Does sauna damage your hair? Sauna may cause some drying of your hair, but very little. The short period of time you spend in the sauna means minor drying may occur. However, the health and relaxation benefits you experience greatly outweigh any damage or drying to your hair. If you want to protect your hair in the sauna there are some simple steps you can take, see below.
DOES SAUNA DRY OUT YOUR HAIR?
Does sauna make your hair dry? Spending time in a sauna may cause some minor drying of your hair. The amount of drying will be minor because of the short period you spend inside. See below for simple steps you can take to protect your hair in a sauna.
EFFECT OF HEAT & SWEAT ON YOUR HAIR
Saunas can have a minor drying effect on your hair. There are two factors at play that combine to lead to dry hair. First is the intense heat inside a sauna cabin. And, the second is the effect of sweat on your scalp.
While we understand how dry heat draws moisture away from hair – how does sweat cause dry hair? Sweat droplets are made up of water, salt, urea, and ammonia. And, as sweat droplets push through the pores of your scalp, these materials are deposited on the surface of your skin and hair.
USE SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER
If these minerals are not washed away they will cling to your hair and scalp. And as your hair dries these substances also dry out. Your hair loses moisture and is left with an unpleasant dry feel.
To prevent this from happening wash and condition your hair after you use the sauna. You’ll naturally want to jump in a cool shower once you’re finished your session – so just take some moisturizing shampoo and conditioner with you.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HAIR IN A SAUNA
If you want to protect your hair in a sauna and stop it from drying out – there are some simple steps you can take. We advise using a good conditioner or moisturizing shampoo and wearing a sauna hat while in the sauna.
If you don’t have a sauna hat you can wrap a damp towel around your hair. When inside be careful to limit the amount of time you spend inside. And, when you get out you can treat your hair with a serum or a conditioner, see below.
1: PREPARATION – PREPARE YOUR HAIR
USE A CONDITIONER
The first step in protecting your hair in the sauna is preparation. You need to treat your hair with a moisturizing shampoo or conditioner before entering the sauna.
These products are specially formulated to help lock in the moisture in your hair. They create a barrier between the intense heat and your hair and scalp.
2: PROTECTION – PROTECT YOUR HAIR
SAUNA HAT OR TOWEL WRAP
The best action you take to protect your hair from the heat of a sauna is to create a physical barrier between your hair and the intense heat. To do this you should wear a sauna hat during your session. A sauna hat is a special type of hat used to shield your head and hair from direct heat.
If you don’t have a sauna hat if you can use a towel. Just carefully wrap a towel around your hair. You can dip your towel or sauna hat in water to dampen them and create a cooling effect. Just be careful the damp towel doesn’t become too wet.
LIMIT THE DURATION
Aim for a short session. If you want to protect your hair from drying out in the sauna – don’t spend too long inside the sauna. Limit your session to somewhere between 5-15 minutes.
This should be long enough to work up a sweat and experience the key benefits of the sweat session. Shorter sauna sessions mean your hair spends less time exposed to the drying effects of the intense heat.
CHECK THE HEAT LEVEL
Avoid excessively hot saunas. Check the temperature your sauna is running at and make sure it’s not too hot. If the heat level is running unnecessarily high it’s going to be more damaging to your hair. Traditional dry saunas should run at temperatures of 150-170°F.
To avoid dry hair – aim for the lower end of this range. And, infrared saunas should be running at much lower temperatures. Typically an infrared sauna should be in the region of 110-130°F. You can stick to the lower end of this scale to make sure your hair doesn’t dry out.
3: TREATMENT – TREAT YOUR HAIR
APPLY HAIR SERUM
Once your sauna session is complete it’s time to show your hair some TLC. If you have followed the steps above you should have experienced very little damage to your hair – if any!
However, to make sure everything is in top shape you should apply some hair serum. Gently work the serum in and your hair will soon be looking like you just walked out of the salon.
CONDITIONING SHAMPOO
Always take a shower once you’ve finished in the sauna. To prevent your hair from drying out you need to rinse all the sweat away from your hair and scalp before it dries in. This is the perfect time to do a conditioner rinse. Work the product through with your fingers and then perform a thorough rinse.
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WHAT ABOUT INFRARED SAUNA?
Does infrared sauna damage your hair? Does infrared sauna make your hair dry? Infrared saunas work in a completely different way to a traditional dry sauna. Infrared saunas do not heat the air inside the sauna cabin. Instead, they heat your body, (and your hair), directly.
Just like a regular sauna – you will spend only a brief amount of time in an infrared sauna. This means the drying effect on your hair will be minimal. However, if you want to protect your hair from drying or heat damage you can take the same steps as outlined above for a regular sauna.
Pre-treating your hair with conditioner, wearing a sauna hat, and applying a conditioner or serum after your sauna session will protect and nourish moisture in your hair.
WHAT ABOUT A SAUNA HAT?
Wearing a sauna hat is a great way to protect your hair from the drying effects of heat in a sauna. It creates a protective shield between your hair and the intense dry heat. Some people like to dip their sauna hat in water to moisten it before entering the sauna.
If you decide to wet your hat – make sure the moisture doesn’t get too hot when you’re sitting inside. If it gets too hot it can burn your scalp. If you feel it getting hot, step outside and soak it in cold water to keep the temperature down. Learn more about sauna hats over here – What Is A Sauna Hat?
THE BENEFITS OF SAUNA – IS IT WORTH IT?
If sauna can damage your hair, is it worth getting in the sauna at all? Yes, it is definitely worth it. The benefits of sauna are wide-ranging and far outweigh the effects of drying your hair.
People have been enjoying saunas around the world for hundreds of years for their relaxation, social, and health-boosting characteristics. See below for an overview of the key benefits of sauna. Below are just some of the advantages you can expect from your sauna session.
RELAXATION
Spending time in a sauna is a great way to relax and unwind. They are powerful tools for calming the mind and promoting a sense of calm and well-being.
CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
When you spend time in a sauna you will experience increased cardiovascular activity. It is like a mini-workout for your heart and blood supply system. Your heart rate will increase and your body will begin pumping elevated levels of blood throughout your body.
SKIN HEALTH
Saunas are great for your skin. Sweat droplets perform a skin deep-clean as they push their way through your pores to the skin surface. Grime and debris are moved to the surface of the skin where they can be washed away.
WORKOUT RECOVERY
You can speed up your workout recovery by ending your routine with a sauna session. Increased cardio activity gets increased levels of oxygen and nutrients to the tired muscles that need it to recover.
DETOXIFICATION
Saunas are a great way to detoxify your system. The intense sweat you experience in a sauna opens your pores, removes grime and debris, and flushes toxins from the body.
SAUNA FOR HAIR CONCLUSION
Does sauna damage your hair? In truth very little. You may experience some drying of your hair but as you’ll be spending very little time inside the sauna – the effect will be minimal. So, when we ask ourselves the questions – does sauna damage hair? does the sauna dry out your hair? We understand, yes it can – but there are some simple steps you can take to protect your pride and joy.
DOES SAUNA DAMAGE YOUR HAIR FAQ
HOW DO I PROTECT MY HAIR IN A SAUNA?
The best way to protect your hair from damage in a sauna is to wear a sauna hat or wrap a damp towel around your hair. You should apply conditioner before and after the sauna. And, you should make sure all sweat is washed away from your hair and scalp once your sauna session is complete.
IS SAUNA GOOD FOR YOUR SCALP?
Yes, sauna is good for your scalp. Sauna heat increases cardiovascular activity and dilates blood vessels allowing increased levels of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to reach your scalp. This encourages skin growth and healing. In addition, sweating has a cleansing effect on your skin as sweat droplets push through the pores in your skin.
SHOULD I WEAR A SAUNA HAT TO PROTECT MY HAIR?
Yes, if you want to protect your hair in a sauna – wearing a sauna hat is a great idea. A sauna hat creates a physical barrier between your hair and the intense heat of the sauna. If you don’t have a sauna hat you can wrap a damp towel around your head.
SHOULD I USE A SHAMPOO AFTER THE SAUNA?
Yes, you should shampoo after the sauna. You should thoroughly wash away all sweat from your hair and scalp using a moisturizing shampoo after a sauna. We also recommend that you apply a conditioner after a sauna to lock in moisture and prevent your hair from drying out.
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About the Author
ELLIE COLE
• Health & Wellness Consultant
Ellie is a fully trained and highly skilled massage therapist. Hailing from sunny Florida, she brings a wealth of expertise to the health and wellness realm. She holds a LST qualification in Massage from the esteemed Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences and specializes in techniques that promote relaxation and healing.
Her experience extends beyond massage and encompasses a diverse range of therapies including infrared sauna. She developed her expertise at the Equinox Sports Club in San Francisco and has led sessions in pilates fusion, outdoor run clubs, and vinyasa yoga. Ellie is highly regarded for her ability to tailor treatments to individual needs.
When not immersed in the world of holistic wellness and local sports and fitness clubs she enjoys exploring Florida’s natural beauty and participating in outdoor activities. With her unique blend of expertise, experience, and passion for wellness Ellie looks forward to helping you discover the benefits of sauna and sauna therapy.
if you want to protect your hair just wrap it up in something. In the sauna i just wear my swimming cap. If you’re not going to be in very long that will stop your hair drying out
sauna does not damage your hair. you don’t be staying in long enough dud. relax the cacks like.
Hello
I have naturally curly 3b virgin hair, never use heat tools and deep condition regularly, my hair WAS very very healthy 🙁 My gym got a new infrared sauna so I went in it for 20 minutes (35 degrees). At roughly 18 minutes myself and another gym memeber could smell burning and it was my hair! my hair was completely singed! I’m am struggling to find ANY articles about this and can’t find anyone else that has experienced this.
One 20 minute infrared session has completely fried my hair and I don’t understand why this has happened 🙁 I had a leave in conditioner and a heat protecting serum in my hair
Has anyone else experienced this?
Is my hair damaged for good?