You walk in the rain, as each crystal clear drop glides on the umbrella as you stroll through the voluminous, assortment of colored trees. You chat with some friends while holding a smooth, crisp americano. Then the unthinkable happened. Your umbrella drifts away in the gust of wind, leaving you soaked and wet as you and your friends sprint home, trying not to slip on the bits of leaves on the ground. As you are home you are scared that you might get a cold. Then you proceed to wonder, does going out with wet hair gives you a cold? Let’s pop this balloon to find out!
What is hair?
Hair is a thin strand made of keratin, the same protein found in nails. Hair grows from tiny pockets in the skin called follicles, and the part we see is made of dead cells. It gets its strength from sulfur bonds inside the keratin, which let a single strand hold about 100 grams. Hair color comes from a pigment called melanin, and hair turns gray when the follicle stops making it. Hair comes in several types, including straight, wavy, curly, and coily, depending on the shape of the follicle. The average scalp has about 100,000 hairs and loses about 50-100 a day. Ancient Egyptians shaved their heads and wore wigs to stay cool and clean. Hair grows about half an inch per month.
Does going out with wet hair gives you a cold?
No, going out with wet hair does not give you a cold. Colds come from viruses not wet hair. These are specifically rhinoviruses. You can catch them by physical touch with something that has the rhinovirus. In reality wet hair doesn’t make a virus at all. Colds do normally spike during winter, since people normally crowd together especially during the freezing weather. That causes the spread of viruses. Normally when it is cold there could possibly be cold weather, like rain or any type of precipitation. This could possibly be where the myth came from, people putting the blame on cold weather.
Fun Facts
Grey hair isn’t hair turning grey. Dead fiber can’t change. The pigment factory in the follicle shuts down and new growth arrives colorless. The hair you can see is dead. Only the root is alive, which is why haircuts don’t hurt and damaged hair can’t repair itself — it can only be cut off. Hair doesn’t keep you warm. Trapped air does. The strands just hold that air still so it can’t carry heat away.