I just finished taking a shower a few minutes ago and am writing this as I’m about to go to bed. My hair is still wet, and as I’m lying on my pillow, I can’t help but recall the stories my parents had warned me about when I was a kid: if you sleep with wet hair, you’ll go blind.
I don’t know the scientific facts regarding wet hair and the total loss of vision. Maybe some unwashed shampoo will somehow seep into your pillow and blind you in your sleep. Perhaps excess moisture will puff up your face so much, your eyelids swell shut. In any event, as someone whose life centers around visual acuity, losing my sight would mightily suck. Water is water, and unless you’re drowning in it, I find it relatively harmless.
Another old wives’ tale my parents would tell me is that if you go out with wet hair, in the middle of winter, you’ll get pneumonia. During this COVID crisis, that would be catastrophic. Who needs to suffer from a debilitating lung infection? My habits will take of that, thank you. Luckily, however, I’m not going out that much these days — if at all. Still, when we were able to step out of the house without fear, I can’t help but count the numerous times I’d shower and then immediately rush to work. Winter, summer — it didn’t matter. And come to think of it, I haven’t really been sick at all these past few years.
Maybe it’s me, but I don’t make an effort to dry my hair after a shower; I don’t blown dry it, and I rarely put any product. A simple scrub through a towel is all I need, and I’m ready to go about my day (or in tonight’s case, go to bed). I’m a pretty low-maintenance guy when it comes to looks, but perhaps this is one of the many fucking reasons I’m still single.
No, as far as I can tell, wet hair won’t kill or maim you. I suppose just be careful around low-hanging ceiling lamps without lightbulbs…