Hair Chop!!!!! Severe Damage and Hair Science

[diamond_storm]

Hi everyone!

I posted a threat a while back about some possible heat damage from a dry sauna/something weird going on with my hair. You can find it here http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=140869&p=3338025#post3338025

Well, thanks to the advice on this forum, my hair stayed manageable for a few months. Clarifying and using a shower filter did seem to help momentarily, so I really thought I just had buildup on my hair. However, sadly, this wasn't the case and my hair didn't end up being salvageable in the end. Yesterday, I chopped off my almost hip length hair. I thought I would be sadder than I was, but my hair had gotten so awful that I was happy for the change. Honestly, I LOVE my new cut, and I'm very happy I made the decision to part with my damaged length. My hair is mid-neck length in the back and it's MBL in the front (I know, it sounds weird, and it is... But it's super cute and suits me:D).

Anyway, this post is to share my experience and see if anyone has any theories about what could have happened. I'm honestly confused about what exactly occurred. I'm lucky enough to own a microscope, so I was able to confirm that my hair was indeed damaged and not just suffering from buildup. Read on if you would like to hear about some of my observations.

As I stated in my post linked above, several months ago, after wearing my hair down in a dry sauna at about 230 degrees F for almost two weeks (at about 20 minutes a session), I noticed my hair feeling dry, very bumpy, clinging to itself, feeling "gummy" while wet, and having a "squeaky" feeling when I would run a strand through my fingers (the same feeling you get when you rub a strand of hair the "wrong" way). My hair's texture was silky before and it was EXTREMELY healthy, so this was a stark change. I tried many things to alleviate this. I clarified, switched shampoo and conditioner, tried herbal hair washes in place of shampoo, ACV rinses, trimmed a few inches off, deep conditioned and oiled, hennaed, attempted to go BACK to cones after not using them, and of course, avoided the sauna. This helped my hair to feel better for a while, but recently my hair had started to be completely unmanageable, tangly, and dry feeling. The other day, I was examining a strand and I looked closely at the "bumpy" surface. I held it up to the sunlight, and could see that each one of the "bumps" was actually a split inside of the hair shaft. It's hard to explain, but there were many splits INSIDE the otherwise intact strand. To explain it better, the strand was in one piece, but if I were to cut the "bump" in half, it would have become a split end (I hope that makes sense). This continued up the hair shaft.

Since I own a microscope, I examined a strand of hair under the microscope. At the risk of sounding clickbait-y (:bluebiggr), what I saw shocked me. The first few inches of the hair shaft was normal (which makes sense, because my hair has grown out about an inch and a half since the sauna). After that, things got..... weird. I have dark brown hair that is hennaed. It shows up as sort of the color of black tea under the microscope--a reddish brown that is translucent. However, there were bumps--indentations--along the hair shaft that were black. There were black, sunken in, little grooves all along the length of the hair shaft. In some places, there were black slits inside of the hair shaft (I imagine these were probably the incomplete splits I saw). It was truly bizarre. I really wish I could have taken a picture, but I didn't have a free hand to do so. The best way I can try to explain it is like this: imagine that you made a long, snakelike shape out of Playdough. Then imagine that you took your index finger and thumb and pinched the Playdough ever so often all down the length. That's exactly what it looked like.

It was at that point I realized my hair was pretty much damaged beyond repair. It's just.... I'm still very confused. Many people use heat on their hair daily at temperatures much hotter than the 230 degrees F in the sauna. I mean, don't flat irons get up to 400 degress F or so? I don't see that their hair is a completely tangled and matted mess. In fact, I used to use heat on my hair many years ago, and while I did get splits, the texture never was as awful as mine was before the cut.

So it's gotten me thinking. The black indentations I saw on my hair in the microscope looked almost... melted. My hair was basically in virgin condition. It was the healthiest it's ever been. People would comment that my hair didn't even feel real because it was so soft. I would very rarely get splits. There wasn't much you could have improved about the condition of my hair. So why and how did it get damaged so easily? I've begun to wonder if it's something I put on my hair that melted to my hair in the sauna because of the high temperatures. I don't know if this would be possible, but the more I think about it, I wonder if it could have been henna. As I understand, when you henna, henna molecules actually bind to your hair, which is why it is permanent. Burning produces chemical changes that can be irreversible. It makes me wonder if perhaps the henna (or maybe something else), actually burned and melted to my hair in the sauna. This would explain why my otherwise healthy hair sustained such devastating damage from such a seemingly trivial experience.

That's my theory. I could be completely off base. At this point, it doesn't really matter. I've already chopped off my hair and I'll be maintaining the length at least until all of the damage is gone (which will be a while, because my hair in the front is still very long). But it's very fun for me to speculate, and since I have a science background this kind of thing really intrigues me! I would love to hear others' opinions! What do you think about my theory? Do you have any theories of your own about what could have happened?

Also, I hope this can serve as a reminder to everyone to be careful and conscious about what you do to your hair. Sometimes you can think you're doing everything right, and something like this will come along and just blow you out of the water:( I am sad, but you live and you learn! At least now I know I CAN grow gorgeous, long, and healthy hair! Maybe one day I'll give it another go! But right now, I'm enjoying my adorable, bouncy, and sweet new cut:p

[MoonRabbit]

Glad to hear you are happy with your hair again and I hope we can see some pictures of your new hair. It sounds like a very interesting cut :)

[Ophidian]

I'm glad you are enjoying you new cut too :)

I'm also super weirded out by that description of the damage you saw. What on earth....

Yours is the second story I've seen here (maybe there are more) about a significant change in previously healthy hair after a period of regular saunas. I couldn't do more than speculate about what happened but I'm hoping someone might know more.

[spidermom]

Dry heat can dry out the hair, and it sounds like the moisture exploded out of your hair in the form of steam, much the same as can happen with flat or curling irons. The recommendation is to apply a conditioning treatment, then wrap hair up in a towel before entering a sauna to keep from losing moisture. The heat will help the conditioning treatment to penetrate, then you will come out of the sauna with happy hair.

[Ophidian]

Dry heat can dry out the hair, and it sounds like the moisture exploded out of your hair in the form of steam, much the same as can happen with flat or curling irons. The recommendation is to apply a conditioning treatment, then wrap hair up in a towel before entering a sauna to keep from losing moisture. The heat will help the conditioning treatment to penetrate, then you will come out of the sauna with happy hair.

Ohhhh dear. That makes sense.

[cgirl]

My hair is exactly as you describe after a chemical straightening. The flattened sections and mid-shaft splits. Four months in. It is a SLOOOOOOW grow-out! But it is getting a lot better.

[diamond_storm]

Thanks, everyone! Now it's time to see if I can deal with the damage in the front as it grows out, or if I end up chopping that all off too:lol: It's just so tangly and yucky! :shudder:

I will try to post some pics later! It's really a very unique cut.. The inspiration photo was actually of a cosplay wig, haha! So you can imagine, it's quite different.


Dry heat can dry out the hair, and it sounds like the moisture exploded out of your hair in the form of steam, much the same as can happen with flat or curling irons.
I actually considered this! It seemed to me like the splits in the hair were like moisture bubbled up or exploded inside of my hair. Scary!!!!

I just washed my hair, and ohhhh my. The strands are soo ridiculously stretchy while wet! I stretched a strand of hair and when I released it, my normally-pin straight hair was in a corkscrew curl shape:wacko: What on Earth. Sometimes all I can do now is just laugh because this is so ridiculous! Haha!!

[diamond_storm]

My hair is exactly as you describe after a chemical straightening. The flattened sections and mid-shaft splits. Four months in. It is a SLOOOOOOW grow-out! But it is getting a lot better.

Ah!! Sorry to hear that. I feel your painshudder: The weird thing about hair is that it can take such a beating under certain conditions, but sometimes just one event can change it forever! This experience has at least taught me to not get too attached to things that are ephemeral. So I'm thankful for that!

Also.... I've started thinking.... Is it okay to keep the damaged part long, or will the damage just spread up the shaft into the new growth? Would it be better to just chop it ALL off and give it a fresh start?

[vampyyri]

Dry heat can dry out the hair, and it sounds like the moisture exploded out of your hair in the form of steam, much the same as can happen with flat or curling irons. The recommendation is to apply a conditioning treatment, then wrap hair up in a towel before entering a sauna to keep from losing moisture. The heat will help the conditioning treatment to penetrate, then you will come out of the sauna with happy hair.

Oh... that sounds absolutely horrifying :shudder:

[diamond_storm]

Okay, pic time!!

So here's a "normal" (albeit with a roughed up cuticle....) hair under the microscope:
http://i65.tinypic.com/makrc9.jpg

Now, here's a weird, melted/burned hair!!
http://i68.tinypic.com/1zmnvk7.jpg
Can you see how it's blackened on one side? It's not the angle of the light from the microscope, either. The hair is actually blackened and warped in the spot. And it's like that in random spots all the way down the hair shaft! So bizarre.

Sorry for the huge pics...

[diamond_storm]

Now for haircut pics!

This was my hair before..
http://i67.tinypic.com/123prbm.jpg
http://i66.tinypic.com/s668mr.jpg

And my new cut!
http://i63.tinypic.com/2vwzl9s.jpg
http://i65.tinypic.com/2epptus.jpg

You can tell how yucky the hair is in the long part, especially in the first pic!!!

[Serimel]

Huii it's like a hair horror story, yaiks! :shocked: I think your new haircut is SUPER cute and oh my god I can't believe my eyes how beautiful you are.

[kidari]

I was super curious about all of the pics (the hair under the microscope, how your hair used to look like, and your new cut)! Thank you for sharing, this is a fascinating thread. I'm so sorry what happened to your gorgeous long hair but your cut is so cute and you have such a great attitude about it all. It's not just a learning experience for you but you shared your experience so it can be one for others as well.

You mentioned that you are cone-free and in an attempt to fix your hair you tried cones again? Personally, I love cones because I feel that they provide a layer of protection... they act as a heat protectant, act as a slippery armor that coats the shaft, and allows hair to be not only more manageable but prevents the hair from snagging, tangling, and getting mechanically damaged. Also, I find your theory about the henna burning into the hair to be so fascinating.

[likelikepenny]

Did you do a protein treatment? It sounds like your hair was over moisturized.

[spidermom]

On me, damage definitely travels upward. My hair will split, break off, split, break off. There seems to be no end to it.

[diamond_storm]

Huii it's like a hair horror story, yaiks! :shocked: I think your new haircut is SUPER cute and oh my god I can't believe my eyes how beautiful you are.

Ahh thank you so much :love: And yes, this whole thing is the stuff of nightmares for someone with long hair:agape:

[diamond_storm]

I was super curious about all of the pics (the hair under the microscope, how your hair used to look like, and your new cut)! Thank you for sharing, this is a fascinating thread. I'm so sorry what happened to your gorgeous long hair but your cut is so cute and you have such a great attitude about it all. It's not just a learning experience for you but you shared your experience so it can be one for others as well.



Thanks so much :bluesmile Trust me, I did my fair share of crying over my hair! But in the end, what can you do besides just move on? Actually, although I ADORED my long hair, I honestly always did feel a little sad that I wouldn't ever get to try short hair, since I was so adamant about keeping it long. I kinda always had a sense of regret that I would miss out on giving it a try, so this gave me a chance. Sometimes life has to push you off the ledge in order to get you to swim :laugh:

This is actually the second time I've had to chop my hair off in my life. The first time it happened, I chopped it off into a boring cut that I hated for years as it finally grew out into what I had at the time of the sauna damage. This time I was determined to not hate my hair again, and to have fun with it at every length! So that's what I'm trying to do now.

It's too late for my hair at this point (oh my, that sounds soo dramatic, haha!), but I really hope this will help others avoid the same kind of damage! I'm happy to be the cautionary tale if it means saving someone else all this trouble:)


You mentioned that you are cone-free and in an attempt to fix your hair you tried cones again? Personally, I love cones because I feel that they provide a layer of protection... they act as a heat protectant, act as a slippery armor that coats the shaft, and allows hair to be not only more manageable but prevents the hair from snagging, tangling, and getting mechanically damaged. Also, I find your theory about the henna burning into the hair to be so fascinating.

I actually love cones too! I stopped using them a while before the sauna incident, but not really intentionally. I just bought a "natural" conditioner that didn't contain cones. My hair used to adore cones. However, I've found since it's been very damaged, cones kind of make it cling up even more than usual. I'm not sure why that is. I did notice that there was a lot of gunky buildup when I looked at my hair under the microscope before clarifying, too. So I'm not sure what I should do now! I'm trying to learn how to work with this new and yucky texture, haha!

[diamond_storm]

Did you do a protein treatment? It sounds like your hair was over moisturized.

Protein treatment was actually the one thing I never really got around to trying. I've never heard of over-moisturizing! How does that happen? Would you recommend a protein treatment or is that something that will make it worse if my hair was over-moisturized?

[diamond_storm]

On me, damage definitely travels upward. My hair will split, break off, split, break off. There seems to be no end to it.

That's what I'm afraid of! I really wish I could just chop it all off, but I don't want a pixie.... Which is what it would be if I trimmed off all the damage! I'm very gentle to my hair, so I hope that limiting the amount of mechanical damage and treating it like the frail chunk of fibers that it is at this point will let it at least preserve this condition until I get it all trimmed off. That will be at least a year, though :( Ugh, this is so frustrating.

[-Fern]

I have also been having a lot of issues with my hair since I started using a dry sauna. Sorry that you felt the need to cut back so far, but glad that you are happy with your cute new cut! I think it is just the dry heat. I don't think your hair was over-moisturized.

Since my sauna is at the gym, I think it would be really more hassle than it's worth to protect my hair properly... so I'm just going to find another way to relax after working out. :lol:

[diamond_storm]

I have also been having a lot of issues with my hair since I started using a dry sauna. Sorry that you felt the need to cut back so far, but glad that you are happy with your cute new cut! I think it is just the dry heat. I don't think your hair was over-moisturized.

Since my sauna is at the gym, I think it would be really more hassle than it's worth to protect my hair properly... so I'm just going to find another way to relax after working out. :lol:

Very true! Saunas always seemed so healthy! They need to put a disclaimer on those things, haha;) I still do love saunas, though.... They are soo relaxing! Just be careful with them :)

Sorry you're having trouble too :( I hope yours will be more salvageable than mine was! The more I think about it, the fact that my hair is so fine probably played a factor in how damaged it got. One thing I don't understand, though, is that I use heat on my bangs every day, and they never feel damaged like this! You'd think daily use of a super hot curling iron would be more damaging than a sauna. But who knows! Maybe it's because I cut them frequently.

[spidermom]

I can relate to what you said about having an undercurrent of regret that you thought you would never get to experience shorter styles because you were so attached to your long hair. I thought I was too attached to my hair to ever go much shorter, but I had months of stress around the time of my father's death, then a major shed, plus I was noticing thousands of split ends. I got my hair cut from tailbone to between waist and hip in an attempt to get control of the split ends, but I still had thousands even after I got it cut to just below BSL. At that point I kind of short circuited and got my hair cut to collarbone, which I had been thinking about and rejecting for years, and now I am happy with my hair again. It's too short to easily examine the ends for splits (thank god!), all the regrow blends in better now that there isn't such a huge length difference, and I find this length much more versatile. In my opinion, there were truly only 2 ways I could wear my long hair - down, hot, and in my way (but pretty cool looking), or put up to protect it and keep it out of my way. True, there were various ways I could put it up, but it all looked pretty much the same from the front, and that is what counted most to me. I can still put it up if I want to. I can also curl it, straighten it, let it dry it's natural wild wavy/curly self, do all kinds of vintage styles, but most importantly I can leave it down every day if I want. I was so sick of those stinking buns and braids.

[diamond_storm]

I can relate to what you said about having an undercurrent of regret that you thought you would never get to experience shorter styles because you were so attached to your long hair. I thought I was too attached to my hair to ever go much shorter, but I had months of stress around the time of my father's death, then a major shed, plus I was noticing thousands of split ends. I got my hair cut from tailbone to between waist and hip in an attempt to get control of the split ends, but I still had thousands even after I got it cut to just below BSL. At that point I kind of short circuited and got my hair cut to collarbone, which I had been thinking about and rejecting for years, and now I am happy with my hair again. It's too short to easily examine the ends for splits (thank god!), all the regrow blends in better now that there isn't such a huge length difference, and I find this length much more versatile. In my opinion, there were truly only 2 ways I could wear my long hair - down, hot, and in my way (but pretty cool looking), or put up to protect it and keep it out of my way. True, there were various ways I could put it up, but it all looked pretty much the same from the front, and that is what counted most to me. I can still put it up if I want to. I can also curl it, straighten it, let it dry it's natural wild wavy/curly self, do all kinds of vintage styles, but most importantly I can leave it down every day if I want. I was so sick of those stinking buns and braids.

Yes! I relate to this so much. I loved my long hair. It was cool looking and pretty, but it did get boring! My hair is (well, used to be. Not anymore... at least not yet, haha!) very slick and fine, so a lot of the pretty updos just simply didn't work on my hair. That, and I have a sensitive scalp and couldn't handle any type of pulling feeling from styles. I also don't use heat on my hair EVER (apart from my bangs), so there wasn't much variety. And with my sensitive scalp, I really couldn't sleep in curlers. So my hair was either in a cinnabun or a braid most of the time, because when I left it down it just got tangly and in the way. I always felt like it was a shame I couldn't really even show it off, with it being so nice. So now I'm all about having fun with my new short cut! It's adorable and easy to manipulate. I just love it so far!!

I think at some point I'll probably grow it back out. But instead of suffering at every stage of growth, I'm gonna switch it up and have a lot of fun this time :)

I am dreading telling my mom about my haircut, though... I know she won't understand and will make me feel like crap for cutting it. She has very fine and wispy hair that just will not grow. We have very different hair types, and I feel like she always tries to live vicariously through me since I can grow long and thick hair. I know she will think it was a bad decision and that it wasn't really necessary. When in my mind, the goal has always been to have HEALTHY long hair. If it can't be healthy, it's not worth it to me. But yeah, she won't understand. I'm an adult and I shouldn't care, but I'm seriously dreading being shamed for what I do to my own hair and being made to feel like I'm not as pretty like this, or whatever.

Also, I'm sorry to hear about your father's passing. I can't imagine. I hope you have healed a lot since then.:heartbeat

[spidermom]

Thank you diamond_storm, it was a difficult time, to be sure, but I'm definitely moving on and not lingering in the grief any longer. I may grow my hair out again later, who knows. When you mother jumps your case, maybe you can tell her it was traumatic and you don't want to talk about it.

[MsPharaohMoan]

spidermom's theory is what I was thinking too.

So are saunas considered damaging then? I wonder if this will happen if a person has oil on their hair, or a deep treatment?

[likelikepenny]

Protein treatment was actually the one thing I never really got around to trying. I've never heard of over-moisturizing! How does that happen? Would you recommend a protein treatment or is that something that will make it worse if my hair was over-moisturized?

Hair has a delicate protein-moisture balance. When one is out of wack, you use the other one to bring it back into balance. Heat cooks protein and over moisturizing also means you need to add protein to get your balance back. A lot of people who have over moisturized describe almost what you're describing, "Mushy" hair and loss of elasticity.

[MoonRabbit]

Huii it's like a hair horror story, yaiks! :shocked: I think your new haircut is SUPER cute and oh my god I can't believe my eyes how beautiful you are.

100% Agree. I'm in love with the haircut. You look absolutely wonderful, have fun with the new style :D

[spidermom]

spidermom's theory is what I was thinking too.

So are saunas considered damaging then? I wonder if this will happen if a person has oil on their hair, or a deep treatment?

My research revealed that if you apply a deep treatment and wrap your hair, you can keep moisture in.

[diamond_storm]

Thank you diamond_storm, it was a difficult time, to be sure, but I'm definitely moving on and not lingering in the grief any longer. I may grow my hair out again later, who knows. When you mother jumps your case, maybe you can tell her it was traumatic and you don't want to talk about it.

I'm glad you're doing better!:o
And that is a good idea! I'm sure I'll still get an earful, but maybe that will help!

[diamond_storm]

Hair has a delicate protein-moisture balance. When one is out of wack, you use the other one to bring it back into balance. Heat cooks protein and over moisturizing also means you need to add protein to get your balance back. A lot of people who have over moisturized describe almost what you're describing, "Mushy" hair and loss of elasticity.

So, after reading your comment, I did an egg protein treatment, and I have to say... I think you were right! My hair feels a lot softer and it didn't have that weird awful texture while it was wet. Cool! I'll have to add this to my arsenal of things to do if I have any further hair issues:D

Thanks for that info!! That probably saved me several months of grief as this growing out damage begins... Haha!

[diamond_storm]

100% Agree. I'm in love with the haircut. You look absolutely wonderful, have fun with the new style :D

Thank you soo much :D I'm loving it so far!

To update you all, I trimmed about an inch and a half off the front pieces just because they felt so tangly. It might not have even been necessary if I had done that protein treatment first! But at any rate, it's all getting trimmed off at some point, so I'm probably going maintain the length of the back for a few months and grow the front out longer. Beyond that..... Who knows:p

[spidermom]

It is my understanding that the protein molecules in eggs are too big to penetrate hair. If that is true, whatever benefit you're experiencing is bound to be temporary due to coating the hair shaft.

[lapis_lazuli]

I'm sorry you had to deal with this :grouphug:
Thank you for sharing your experience to help others. I'm glad you're happy with your new cut, it is very cute! :)

[likelikepenny]

It is my understanding that the protein molecules in eggs are too big to penetrate hair. If that is true, whatever benefit you're experiencing is bound to be temporary due to coating the hair shaft.

I agree with spidermom. The only protein that can penetrate the hair shaft is hydrolized. I would go to the store and see if you can find a conditioner with hydrolized protein (soy, wheat, or keratin, keratin being the best) and using that for your deep treatments in the future :)

[lapushka]

So, after reading your comment, I did an egg protein treatment, and I have to say... I think you were right! My hair feels a lot softer and it didn't have that weird awful texture while it was wet. Cool! I'll have to add this to my arsenal of things to do if I have any further hair issues:D

Thanks for that info!! That probably saved me several months of grief as this growing out damage begins... Haha!

Egg proteins are in fact too large to penetrate and act as protein. You may have had some benefit from the egg (egg is not bad), but I doubt it's protein. Gelatin is far better for this. Or a treatment that you can buy from say Aphogee.

[Dark40]

That does sound absolutely horrifying! I would do like what spidermom says. If it was me, I would never ever go in a sauna without applying a deep moisturizing conditioner, and wrapping my hair in a towel!!! Well, like they always say, "You live and learn!

[diamond_storm]

How funny:p I had just clicked on the thread to ask a question about how it's possible for the protein to actually repair damaged hair.... And I saw everyone's replies about egg protein not being able to penetrate the hair shaft. Haha!

I had similar suspicions.... I actually wondered if maybe the improvement I felt in my hair was due to me trimming an inch and a half off of the front pieces. They definitely felt better today! I guess the egg couldn't have hurt either way, and it was actually a bit fun to do... hehe:)

I may seek out that protein treatment though! I'm sure it could only make things better!

[diamond_storm]

I'm sorry you had to deal with this :grouphug:
Thank you for sharing your experience to help others. I'm glad you're happy with your new cut, it is very cute! :)

Thank you :D I'm quite pleased so far:)

And it's no problem at all! I'm always happy to help. It seems like with most unfortunate occurrences in life, some people have to learn from experience so that others don't have to, hehe:agree:

[diamond_storm]

That does sound absolutely horrifying! I would do like what spidermom says. If it was me, I would never ever go in a sauna without applying a deep moisturizing conditioner, and wrapping my hair in a towel!!! Well, like they always say, "You live and learn!

Yes, definitely! I think I'm a little too scared of saunas for now to try it anytime soon, but if I try it again, I'll definitely do that in the future!

The weird thing is, I used to use a dry sauna about once a week for months before any of these issues every happened and my hair was fine! I always had it up, though... Either in a bun or a braid. And I have my suspicions that the sauna that damaged my hair got wayyyy hotter than what's typical. Who knows! At this point though, I've cut my losses (pun intended :lol:) and accepted it haha!

[spidermom]

I did a few dry saunas while my hair was extra-long. I didn't notice immediate damage, but maybe it's why I was never able to get rid of split ends.

[VersLaLumière]

Wow thanks for this fascinating thread and the information diamond storm! I had actually been wondering about saunas for a while. I had BSL hair a couple of years ago and I'd wondered if my sauna use at that time had had anything to do with it becoming so dry that I needed a major cut after a few months. Happy growing and I'm glad you found a cut you can enjoy in the meantime!

[stachelbeere]

When I started reading your post I got a bit concerned because I've been using the sauna in my gym... but then I read on and converted the temperature of your sauna 230 F to... 110 C!!! For 20 minutes! That's a crazy high temperature, water boils in 100 C! Are you sure the temperature is that high?

The sauna in my gym is only at around 50 C, that's 122 F and I start feeling too hot (and bored) at the 7 minute mark. I always use the time to deep condition my hair in the 'warmth'

Anyway apart from that - your haircut is very unique and suits you! I'm happy you're enjoying your cut, things happen for a reason :)

[diamond_storm]

Wow thanks for this fascinating thread and the information diamond storm! I had actually been wondering about saunas for a while. I had BSL hair a couple of years ago and I'd wondered if my sauna use at that time had had anything to do with it becoming so dry that I needed a major cut after a few months. Happy growing and I'm glad you found a cut you can enjoy in the meantime!

No problem at all! And thanks:) I'm glad too!

It could have been the cause of your damage too! I just know that I had never, ever had issues with my hair until I started using the sauna! Every stylist who I've gone to since the issue has told me my hair was "not that bad" and not very damaged. But I could feel the difference and it wasn't worth it to me to keep it. I guess I had never known dry hair before this incident:lol:

There wasn't much information about damage from sauna use when I searched after having this problem. So hopefully this thread can document it a bit in case anyone else has issues!

[diamond_storm]

When I started reading your post I got a bit concerned because I've been using the sauna in my gym... but then I read on and converted the temperature of your sauna 230 F to... 110 C!!! For 20 minutes! That's a crazy high temperature, water boils in 100 C! Are you sure the temperature is that high?

The sauna in my gym is only at around 50 C, that's 122 F and I start feeling too hot (and bored) at the 7 minute mark. I always use the time to deep condition my hair in the 'warmth'

Anyway apart from that - your haircut is very unique and suits you! I'm happy you're enjoying your cut, things happen for a reason :)

Thanks a lot:) I'm enjoying it a lot so far! I've never had short and bouncy hair, haha!!

And yes, it was a very high temp!! The sauna had a thermometer inside and that's where I found the temp. I suppose it could have been calibrated incorrectly. I should mention that 230 degrees F was the highest I ever saw it get to. Typically it was anywhere between 180-200 degrees F. But there were times when it would get up to 230 degrees F, especially the days I stayed in longer. It was a sauna at my apartment complex, so it turned on and shut off every time someone used it. The longer you stayed in, the higher the temp would be. In my experience, saunas at gyms and other more "public" places don't tend to be so hot. Maybe that's why I didn't experience damage when I used the sauna months before in the gym.

But at any rate, I would make sure to wear your hair in a protective style and cover it with a towel when you go in, at the very LEAST. To be honest, if I ever do the sauna again I will be taking as many protective measures as I canshudder:

[diamond_storm]

I did a few dry saunas while my hair was extra-long. I didn't notice immediate damage, but maybe it's why I was never able to get rid of split ends.

It could have been! I was surprised that there honestly weren't that many split ends even though my hair was so damaged. I imagine if I hadn't cut it, though, they would have unraveled eventually. Luckily my hair isn't particularly prone to splits, so even though it was horrendously damaged, the ends still managed to remain intact. My hair went down like a fighter:lol:

[stachelbeere]

Thanks a lot:) I'm enjoying it a lot so far! I've never had short and bouncy hair, haha!!

And yes, it was a very high temp!! The sauna had a thermometer inside and that's where I found the temp. I suppose it could have been calibrated incorrectly. I should mention that 230 degrees F was the highest I ever saw it get to. Typically it was anywhere between 180-200 degrees F. But there were times when it would get up to 230 degrees F, especially the days I stayed in longer. It was a sauna at my apartment complex, so it turned on and shut off every time someone used it. The longer you stayed in, the higher the temp would be. In my experience, saunas at gyms and other more "public" places don't tend to be so hot. Maybe that's why I didn't experience damage when I used the sauna months before in the gym.

But at any rate, I would make sure to wear your hair in a protective style and cover it with a towel when you go in, at the very LEAST. To be honest, if I ever do the sauna again I will be taking as many protective measures as I canshudder:

ugh sounds like a sauna from a horror movie tbh!!! shudder: anecdotally, I know that the dryer the body is in the sauna the more heat one can withstand so if you walked into that "sauna from hell" (ha ha) fully dry you might not realise how hot it actually got. I think this is why I can only do 7-10 mins max in my gym sauna (after a shower)

I think that maybe as long as I can touch my hair and not get burned by the sheer heat it should be okay...? Especially if it's wet. I always lie down on my towel and let my hair rest over my head, maybe I should let it hang down the bench where the temperature is a bit lower, hmmm... I'll definitely be more careful now.

[diamond_storm]

ugh sounds like a sauna from a horror movie tbh!!! shudder: anecdotally, I know that the dryer the body is in the sauna the more heat one can withstand so if you walked into that "sauna from hell" (ha ha) fully dry you might not realise how hot it actually got. I think this is why I can only do 7-10 mins max in my gym sauna (after a shower)

I think that maybe as long as I can touch my hair and not get burned by the sheer heat it should be okay...? Especially if it's wet. I always lie down on my towel and let my hair rest over my head, maybe I should let it hang down the bench where the temperature is a bit lower, hmmm... I'll definitely be more careful now.

Well that makes sense, because I always went in being fully dry. Plus, I absolutely love being hot, so the hotter the better was my attitude when it came to the sauna:lol:
If you're concerned about it, you could probably cover your hair with a towel (like how you do after you wash it--well, that's what I do, anyway). I don't trust saunas anymoreshudder: