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Hairdresser’s tips for taking a sauna

14/07/2020

“Hairdresser’s tips for taking a sauna”-article discusses how to care for your hair while taking a sauna. This article contains tips for hair care from an eco-hairdresser. She says, there are a few key things to remember when taking a sauna:

How do you to take care of your hair in the sauna?

What is the proper haircare-routine for sauna?

Should I protect my hair from the heat of the sauna?

Should my hair be damp before taking a sauna?

Can wear a hair mask to sauna?

What should I do to my hair after sauna?

You can find answers to all of these questions from this Hairdresser’s tips for taking a sauna-article.

Hairdresser’s tips for taking a sauna

Hair protection in the sauna

Optimally, you should always keep your hair protected while taking a sauna. A sauna cap/hat or a towel are all suitable for this purpose. You can wet the towel with cool or cold water to keep the hair protected for longer. If you stay in the sauna for a long time, you should refresh your towel every once in a while.

Dry or damp hair?

There are two opinions when it comes to going to sauna with dry/ damp hair. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if your hair is dry or damp, as long as your hair is protected.

A sauna cap or a hat protects and cools your head and scalp, too, so that you can enjoy staying in the sauna for longer.

If you have a lot of styling product-residue on your hair, rinse it off before going to the sauna or wash your hair with shampoo.

Do this:

It is advisable to protect your hair with a towel to avoid excessive heat. A sauna cap works very well, as does a cool damp towel. If you are in the sauna for a long time, make sure your towel does not get too hot and change it if necessary.

After you have washed your hair, you can put on a hair mask. Make sure your hair is towel dry. Wrap a towel around your hair again and enjoy the steam. The heat of the sauna enhances the effect of conditioners and hair masks.

Your scalp may sweat after you have taken a sauna. Try rinsing your hair with cool water. That way your scalp won’t sweat as much, which keeps your hair cleaner.

Hairdresser’s Ecological Clay Hair Mask

Add about 3 tablespoons of clay to warm water and mix it in a glass or ceramic pot. Make sure that the water covers the clay.
The water should be quite warm, almost hot.
You can add a bit of oil to the mixture if you want.
If you have thick hair, you might need to use more clay.
Apply clay to damp roots with a brush.
Work your way from the top-down towards your neck in thin horizontal sections.
If you want to put clay to the lengths of your hair, add a small amount of hot water to the mixture and spread the clay by hand to the lengths and tips.
Wrap a damp towel around your hair, go back to the sauna and enjoy the warmth for another 20-30 minutes.
When rinsing the hair, add a small amount of water to soften the clay first. You can then rinse off the rest.
You can use conditioner in the lengths of your hair. Do not use conditioner on the roots.
The clay washes your hair, so you don’t need to shampoo at all with this treatment.
If you have a lot of styling product-residue, wash your hair with shampoo before putting on the clay. One pump of shampoo is enough.
You should not to use clay from nature as it oftentimes contains toxins from fertilizers.

In Finland you can order a clay mask from Eco Salon Amla or Natural Goods Company.

These were eco-hairdresser’s tips for taking a sauna. A great thing about clay is that it is environmentally friendly and does not contain any harmful substances that get into the sewer.

Hairdresser’s tips for sauna

If you have used a lot of styling products, you should rinse or wash your hair before taking a sauna.
You can go to the sauna without getting your hair wet.
However, be sure to protect your hair as hair does not withstand heat well. Especially hair that has been dyed or damaged needs protection.
You can protect your hair by using a sauna hat, a dampened or dry towel.
You can put on a hair mask on while taking a sauna. The heat of the sauna lets the mask work more effectively.
Finally, rinse your hair with cold water. It cools the scalp and can prevents excessive sweating.

I hope you find this Hairdresser’s tips for sauna article helpful, when thinking of going to sauna.

How to take a steam bath in a German sauna

30/06/2020

In this article – How to take a steam bath in a German sauna – I will tell you what to do and what not to do in the Sauna in Germany.

Steam bath in a German sauna

Now let’s talk about how to throw water in a German sauna. Or, in this case, why you should not throw water yourself. In this article, I concentrate on public and spa saunas. In private saunas, the situation is of course different.

There is usually a list of saunas in the spa lobby, which gives you the times and places for “Aufguss”. Aufguss is the German word for löylynheitto (the act of pouring water on the stones in order to produce steam) and it is an important part of German sauna experience.

The list also usually tells you which scent used in the sauna during Aufguss. Scents such as mango-orange or lemon-grapefruit are considered “normal” sauna scents. Of course, the traditional birch scent, “Birke” is also often used.

If a spa offers professional “Aufguss”, steam bath, that means that you are not allowed to pour water yourself.

Read more: German sauna culture.

German “Saunameister”

The Auguss is done by the Saunameister (sauna master). He is always on time and you will not get in once they have started. If you are late, you miss out. In a worst-case scenario, the sauna master has to block the door with his feet to keep the door closed, so no one gets in once he has started.

There are many types of sauna masters, this is why I have experienced: The sauna master comes in carrying a bucket, a ladle and a towel. Men usually wear shorts, women wear shorts and a top. Sauna master greets everyone and tells what scent he/she is using for the Aufguss.

The water is poured little by little, it is never thrown. Usually, the sauna master uses two or three ladles. After that, the sauna master takes the towel (it is not used to wipe off sweat!), rolls it and spins the towel-roll like a helicopter over his head. Those who sit on the upper benches can enjoy comfortable heat waves, and it is quite nice even if you sit on the lower benches.

Next, the sauna master pours more water on the stove and opens the towel in a matador-like movement to create even more heatwaves. This and the previous movement are repeated a few times, depending on the sauna master.

Read more: German sauna rules.

After Aufguss

After Aufguss, you can take a shower, go for a swim or just cool off outside. You can also leave during Aufguss if you want, but you might get some nasty looks from the Germans. I, however, think you should never stay if you feel uncomfortable. If you want to leave, just leave. Finnish people won’t judge you!

Sauna without Aufguss

You can also go to the sauna without the Aufguss ritual. I recommend going right after the Aufguss, because the sauna is usually quite empty and the air nice and humid. You might bump into some pink-faced bathers on your way in.

Interestingly, in German saunas (at least in most places), water-throwing is not allowed by customers. For Finns like me, this was very odd at first. However, now that I have had some experience with the German sauna culture, I think maybe it is a good thing. Germans are very rule-oriented people and I think it would be difficult for them to get used to the idea that everyone is allowed to do what they want.

A professional sauna master ensures that there are no “steam conflicts”.

We Finns have been taught how to throw water and we have no problems moving down a bench if the steam gets too much.

Therefore, it is difficult for us to get used to the fact that we cannot throw water ourselves. Truth be told, many Finns have come up with their own ways to smuggle water into the sauna.

You can for example take a big bottle of water with you (so that it looks like you just want to stay hydrated) and then pour water from your bottle when no one is looking.

Personally, I have not dared to implement this idea yet. I am too afraid I will get banned. Although, I could just always say, “hey, I’m from Finland, I will have my own Aufguss“.

Sometimes, there is no stove at all in the sauna. That, however, is a completely different topic that deserves its own article.