Can Sweat Cause Hair Loss?

The good and quick response to this question is that no, sweat alone doesn't really cause permanent hair loss or the start of baldness. Hair loss, in general, is associated with your genetic makeup, hormonal changes, or the presence of some diseases.

Nevertheless, sweat may help your head to develop such a condition that if you do not check them, it will result in shedding of hair, splitting of hair fibers or develop other conditions that result in hair loss. To take care of these there are hair restoration treatments available.

The Two Ways Sweat Can Affect Your Hair

Sweat that is mainly composed of water and salt impacts the scalp of a person in just two major ways which eventually will lead the individual to have problems:

1.  Salt Buildup and Breakage

After the evaporation of sweat, salt is left along with natural oils (sebum) on the skin. Avoiding the shampoo application, this residue can strip a person's hair shaft.

Dehydration: The salt crystals that are lying there can take water from the hair and make the strands dry and brittle. Beyond that, the hair becomes very weak and thus more breakage can occur even when you gently comb or brush the hair as the fibers are now very fragile. However, this is not the disappearance of hair from the root, but only hair that has broken off and thus makes the hair appear less voluminous.

Clogged follicles: The mixture of salt, oil, and dead skin that comes from sweat can be trapped deeply in the area of the hair follicle causing mild inflammation or a disease called folliculitis in which hair growth is temporarily stopped.

2. Fueling Scalp Conditions

If one were to decide the source of the problem, sweat would be the last one to blame as it provides relatively warm moisture, which in turn is the real issue. This is the perfect refuge for bacteria as well as for yeast.

Dandruff/Seborrheic Dermatitis: The Malassezia yeast that causes dandruff thrives in oily environments that facilitate sweat. The inflamed scalp caused by dandruff and the hair loss resulting from itching of the head may lead to the condition of Telogen Effluvium (temporary hair loss).

Simple Steps to Sweat and Hair Health

The good news is that preventing sweat-related hair issues is easy and revolves around scalp hygiene:

Conclusion

The response to the question "can sweat cause hair loss" is "no" but if after a sweat session you do not take care of yourself, this will result in temporary hair loss and hair breakage. So, ensure your scalp is clean and cool, and your hair will reward you ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌later.