Are Saunas Bad For Your Hair? Everything You Need To Know

Saunas have emerged as a well-liked and popular form of health and wellness treatment all around the world in some recent years. Many visit sauna for following up with the trends or out of curiosity but not regularly used by all.

Physically, there is nothing more reinvigorating and soothing than a healthy sweat every day that reduces stress, unwinds the muscles, detoxifies the body and boost the endurance leaving the mind relaxed and mentally ready for everyday challenges.Sauna bath has been introduced in many training programs and activities in various sports for mind refreshing, body cleansing and relaxation purposes. Research has proved some of the positive health and wellness benefits resulting from sauna bathing. Medical studies suggest multiple health benefits of including sauna bathing in routine life.

Sauna is basically a kind of thermotherapy in an enclosed room or a building providing dry or moist heat (steam) by setting the temperature between 150-195F or65-90C which casues a person to sweat raising the body temperature.Saunas differ in the process of how the heat is generated and various methods to do so while maintaining different heat temperatures and the humidity levels with similar effect on one’s body.

  • Electrically heated saunas in which electric heaters are used to heat up the room by setting temperatures high and low humidity.
  • Steam bath rooms, Also referred to as Turkish steam bath houses where temperatures are set low while the humidity is set high at 100%.
  • Infrared is a method of heating up the body with the use of light waves instead of warming the room. Specialized lamps are used for this purpose. This kind of sauna has the temperature low as 140F or 60C.
  • Wood burning stoves used to increase the temperature by heating the sauna rocks and maintaining low humidity.

 

A kind of experience that brings peace, calmness and joy

It is a soothing experience after an intense workout or a gym session of dry or moist heat sessions (steam bath). It causes the heart rate to rise and increases the blood circulation and flow to the skin. The relaxed and energetic feeling after a tense long day provides one with a better sleep and also resulting in good skin.

Are Saunas Bad For Your Hair?

Several studies explain how in many cases sauna has affected the hair health positively restoring the hair loss pattern as well as improving the hair density and thickness after this effective treatment proving it be good for the hair. This thermotherapy increases the blood flow to the scalp leading to opening up of the hair follicles which stimulate faster hair growth. Healthy and vibrant hair is the most noticeable feature of human body which enhances the personality and the entire look.

Both men and women take pride in their appearances and invest their money into hair health and hair growth products hoping to achieve eternal youth. But unfortunately the hair quality goes down with age. Hair growth is more than just a physical phenomenon which causes fear of hair loss or hair thinning.

Maintaining a youthful look has become a very important concern for everyone yet researchers have not been able to come up with a cure for hair loss. But there are some indications and theories proving that hormonal changes and disturbances, reduced blood flow, inflammation, aging and genetics are important factors affecting hair health. Therefore many studies link saunas to the improved blood flow.

Firstly, the regular use of sauna increases the blood flow to the skin to lower the overall body temperature. Precisely, the body gets hot and you start to sweat leads to a decrease in blood pressure and the increase in your heart rate. Blood steer away from organs increasing the blood flow to your skin and to the scalp which affects hair health. Some studies confirm that sauna causes change in “nitric oxide” metabolism playing major role in blood flow to the brain specifically thus improving hair growth cycle and preventing hair loss to some extent.

The higher blood flow effectively carry the oxygen and required nutrients to all parts of the body resulting in reduction of hair problems and promoting good hair as it shields your hair from damage and prevents hair becoming brittle from pollution, anxiety, stress etc. Saunas are good for hair vitalization which retains the hair moisture and removing toxins while cleaning blood vessels with intense heat. The best part is that the intense heat does not cause damage to hair or hair breakage if the treatment is taken with precautionary measures.

People from all over the world have documented numerous purifying health, hair and skinbenefits of sauna bathing and suggested both the benefits as well as the risks with evidence of research conducted on sauna bathing.

Saunas may help stimulate and keep hair healthy.  How it good for your hair? Does it help with deep conditioning of hair and a relief from dry scalp?

There are various conditions affect the hair including the weather changes, surroundings, environment, styling techniques etc.

But do dry or moist saunas cause damage to the hair? There are advantages depending on the hair type and certain conditions. Some hair do quite well in steam rooms like porous hair by absorbing moisture quickly but also releasing it fast. As we know how steam benefits the skin, it does the same for the scalp by preventing the hair from dryness and the production of excessive sebum and also flushing out the toxins and stimulating blood flow resulting in hair growth and opening for follicles.

One of the amazing features of moist saunas is opening of skin pores and inducing the sebum flow and also cleansing of skin glands. Steaming is basically a deep conditioning method of opening up the hair follicles and provide deep conditioning which will nourish the hair strands. This treatment provides both scalp and hair with moisture with a good fifteen to twenty minutes of steam bath resulting in deep conditioned and nourished hair program.

A dry bath/ dry sauna is similar to a hair dryer which provokes moisture resulting in good sweat and providing soothing effects to tired and achy muscles hence give hair a lift followed by a quick lukewarm water rinse for better results. It basically locks in the moisture while leaving the hair looking fresh and new.

Having said that, there are some precautions of be taken before taking a sauna.

In what ways is a sauna session bad for your hair?

Unfortunately, heat is not good for the hair as it leads to itchy, red and irritated scalp. Our scalp is a very complex eco-system, thus exposure to constant heat may cause problems. As exposure to constant heat is what sauna sessions are all about, it may lead to negative symptoms and adverse effects if not taken with precautions.

Very high heat for extended periods and low humidity in sauna session can cause dehydration which causes the hair to lose moisture.  Moisture is very important for hair health. The dry and moist heat generated from saunas may have harmful effect on coils and curls of hair strands.

As long as one takes care of hair and hygiene and moisturize the hair properly, dandruff and dryness may not be a problem.Too much heat only causes damage if one does not reintroduce moisture by deep conditioning of hair. Many people regularly take sauna sessions for a healthy lifestyle and routine.

We may overlook the after effects of these thermotherapies which can damage the hair cells by drying out the hair. Although sauna will not cause a permanent damage to hair but may decrease the moisture in the hair leaving it frizzy, dry and unmanageable. Therefore, keeping the scalp hydrated through deep conditioning is very important for locking in the moisture to avoid any temporary damage.

A hair mask is advisable for a more effect deep conditioning and protection of hair in this process. A heat protection and soothing serum may be used or an oil spray containing silicone for best results. For the frizzy hair types, it is recommend to apply a condition or a moisturizer for 8-10 minutes roughly once done with sauna and rinsing hair with cold water for more manageable and frizz free hair. It also depends how much time on spends in a sauna and also if hair protection is used or not.

Taking a nap after the sauna session is good for the body and it will prolong peace and sense of calmness to every body part. Cold showers are good for hair and skin, thus one must enjoy a good refreshing cold bath after the session.. It is recommended that a cold wash after the treatment locks in the benefits for a longer time and keeps the hair hydrated. Thus, saunas are not bad for your hair.

There should be a proper understanding of how to make best use of sauna in order to get maximum benefit and minimize the negative impact.

Studies demonstrate health benefits resulting from sauna sessions.The generalized effects that includes minimizing stress, anxiety, musculoskeletal pain, sleep improvement, boosting immune system, flushing toxins and enhancing detoxification are considered to be a common motivation for thermotherapies like sauna.

The adverse effects of sauna sessions were quite mild. Sauna is considered to be a perfect place to relax and relieve stress and it is believed that stress has negative impact on human health and also cause hair relate problems. The process of sauna does wonders to the hair and naturally brings out the healthy qualities. It does not prove to promote hair growth for everyone but it does naturally enhances the hair texture and health.