Wet Hair?

[Bottom]

My Mum has always told me never to go out with wet hair because it give you a cold is this ture?

[jills]

nope.  It's a big fat parental lie.

[Lillabet]

Colds are caused by a virus. You don't catch viruses by having wet hair. Despite knowing this my Mum always told me the same thing too...

[jills]

According to QI however, what IS true (to an extent) is that if you have a cold nose, then you are more likely to catch a cold.  This is because the virus thrives in a cold conditions, and since you breath in through your nose, the virus will be more likely to take hold in a cold nose than a warm one.

So, tell your mums that wet hair is fine, but they should make sure your noses are warm!!

[WaldoMcFroog]

Not entirely true, Jills - viruses don't like it that cold, which is why people used to be sent to convalesce in places like Switzerland in the winter - the cold there actually kills off viruses.

[smudge]

My Mum always told me the same, but it didn't stop me from coming home from swimming with wet hair!

[jills]

well you know Mr McFroog, I'm going to write to QI and complain, because I believe everything I hear on that programme and the learned and super duper Mr Fry didn't correct Alan Davies when he said this.   Really, I don't know why we pay our licence fee........ ;-D

but seriously, I did only say it was true to an extent.  (pre baby I was a research scientist and am mortified my good name would be blackened by such innaccuracy...lol!!).  I don't think our noses get as cold as winter in the Swiss mountains and I think the clean mountain air would be as much to do with this convalescing, as people believed smells etc carried disease.

[natalie_1982]

Ummm, not sure whether this has anything to do with anything but I once learnt that we lose 25% of our body's heat through our heads, so I'm assuming that if we have wet hair it's more likely to be colder, so we'd lose more heat, and if our bodies are cold then we are more susceptible (sp?) to catching lurgies.

[magicdice]

apparently it causes split ends. however, brushing your hair vigorously whilst it's wet, rubbing it with a towel & using a hairdryer all cause split ends too, so there's really no escape

[Hamish]

I agree with Natalie_1982. If you try lower your body temperature your body will simply try to heat you up more burning more energy and leaving you less able to fight of an infection. A virus is NOT killed by cold, only heat. You can freeze a virus at less than -200C and it will still be OK when you defrost it....not so with people.

[advicegirl]

no it's not true if it is really cold outside and your hair is completly wet and it freezes then you could get a cold. But if it is only the tips of your hair woun't get a cold. What your mom said is a myth adults say that to scare kids.