Do you leave home with your hair wet?

[Anonymous]

Another thick and curly mom here. I also get a better result when I air dry and anyway would have to do some serious diffuser shaping if I wanted to even attempt blowing. The best solution is to be out of the shower at least an hour before I leave the house, but I'm reluctant to do that for mundane occasions.

[Anonymous]

I never leave the house with wet hair because I wash & dry at night. It's a trick that I use to keep it sleek and straight, by sleeping on them.

[Anonymous]

See, I'm 19:07 above. If I were to wash and dry at night, I'd end up with some seriously disordered pillow head. The main problem is that if your hair is really coarse and curly, it isn't well-served by brushing when dry.

[Anonymous]

I think we all need to go see "Good Hair" by Chris Rock.

Curly hair aside, I do cringe at seeing straight, wet hair in line at Starbucks. I compare it to being out in public with curlers in the hair back in the day. But no, it doesn't bug me that much so to each their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we all need to go see "Good Hair" by Chris Rock.

Curly hair aside, I do cringe at seeing straight, wet hair in line at Starbucks. I compare it to being out in public with curlers in the hair back in the day. But no, it doesn't bug me that much so to each their own.

Ha! I see women out in curlers (and sometimes slippers).

If I'm running late to work (nanny here) I'll go with wet hair, but I try to only do that when I know I'll be at the house all day. If we're going somewhere, I want my hair to look decent and have a little makeup on.

[Anonymous]

I never thought I'd be the type to leave the house with wet hair because I'm prissy and vain, but I do now sometimes. I always pull it back and usually add a headband or something, but still. When I'm going to the grocery store, those extra ten or fifteen minutes to blow dry it first just don't seem worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:See, I'm 19:07 above. If I were to wash and dry at night, I'd end up with some seriously disordered pillow head. The main problem is that if your hair is really coarse and curly, it isn't well-served by brushing when dry.

Same here. And I don't brush my hair, ever. It ruins the hair. I only comb it after showering. Check out www.naturallycurly.com. I love it. I'm 17:06 whose hair takes forever to dry.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, I need the heat of the blow dryer and a round brush to style my hair each morning. Otherwise, it does some really funky stuff (and I mean funky in a bad way, not good). Oh what I would give to be able to wash and go. Would cut a good half hour off my morning routine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an AuPair for an American family and my host mom just told me that here in US is not OK to leave the home with my hair wet. Why is that?

I think you would be better off asking the host mom this question then posting it here-frankly, unless you're attending the VH1 Fashion Awards, you can leave the house with your hair anyway you want. The mom really has no right to tell you what to do with your hair. Is her concern that you will get sick or is it really how you look when you leave the house? If it's the latter, time to consider finding a new host family.

[Anonymous]

I leave the house with wet hair all of the time. By the time I get to work, it appears dry. But playgroup / school dropoff? you can tell it's wet.

[Anonymous]

Well OP, I am from France and I know that my friends from Great Britain, France, Italy etc have a very low opinion of American style and etiquette. Obviously, there are exceptions. And this is a delicate question of being reasonably deferent to your host mother as a matter of politeness, while still earning her respect. She sounds disrespectful, to tell the truth, and I dislike the way she made it sound as if your ignorance naturally stemmed from your nationality.

So I would say: "Despite being young and foreign, I know many women go out with damp hair in this and other developed countries. But if it disturbs YOU, I will try not to do this myself".
Put the responsibility squarely on her shoulders, and make sure she knows you see through her.

[Anonymous]

I'm about to. Not proud of it, but after being woken up four times during the night, I don't think I can hold my arms up in the air long enough to dry my hair.

[Anonymous]

She sounds really old-fashioned, as if she thinks that ladies don't ever wear pants and should wear a girdle.

Tell her that going out with wet hair is the new, chic, GREEN thing to do. A hair dryer uses a LOT of energy. And it isn't good for your hair.

I rarely use a hair dryer. It would take 10-15 minutes to get my hair dry, and it wouldn't look any better. I don't even have time to eat breakfast at home, which I think is more important than dry hair. I do use a special towel, which absorbs more water than the standard cotton towel. And it is just damp by the time I make it to the office (business casual).

Pulling it into a ponytail or braid when wet makes my scalp really gross b/c then nothing dries.

FWIW, my hairdresser always marvels at the condition of my hair. Partly good genes, and partly because it isn't subject to a hot dryer or iron every day.

I don't know what you should tell your "host mom" other than you will refrain from showing up at restaurants and evening events with wet hair, but for the daily grind, wet hair is what works for you and gives you the extra rest to be the best you can be with her kids.

[Anonymous]

I always, always leave the house with wet hair. Even when I go to work. I drive, so it mostly dries on the way there.

Blow drying dries out my hair, so I NEVER blow dry. And, if I had to wait for it to try, it would take me way too long to get ready in the morning. Plus, my hair just looks better air dried.

Not sure what to tell your host mom though. Just that it works well for you?

[Anonymous]

There are two reasons she might say this to you:

1) She (mistakenly) believes that if you leave the house with wet hair, you will get a cold or get sick. A lot of older people still believe this. Or
2) She believes it looks bad, or is low class, or is otherwise a bad reflection on you (and by extension, her family and kids).

As you can see, lots of us leave the house with wet hair. I do. But, it is dry by the time I get to work. I do agree that it would be a bit inappropriate at many professional jobs to show up with wet hair... Its like you didn't finish dressing. But a lot of people don't care.

Your response should depend on whether you think the reason is 1 or 2. You could just ask her, or, make a judgment call. If she is very concerned about germs/health and/or otherwise "motherly"... she may really just be concerned about your health. If she is the type of woman who doesn't go out the door without having her nails done perfectly and her complete makeup on, it may be that she thinks it looks bad.

Either way, this is the type of thing that, in my opinion,... you are able to determine for yourself. Your host mom should not be making these determinations for you.