Can You Catch a Cold Having Wet Hair Outside During Winter?

Whether you’re rushing to catch the school bus as a kid or trying to beat traffic on your way to work as an adult, there is likely at least once in your life where you’ve ran out of the house with wet hair.

What could it hurt, right?

For many (and their caring moms growing up), the worry was always “you’ll catch a cold.”

Is Catching A Cold From Wet Hair A Myth?

Don’t tell Mom that she might have been wrong all of these years.

Yahoo Life recently published an article highlighting common myths about preventing colds. Among the false beliefs debunked in the piece was that you can get a cold by going outside with wet hair during the winter.

It basically comes down to colds being caused by viruses instead of instances of damp hair being affected by cool air. The New York Times explains it more precisely as colds being the byproduct of “several hundred different strains of virus.”

Nowhere in there does it mention drying your hair before hopping in the car in early January.

How Did The Wet Hair In Winter Myth Start?

While the exact origin of the myth is unclear, there were several supposed studies that claimed to prove the connection between wet hair in winter weather and the instance of catching a cold.

The New York Times found studies on World War I soldiers, mounties and in the Canadian Arctic and college students in cold, rainy climates that all concluded that you need to dry your hair if you don’t want to catch a cold.

Years later, scientists started putting people in cold rooms with nothing to wear except their underwear and socks while also having others in there wearing winter coats and gloves. The results were an even number of both barely clothed and clothed participants catching a cold.

Why Are People Catching Colds In The Winter?

The same Yahoo Life article also addressed the belief that you can only catch a cold during the winter. Unfortunately, that’s just not true either.

READ MORE: Why Frying Pans Are Suddenly Making People Extremely Sick

You can come down with a cold any time of the year, but there may be a greater chance of getting one during the winter.

When the cold weather comes, people are more likely to gather indoors. That puts you at more of a risk of getting a virus from others in close proximity.