How to Stop Sweat from Ruining Your Summer Hairstyles
Along with gorgeous summer weather comes an increase in heat and humidity, which can cause sweaty hair and scalp. And we all know that scalp sweating—whether from an intense workout or the summer heat—can wreak havoc on our hair. Frizz, grease and dull, flat hair all result from sweating.
But is sweating actually bad for our hair? And are there ways we can minimize sweaty hair to ensure a flawless look?
We've got the scoop on maintaining gorgeous hair despite increased scalp sweating, along with our favorite hairstyle ideas and how to keep your scalp cool when the mercury rises!
First Things First: Does Sweat Cause Hair Loss?
Excessive scalp sweating can cause hair loss over time, but not because of the sweat itself. Instead, hair loss from excessive scalp sweating comes from clogged pores and dandruff after sweating, which can inhibit follicular activity. If you don't deal with extreme sweating— known as hyperhidrosis—you aren't likely to experience significant hair loss due to scalp sweating.
If you think you might have hyperhidrosis, talk to your doctor about your symptoms. There are many treatment options, including prescription-strength antiperspirants, Botox injections, iontophoresis and more, and your doctor can help you with a treatment plan!
How Can I Keep My Scalp Cool?
Products with aloe vera, menthols and mint ingredients keep the scalp cool naturally. To beat scalp sweating and help your scalp feel cool, clean and invigorated, try a scalp cleanser infused with menthol lactate—menthol and lactic acid—to clear away buildup on the scalp. We love our New Dawn Activated Charcoal Scalp Cleanser for a deep clean that leaves our scalps feeling cool following a sweat session! And a bonus is that deep cleaning the scalp with an activated charcoal cleanser helps dissolve and clear away dead skin cells and debris that can result in dandruff after sweating!
On wash days, consider shampooing your hair with lukewarm water. Even though it's not cold, medium-temperature water (around body temperature) feels cool to us and instantly cools the scalp. Plus, lukewarm showers help keep your locks shiny by reducing how much the cuticles lift and thoroughly rinsing residue off strands.
For even more body and luster, try a shine-enhancing sulfate-free shampoo for sweaty hair like Better Not Younger's hypoallergenic and dermatologist-tested Full Transparency Pure Revitalizing Shampoo paired with the Full Transparency Shine Revitalizing Conditioner. It's a fragrance- and sulfate-free shampoo option for sweaty hair that adds shine and vibrance without weighing down your hair or irritating your scalp.
3 Ways to Salvage Sweaty Hair Between Wash Days?
Keeping scalp sweating from ruining your style requires a bit of prevention and strategic hair care with the right products.
1. Try a Non-Wash Day Blow-Dry
For an instant refresh between wash days when your hair feels particularly sweaty, apply a heat protectant like Better Not Younger's No Remorse Heat Protectant and Taming Spray and blast your roots with a blow-dryer! This creates instant lift by hiding any grease (the heat works to wick away sweat!) while banishing flatness. Even though the hot air from the blow-dryer is doing the heavy lifting here, don't skip the heat protectant and risk damaging your locks!
2. Use a Volumizing Spray
Adding a volumizing spray to your hair-care routine especially when working out every day helps your hair appear fuller, which gives the illusion of sweat-free tresses! Flat hair sticks to a sweaty scalp more easily, making our locks look thin, flat and lifeless. A boost of volume from a scalp-supporting volumizer helps your hair stay gorgeous and full through the sweatiest summer days!
Look for a volumizing hair thickener that nourishes hair weightlessly, like our Lift Me Up Hair Thickener with essential vitamins and nourishing ingredients to support the scalp while concealing sweaty hair with instant hair-thickening lift!
3. Give Your Sweaty Hair a Rinse
Sometimes the solution for scalp sweating and greasy hair is as simple as a rinse with room temperature water! This helps refresh hair and remove a small amount of buildup and oil without stripping away natural oils or disturbing the cuticle as much as a full wash. In fact, just rinsing hair between washes helps distribute oils down the hair shaft—instead of leaving them concentrated on the scalp—which helps naturally with detangling and moisturizing strands! You will, however, need to restyle your hair since the water will undo any previous styling, but any hair-care tip that eliminates the need for daily hair washes when you have aging hair is a hair-care tip we can get behind, especially when you work out every day!
How to Style Your Locks to Camouflage Sweaty Hair
If you've spent a day in the summer heat or just wrapped up a class at the gym, chances are your tresses could use a refresh! Easy, sweat-defying styles can give volume to sweaty hair and help you go from oil slick to stylish in minutes. Here are two of our favorites:
For Long Locks
Try a low, loose knot bun! This requires only a few bobby pins and some volumizing spray, like Lift Me Up Hair Thickener. It's super simple, and it boosts volume, preventing your hair from lying flat against your scalp and causing itchiness from your sweaty hair.
Get the Look: Brush your hair back from your hairline to detangle and evenly distribute oils. Next, apply your volumizing spray to give your hair lift at the roots, tilting your head downward to maximize lift as you work the volumizer through your hair.
Once your hair is prepped, divide your hair in half at the nape of your neck. Loosely tie your hair like you're tying a knot. (Make sure it's a loose knot!) Tie one more knot, and then use bobby pins to hold the look in place and secure any wild pieces. Voila! A gorgeous take on the traditional low bun!
For Shorter Hair
Try adding a stylish bandana as a headband! Styling sweaty hair is all about keeping it off your face and neck while adding back some of the body that you lost with scalp sweating. A bandana gives you a chic, vintage vibe while helping you stay cool!
Get the Look: Choose your bandana and then either fold it into a triangle or roll it into a long, thin snake-like shape. Next, work a volumizing spray through your hair to disperse the oil and add a bit of volume back to your locks.
If you opted for the rolled bandana shape, loop the bandana under the back of your hair and tie it about an inch back from your hairline on the right or left side. If you opted for the triangle shape, this style gives you the added bonus of some sun protection for your hair! Place the middle of the bandana about an inch behind your hairline, with the loose point of the triangle facing your back, and tie it under your hair. You can also secure both styles with bobby pins to prevent bandana slippage!
Tell Us: What are your favorite tips for preventing sweat from ruining your summer hairstyle? Share in the comments below!
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Better Not Younger knows that protecting your summer hairstyle from sweat and grease is essential, as is the right hair care when you work out every day, especially in warmer months! That's why we formulated our entire line of products to address the unique concerns of mature tresses, including frizz, scalp sweating and itchy scalp from hair sweating. Let us help you find the right products for your aging hair's unique needs!