally :)

Kahani said...

Plue: Ditto!

Esther: Hahah are you going somewhere super frosty?

Missy Lois: Me too, it's great on hot days isn't it?

romadiet said...

Ahahah, I used to but I don't do it anymore. It's cuz the need of travelin from home to office (for 1-1.5 hrs) and my hair always stinks cuz it 'absorbs' pollution lmao

Now I only shampoo at night after work cuz it'll be damaged from city air alone.

Also, hello! I'm a beauty blogger from Jakarta, nice to meetcha *grin*

Kahani said...

Hey from Hong Kong Romacchiato, great to meet you. Oh dear yes, I've been to Jakarta and it does have both a traffic and pollution problem. Shampooing at night is probably the best idea. =D