Q: I recently started suffering from menopausal night sweats. Will the heavy perspiration have any effect on my permed and colored hair?
A: Provided your hair’s chemical treatments for color used permanent hair color, there should be no real problems, beyond potentially an initial “bleed-off” of color that may be resting on the surface of the hair
shaft. This often occurs anyway in the use of permanent haircolor in very rich or bold, dark colors. It shouldn’t however, have any effect on the appearance of the hair color unless your body’s perspiration
chemistry is excessively alkaline, in which case the perspiration can cause the hair shaft to swell and make the hair more porous, allowing for some fading of color. This is generally easily combated by using
a good conditioner to keep the hair hydrated, and lock in moisture by keeping the cuticle layer smooth and flat.
With a perm, problems depend on how porous the hair has become post-perming. They also vary with the alkalinity of the person’s perspiration. You definitely want to use a gentle
cleansing shampoo and a good conditioner to keep the hair as moisturized and smooth as possible, and try to avoid leaving the hair damp with sweat any longer than necessary.
Please know that having significant problems as a result of night sweats is VERY unlikely. The warnings above assume that the hair is potentially damaged by the chemical service
received, and that the perspiration chemistry is significantly alkaline. In most cases, there are no notable issues with night sweats and perms or haircolor. The only real issue is the discomfort of the night sweats
themselves.
