I joined a new gym recently and am so excited to have finally been reunited with the sauna!
For me, it’s the perfect ending to a workout and a wonderful way to be still, breathe, sit in silence, and think. Truth be told, before recent months, it had been years before I last sat in a sauna. Back then (like seriously, 2009/2010″), I was rocking straight hair, and didn’t pay too much attention one way or another to my hair (except for the obvious concern of sweating out my roots). Fast forward to now, and I’m well into my natural hair journey and rocking a head full of curls.
Because moisture is so important to the health and vitality of our hair, protecting our kinks, coils, curls, and waves from the dry heat of the sauna is a must.
Luckily, these past several weeks have afforded me many opportunities to experiment with different methods of protecting my hair, and now I have some tips to share!
Before Stepping In, Check Your Regimen
I’m all about preventative measures, so whatever I can do to give myself a leg up is a no-brainer. If sauna time is or will be a part of your health and wellness journey, ensure your normal haircare regimen reflects it. What I mean here is to make sure that you’re deep conditioning regularly and sealing in moisture.
Image Source: @cinammoncurls
Deep conditioning restores and helps maintain internal hydration within the hair, while using leave-ins, oils, and creams (LOC method) helps to keep moisture in and form a barrier between your tresses and the dry heat. Making a regular practice of deep conditioning and the LOC method will help prevent your hair from drying out in the long run.
Before You Enter the Sauna
Image Source: @auntiejey
Prior to entering the sauna, you have a few options to help protect your hair. You can rinse your hair and apply a deep conditioner of your choosing, or clip your hair up, and cover it with a plastic cap and beanie, and use your sauna time to double as deep conditioning time. Don’t turn your lip up; plenty of naturalistas have admitted to using saunas and steam rooms to get their deep condition on.
If that’s not quite your cup of tea, you can opt for a simpler method of hydration by lightly wetting your hair with plain water or applying a DIY cocktail spritz (like water + conditioner + oil) to your hair prior to entering. This will help prevent your hair from drying out and keep the sauna from zapping your internal moisture.
After You’re Done
When you come out of the sauna, restoring hydration, moisture, and softness to the hair is important. You can again apply your DIY cocktail spritz or a water-based moisturizer to your hair to re-invigorate and soften. Don’t wait too long after exiting to put moisture back into your hair, or else it will seem like it’s getting progressively drier as time passes. It’s best to rehydrate the hair immediately.
Keep In Mind
Lastly, there are a few miscellaneous tips to keep in mind for optimal protection:
Image Source: @laybaymonet
- Avoid glycerin and other humectants (or at least ensure they’re not within the first 5 ingredients after water) when it comes to spritzes and moisturizers. In dry air conditions, humectants may remove water from the hair’s cortex, exacerbating the problem they are intended to prevent.
- Don’t wear loose hair in the sauna. I tried it once, and I never will again (use me as an example of what not to do). A compact bun (not the big cute fluffy ones that we love) or pinned up twists work best to help the hair hold on to moisture. The less hair that is exposed, the better.
- Covering hair with a satin-lined beanie or even a t-shirt can help delay or defer direct contact with dry heat.
Remember: stay well hydrated before entering the sauna, and don’t stay in there for too long…Happy sauna-ing!
Do you regularly visit the sauna? How do you protect your hair? Share with us in the comments below!
This article was originally published in 2015 and has been updated.
