Does Hair Absorb Product Better When It's Wet/Damp???

[NYLegalNewbie]

I remember when I first started doing scalp massages with oil. I applied when my hair was dry, and I always had an oily/greasy build up. Then, I started using this oil mixture by Jane Carter (now I make my own) that specifically stated that it should be applied when hair is wet or damp. Even though I was applying the same amount as before, my hair was not NEARLY as greasy or oily.

So, I was wondering...is the hair's ability to absorb product (i.e. oils and moisturizers) better when it's wet or damp?

 

[NYLegalNewbie]

Bump...bump...bump...someone's gotta have something to say about this

 

[Suerte]

No, I think it does better when it is dry. I think the water molecules would block a little bit of the absorbtion, depending on how dry/in need of moisture your hair is already.

I always like to apply my deep conditioner to dry hair, then I squirt clarifying shampoo on my scalp only, scrub the scalp real good...and let that kind of...wash my entire head.

Then I condition again with something like Vo5 and then I seal with an oil.

 

[sunshinebeautiful]

I tend to agree with Suerte. If oil and water repel each other, then it seems to make more sense absorption-wise to layer the oil and then add water.

 

[ryanshope]

I tend to believe that most products, such as oil work "better" on damp hair. I say this because when the hair is damp, it has "moisture" in the follicles, then by applying oil on top of damp hair, it seals the moisture in, since oil and water don' t mix..my opinion though. Even when I use a creamy leave in, my hair feels "thicker" if I apply to moist hair instead of dry. I add the oils/moisturizers to damp hair, braid into big ponytails and airdry.

 

[bravenewgirl87]

I tend to believe that most products, such as oil work "better" on damp hair. I say this because when the hair is damp, it has "moisture" in the follicles, then by applying oil on top of damp hair, it seals the moisture in, since oil and water don' t mix..my opinion though. Even when I use a creamy leave in, my hair feels "thicker" if I apply to moist hair instead of dry. I add the oils/moisturizers to damp hair, braid into big ponytails and airdry.

ITA! If depends on your hair, really.

 

[newflowers]

I think that products work better on clean hair - maybe that why damp (usually freshly washed or at least rinsed) seems to absorb better. i think oil works better on damp hair rather than dry because, as already stated, it can seal the moisture into hair rather than sit on top.

 

[Legend]

I tend to believe that most products, such as oil work "better" on damp hair. I say this because when the hair is damp, it has "moisture" in the follicles, then by applying oil on top of damp hair, it seals the moisture in, since oil and water don' t mix..my opinion though. Even when I use a creamy leave in, my hair feels "thicker" if I apply to moist hair instead of dry. I add the oils/moisturizers to damp hair, braid into big ponytails and airdry.

I agree, too. Oil acts as a sealer. Putting it on wet hair is not the best idea because most of it will slide off during manipulation. On dry hair, most moisture loss has already occured in the dring process, so oil may just kind of sit on top of the hair and tends not to be distributed well. But on damp, or semi-dry hair, it seals in the right amount of moisture and can be distributed throughout the hair more easily.

 

[Jade Feria]

I tend to believe that most products, such as oil work "better" on damp hair. I say this because when the hair is damp, it has "moisture" in the follicles, then by applying oil on top of damp hair, it seals the moisture in, since oil and water don' t mix..my opinion though. Even when I use a creamy leave in, my hair feels "thicker" if I apply to moist hair instead of dry. I add the oils/moisturizers to damp hair, braid into big ponytails and airdry.

I agree with this response

 

[HoneyDew]

My moisturizer works better on my wet hair. I use it as a leave-in and it last for days. Applying to my dry hair ONLY does not work as well. Even applying to wet hair initially seems to make any applications I do after my hair is dry work better.