Should I Wet My Natural Hair Every Day? 11 Effective Ways of Moisturizing Natural Hair

People have a common question due to their lifestyle about the hair and that is, whether they can get their hair wet every day. The question is quite logical to ask as many of us love to try different hair looks follow good hygiene, and love the wet looks of the hair when stepping out.

Other than these, many have a habit of swimming every day. Thus, there is nothing wrong to keep this concern of whether daily wetting the hair could be good or bad.

If you have a similar question in your mind, then you have reached the right platform. In this article, we shall discuss whether it is good or bad to make your natural hair wet every day.

Should I Wet My Natural Hair Every Day?

If you are thinking of taking a shower under normal or freshwater every day then it is ok. We don’t see any harm in taking a bath from the hair to the toe daily. However, the following scenarios need to be considered that would need a switch change in lifestyle:

  • It is not ok to wet your hair in the ocean or lake every day.
  • It is ok not to make your hair wet in a chlorinated pool while swimming every day.
  • It is not ok to wash your hair with shampoos that contain harsh chemicals every day.

All the above three scenarios are not recommended if you are concerned about your hair’s health. We have reasons for the same.

Instead of making contact with harsh chemicals, chlorinated water, and salty water every day, some products can help you have a wet look and keep the hair healthy too.

We shall discuss that in the other sub-headings ahead. Let’s get to the reasons first that will help you understand things in detail.

Reasons why you should not wet your natural hair every day

Let’s quickly get to the reasons why it is not advisable to wash hair every day:

1. It sucks up your natural oils

Ocean or brackish water contains salt that can lead to hair dryness. It can suck up your natural oils resulting in split ends and hair breakage.

Either you protect your hair by wearing a swim cap or use water-resistant coats on the hair. As soon as you are out of the salty water, you must rinse your hair with fresh water. That will help to remove the excess salt.

2. The shiny locks are not shiny anymore

The luster present in your hair that is responsible for the shine of your hair will be lost with daily washes, especially with shampoos. Unless you introduce your hair to daily protective hair care products or oil your hair daily, avoid wetting hair every day.

3. Results in split ends

Washing the hair daily with shampoos is also not recommended. Shampooing leads to hair drying and split ends causing hair fall. Washing once or twice a week is ideal. You may try the co-washing with clarifying shampoo in between.

4. Will lead to more expenses

Wetting the hair every day results in water usage. Moreover, you will end up spending more on shampoos and conditioners due to daily usage. You must also not forget that damage to the hair due to daily wetting may also lead to further treatments resulting in additional costs.

5. Product Build-up

Everyday washes can lead to more hair products as protectants and chemicals. The chemicals and other residues may settle on the scalp resulting in product buildup. Thus, most hair experts will advise you to save your natural hair from product build-up by taking proper care while wetting frequently.

6. Lack of grease

Most of us switch to daily washes to get rid of oily or greasy hair, however; over-washes can result in dry hair producing more oil than otherwise. Fewer washes can help you have healthy and less greasy hair for long.

7. Dry scalp and dandruff

A combination of daily hot water and over-washing of hair can result in a dry scalp. As a result, your hair will be more prone to dandruff and an itchy scalp. To fix this problem, you can skip the daily washes and switch to once or twice a week as discussed earlier too.

We understand that many are aware of these reasons, however; certain sports and professions make you prone to come in contact with water such as swimming, river rafting, snorkeling, etc.,

There are professionals like gym trainers, instructors, etc. who suffer from sweaty scalps. In such scenarios, you may have certain pre-preparation tips that can help you from the damage to your hair due to daily contact with water.

Following are the care tips before you come in contact with water every day:

  • Those who are prone to swimming every day must be aware that the damages caused due to salty water will be the same as chlorine present in the pool water as well. You can also wet your hair in the shower before you dip yourself in the pool. Wet hair can absorb excess water.
  • For other harsh chemicals and as additional protection, a leave-in conditioner is a good choice too. The conditioner helps as a shield from the pool water and prevents it from damaging the hair follicles.
  • You can also use a swim cap that acts as a seal on your head and hair protecting it from coming in contact with the water.
  • Natural hair oil can also help you protect your hair from damage due to daily contact with thick or salty water. Oil also acts as a barrier to chlorinated water.

Who should not wet their hair every day Particularly?

Anyone who has a dry and itchy scalp must never wash their natural hair every day. Dry scalp can release more oil with daily washes resulting in further issues with the scalp.

Also, if you have gone for any treatment on your natural hair before, you must avoid daily washes. The best thing to do is to show your natural hair to a hair expert and let him advise you on how frequently you can wash or wet your natural hair.

Despite the care and all that we have discussed it doesn’t mean that you refrain from cleaning your hair properly. Going out in a sunny climate may make the scalp sweaty and dirty.

Thus, you may take a call to wash it. Hair hygiene is equally essential as your body wash. If you feel your hair needs a rinse you may proceed to make it wet but, avoid shampooing or conditioning it daily.

Anyone who doesn’t have a profession that makes them come in contact with water every day must avoid bathing from their hair very often. There are other ways to keep the scalp and hair clean as well as moisturized that we will discuss ahead.

Is it bad to wet African American or 4c hair every day?

4c hair is more prone to breakage, split ends, and brittle ends. The hair tends to get dry and weak. We would not advise you to wet your 4c or African American hair every day. 4c is characteristically dry and wetting it too often will take off all the natural oils that are needed.

As a good routine, you can go ahead and wash it once a week. A regular good quality conditioner will help detangle the hair sustaining its shine.

If you have curls, braids, or a weave, it stays ideally for up to 3 weeks before you wet it again. Think of what hairstyle you have before switching to daily washes. As far as conditioning is concerned, you must condition every two weeks if you have 4c hair.

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How often should I spray my natural hair with water?

Water is known to be a basic moisturizing agent and thus, it needs to be used on hair as a moisturizer frequently. Perhaps, spraying or spritzing the hair daily can help you moisturize your hair.

While spraying your natural hair with water, you can run the comb through the hair. Spraying water with hair will help soften it and keep it hydrated.

Your hair needs water as a moisturizer and water helps to build the elasticity of the hair. Water will help to prevent damage from styling and heating the air. If you feel your hair is starving of hydration, you would need to wet it. In short, spritzing every day will help and not cause any harm to the hair.

Effective ways of Moisturizing your Natural Hair

Moisturizing natural hair is important and you don’t need rocket science to understand it. Simple tips can help you keep your hair hydrated and moisturized. It doesn’t matter whether you have curls or straight hair, keeping all types of hair hydrated is highly recommended.

Let’s understand some of the most recommended and effective ways of moisturizing natural hair:

1. Give it water

As we discussed, the spritz method works best to moisturize the hair. Other than spraying water every day and detangling with a comb, you must also stay hydrated. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day.

2. Keep it protected

Wear protective styles and use light shampoos every four weeks. Deep cleansing will prevent the unwanted or excess oils to stay on the scalp and retain moisture at the same time.

You may ask your hair expert to recommend a good moisturizer or hair cleanser as per your hair quality. Products that are sulfate-free and water-based will help.

3. Oil it regularly

Oil your scalp with natural oils like coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, and black Castrol oil. Spray light water-based mist on your hair before you oil to sustain some moisture in the hair. You must oil regularly and not daily for effective results to have happy and healthy hair.

4. Go for hot massages

Hot oil treatment makes the roots and strands stronger and strengthens your hair making it feel softer always. Regular hot oil massages help bring extra shine and luster to the hair. It is one of the easiest ways to moisturize natural hair.

5. Do not over style

Avoid over-styling your hair. Keep it natural if you wish for good hair for long. Take a break from hairstyles that will damage the hair follicles. Avoid manipulating your hair so that it fails to bear with the harsh styling methods and heating tools.

6. Use water-based moisturizers

Water-based moisturizers act as a seal to lock your hair balancing the oil and water level together. Seek advice from your hair expert on what type of moisturizing conditioners will suit your hair. Some people use oil as a natural moisturizer before using the spritz method on their hair.

7. Understand your hair

Fix an appointment with a hair expert regularly to check on your hair’s hygiene and health. Your hair specialist will let you know what types of products suit your natural hair and what types of products you must avoid. If you know your hair well you will be able to keep it healthy, shiny, and stylish always.

8. Hydrate often

For maximum hydration of natural hair, you must use natural products like honey, leave-in conditioner, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and more… If your hair feels hydrated you can go anywhere with confidence.

9. Go for deep-conditioning

Visit a salon twice a month for deep-conditioning. Trust us, for deep conditioning and cleansing methods, you need an expert with you.

Deep cleansing of the hair prevents you from heavy damage to the hair that spoils the shine with time. You may follow the conditioning method as a DIY but, we recommend that you fix a meeting with the salon at least once or twice a month.

10. Avoid everyday washes

Daily wetting or washes can lead to all the damages that we discussed above. As a result, you will not find any precautions or methods as effective as you desired. Moreover, some people are habitual in washing their hair with shampoos and conditioner. This will further damage your hair quality.

11. Try the Baggy method

The Baggy method has gained great prominence in moisturizing natural hair. It is more popular in people with curls.

In this method, the moisture stays overnight on your hair making it soft, smooth, and shiny the next morning. You may either buy a ready product to moisturize your hair or ask your hair expert to do it for you. The Baggy method has been effective in hair growth too.

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Final Words:

Now that you know the importance of keeping your hair moisturized and the frequency of wetting your natural hair, you can use any of these methods as per your comfort.