Does Sweat Make Hair Grow? | Yes It Can!

If your goal is to have long luscious, healthy-looking hair, you’ve probably wondered, “Does sweat make hair grow?” And simply put, the answer is yes! Sweat can make your hair to grow and also prevent harmful bacteria from attacking your scalp.

But the reason isn’t as straight forward as you might think. Keep reading on to find out how to boost your hair growth with your body’s organic sweat. 

Healthy Doses of Sweat Unclogs Hair Follicles

We all hate those bumpy clogged pores on and around those oily and stinky sweaty areas. Whether they arrive after puberty, during that time of the month, or if it runs in your family, clogged pores can quickly transform into painful, annoying pimple breakouts and ugly boils.

Hair follicles, overactive sweat glands, and oil glands can clog follicles, leaving the glands susceptible to bacteria fester, infections, and unbalanced pH levels that may damage hair follicles. And damaged hair follicles can dramatically deter hair volume, texture, and shine. 

However, healthy doses of high-quality sweat can unclog the hair follicle pores and flush away potent toxins from pollution, dandruff, and hair product buildup while simultaneously promoting growth.

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How to Save Your Hair From Sweat

Although sweat can support hair growth, sweating can also damage your hair, depending on your lifestyle. For example, the health status of your sweat glands, ability to process stress, hormones, diet, and weather temperatures can negatively influence your sweat reaction. 

Overactive sweat glands or excessive sweating can increase body temperature, nervousness, stress, or anxiety. However, intense heavy sweating may indicate a severe medical condition such as diabetes or alopecia that your doctor should evaluate. 

In addition, hormonal changes influenced by pregnancy or night sweats caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease can contribute to unbalanced pH and salt levels that can damage hair follicles and result in hair loss in addition to capsaicin found in spicy food. 

Weather conditions where cool temperatures are hard to find may experience hair loss due to the intricate blend of salt and UV rays that magnify underneath the sun and damage healthy hair strands.

And if the risk of hair loss is too much to barter for long luscious hair, add these quick healthy hair regimens to your daily workouts. 

1. Drink Water Daily

First, drink lots of water! Hydration is an essential component of healthy sweat. Sweat is a blend of 99% water, salt, fat, vitamin C, and more. And on the contrary, one strand of hair contains at least 25% water weight. 

However, there are two systems of sweat glands. Eccrine sweat is watery and shows up to cool your skin on a hot day. Apocrine sweat is thick and fatty and located in areas with the most body hair, such as the scalp, activated by stress. 

And exercise combines eccrine and apocrine sweat that requires the body to replenish the fluids lost during the sweat session and strengthen your hair from dehydration. 

2. Moisturize Your Hair

Hair needs moisture to prevent brittle split ends, clogged hair follicles, and a dry, itchy scalp from stimulating hair loss. Over-washing sweaty hair can lead to severe damage to your scalp. 

So, before exercising, you will want to protect your hair with a leave-in condition before heading into the sauna for a heavy sweat. A leave-in conditioner will help provide a healthy barrier between the hair shaft and the toxins getting released. 

However, if moisturizing your hair before a workout is not your thing, opt-in for a bi-weekly clarifying shampoo regimen that will rid your hair debris buildup for days. This practice will ensure you won’t worry about pre-moisturizing or washing your hair after an intense workout.

Read Next: Take Our “How Often Should You Wash Your Hair” Quiz!

3. Wear a Cotton Hat

Cotton is an ancient breathable, moisture-wicking fabric that can absorb sweat without drying your hair. Instead, it repeals sweat and allows the perfect amount of airflow that won’t make your body feel like it’s overheating. 

Consider throwing a cotton hat, bandana, or headband in your gym bag in case you forget to apply to moisturize before your workout. Other fabrics that are sweat-resistant and sweat-absorbing include linen and bamboo. 

Bamboo is a soft material resistant to odor and bacteria after multiple washes. And linen is a naturally breathable fabric that effortlessly absorbs sweat without sticking to the body. 

In addition, try to avoid sweat-resistant fabrics that don’t absorb sweat, such as polyester, rayon, and nylon. Although they create renowned cooling effects, synthetic materials can make you sweat more, especially if you’re a heavy sweater. 

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have more questions about how sweating can impact your hair, check out these frequently asked questions to gauge how much sweat is healthy for your hair. 

Does sweat cause body hair growth?

Yes, sweat can stimulate body hair growth, and here’s why. When sweat consumes the scalp, clogged hair follicles blossom and release buildup that overwhelms the pores on the scalp. After the pore is empty, the hair follicle has new space to grow. 

And the hair follicle is stunted by salt, lactic acid, or dandruff. Instead, overlapping keratin cells can continue to hydrate and gloss the hair strands as they grow without interruption. 

Does sweat good for hair growth?

Daily sweating can promote hair growth, which is good for your hair. In addition, sweating cleanses the hair and skin of poor blocking bacteria and buildup, leaving the skin fresher than ever.

A sweat cleanser may also promote fresh blood circulation throughout the scalp. Furthermore, sweat glands secrete dermcidin traces that act as a microbial defense against bacterial infection, offering skin cells a longer shelf life.  

Is sweating good for hair loss?

Although sweating can promote healthy hair growth, excessive sweating can encourage hair loss. Especially if you ritually wash your hair after heavy sweating.

Excessive sweating and heavy shampoos can dry hair and strip away its natural oils. In addition to sweat, salt, dust, and pollution accumulation on the scalp can clog the hair follicles, leading to hair fall, rashes, and noticeable odor. 

Does sweating cause hair to thin?

Sweating cannot inherently cause hair to thin. However, leaving sweat in your hair after a heavy sweat session can result in hair damage and reclog your fresh, cleansed scalp.

Sweat contains potent levels of salt that can easily blend with bacteria that can damage scalp tissues. And if you have color-treated hair, the salt may contribute to dull color and breakage. 

Should I wash my hair after sweating?

If your hair is natural or chemically straightened, you should wash your hair after heavy sweating to avoid severe dryness and bacteria buildup. Avoid washing your hair if you did not break a sweat. 

Curly and textured hair types that do not regularly wash their hair do not require daily washing. However, they should apply a moisturizer or leave-in conditioner to protect the hair from drying after a workout or sauna. 

So, Does Sweat Make Hair Grow?

Under healthy conditions, adding sweat to your workout regimen can revive your hair strands and rehydrate your pores even before you shower. And the best part about sweat is that it’s organic and free!

In addition, consult your physician before adding a heavy sweat to your daily regimen if you suspect underlying health conditions that may lead to adverse reactions, such as excessive sweating, hair loss, or hair thinning. Happy styling!