Does sauna damage your hair?
By the Find My Sauna team·
Updated ·
6 min read
Look around a busy Finnish or Baltic sauna and you'll see people in felt hats that look as if they belong on a garden gnome. They aren't making a fashion statement. They're keeping heat off their heads, and some of them are thinking about their hair.
The short answer
An occasional sauna is unlikely to do lasting harm to healthy hair, but frequent heat and very dry air can leave it drier and more brittle over time. Coloured, bleached and naturally dry hair feel it most. The fixes are simple: rinse and condition your hair before you go in, tie it up, wear a sauna hat or wrap it in a towel, and be gentle with it afterwards, because wet hair breaks easily.
What sauna heat does to hair
Hair is made mostly of a protein called keratin, wrapped in an outer layer of overlapping cells called the cuticle. Healthy hair holds a little water, which keeps it flexible. Hot, dry air draws that water out and can roughen the cuticle, which is why some people's hair feels dry and straw-like after a long session.
Your head is also in the worst spot. Heat rises, so in a Finnish sauna the air around your head is usually the hottest in the room, often 80 °C (176 °F) or more on the top bench. Your skin cools itself by sweating. Your hair can't.
For most people the result is some dryness, not lasting damage. Straighteners and curling tongs are much harsher, because they press heat straight onto the hair. The effect of a sauna is slower, but it adds up if you go several times a week and do nothing to protect your hair.
Coloured, bleached and curly hair
Colouring and bleaching work by opening up the hair's outer layer, so treated hair already loses moisture and breaks more easily than untreated hair. Heat and dryness from the sauna land on hair that's already stressed. If you've just had your hair coloured or bleached, ask your colourist how long to wait before a sauna.
Curly, coily and naturally dry hair also need more care. Dermatologists at the American Academy of Dermatology suggest that people with dry or curly hair put conditioner through the whole length of the hair rather than only the ends, and that's worth doing before and after a sauna too.
None of this means you should avoid the sauna. It means these hair types benefit most from protecting it.
Sauna hats
A sauna hat is usually made of thick wool felt, sometimes linen or cotton. It works like insulation: the dry fibres slow down how fast heat reaches your head. Many regulars say it lets them sit in the heat more comfortably, and it keeps your hair out of the hottest air and the blast of steam when someone throws water on the stones.
There's very little research on sauna hats, so treat the comfort as the main benefit. Wash yours now and then, as it soaks up sweat. If you don't have one, a cotton towel wrapped loosely round your head does a similar job. Our guide to what to wear in a sauna covers the rest of your kit.
How to protect your hair
Before
- Rinse and condition. Wet your hair and run a little conditioner or leave-in product through the lengths. Many swimmers do the same before getting into a chlorinated pool.
- Tie it up. A loose bun or plait keeps long hair off your neck and shoulders. Use a fabric scrunchie rather than a metal clip, since metal gets hot quickly.
During
- Cover it. Wear a sauna hat or a towel.
- Sit lower if your hair or scalp feels uncomfortably hot. The lower benches are cooler, as our guide to sauna temperature explains.
After
- Rinse and condition again. Shampoo your scalp if you've sweated a lot, then condition the lengths.
- Be gentle. Hair is fragile when it's wet. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests a wide-tooth comb rather than a brush, and wrapping hair in a towel instead of rubbing it.
- Go easy on the hair dryer. Let it dry naturally if you can, or use a low or medium heat setting.
Your scalp
Your scalp sweats like the rest of your skin. If you go often and don't rinse properly, sweat and oil can build up and leave it itchy. A quick rinse and wash afterwards usually sorts that out.
If you have a scalp condition such as psoriasis or eczema, the same advice applies as for skin elsewhere on your body: see how it reacts, and see our guide to sauna and your skin.
What about hair loss? We couldn't find any research linking sauna use to hair loss. Hair loss has many causes, and if you're losing more than usual, see a GP or dermatologist rather than blaming the sauna.
Steam rooms, pools and cold plunges
Steam rooms aren't as hot as saunas, but the air is soaking wet, so your hair gets damp and stays that way. Wet hair is at its most fragile, so keep it tied up and handle it gently afterwards.
If your spa visit includes a pool, chlorine is hard on hair too. The condition-first trick helps there as well, and a swim cap helps too. Cold plunges are no problem for your hair, but long hair takes ages to dry on a winter evening, so bring a hat for the walk home.
Where to go
You'll spot plenty of sauna hats in photos from London's community saunas, like the one at the top of this page. A few places to try:
Community Sauna Baths Stratford
London · Community sauna
The Sauna Society Dublin
Dublin · Outdoor sauna
The Good Sauna
Manchester · Finnish sauna
Frequently asked questions
Is sauna heat bad for your hair?
An occasional session is unlikely to cause lasting harm, but frequent heat and dry air can leave hair dry and brittle. A hat and some conditioner help.
Should you wet your hair before a sauna?
Many people rinse and condition their hair first so it comes out less dry. Tie it up as well.
Does a sauna fade hair colour?
Coloured hair is more fragile and dries out more easily. If your colour is new, ask your colourist how long to wait, and cover your hair when you go.
Do sauna hats really work?
They keep the hottest air off your head and hair, and many regulars find them more comfortable. There is very little research on them.
Can a sauna cause hair loss?
We could not find any research linking sauna use to hair loss. If you are losing more hair than usual, see a doctor.
