Is Salt Water Good For Your Hair? Here’s What Experts Say In 2024

Hair health has been a popular topic for as long as there were hair salons. Still, with the evergrowing list of chemicals and pollutants that damage hair, there’s never been a better time to find tools to improve its strength and shine.

Saltwater, with its naturally high levels of minerals, has shown tremendous potential. It is one of the tips for hair growth for adding shine and softness while giving you those beautiful beach hair waves. 
Hair loss, hair weakening, and overall dryness and lifelessness that many people seem to experience over time have led to the development of some amazing hair products that promise to keep those hair strands strong and healthy for years to come.

And saltwater has found its way into plenty of them, from natural shampoos to leave-in conditioners. That only begs the question: Is salt water really that good for your hair?

Benefits Of Salt Water For Hair

What does salt water do to your hair, and what are the benefits of salt water exposure? Is seawater good for your hair? Experts agree on a few ways that ocean water can benefit the health of natural hair and help oily or greasy scalps. Some of the main benefits include:

• Antifungal properties — ocean water reduces hair moisture, discouraging fungus-induced dandruff.^[1]
• Antibiotic properties — salt water can help treat scalp conditions such as eczema^[2] and psoriasis.
• Exfoliating properties — sea water is a great exfoliator, helping you get rid of dead skin cells and improving the scalp’s blood flow, stimulating hair growth.
• Rich in minerals — salt water is extremely rich in minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and selenium that prevent hair loss and improve the overall strength of your hair strands and hair cuticle. Magnesium is an especially important hair supplement that helps stimulate hair growth by unblocking the hair follicles and nourishing the scalp.
• Detoxification properties — salt water helps flush out toxins and heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. 

How To Use Salt Water On Your Hair

If you’re living close to the ocean, an occasional dip here and there will do the trick. But if you’re not as lucky, you’ll wonder how to recreate it at home. Most hair care specialists recommend the following:

• Mix one cup of water and half a cup of salt in a bowl, letting it dissolve completely. 
• Wash your hair and do a shampoo rinse.
• Pour the salt water mixture into your hair after shampooing and massage it into your scalp for at least one minute. This accentuates the exfoliating effect and stimulates blood circulation, improving hair growth.^[3] 
• Rinse the mixture thoroughly with cold water to stimulate more blood flow. 
• Apply a leave-in conditioner to nourish and moisturize, concentrating on the ends to avoid greasing the scalp.
• Additionally, if you want to make a seawater spray, pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray whenever you need a refresh. For added volume, diffuse as you blow dry. 

Precautions For Using Salt Water On Hair

Even though all of these saltwater properties make it an excellent addition to your hair care routine, remember that it can also be very dehydrating, making you wonder whether it’s good or bad for your hair.

Salt water creates osmosis within your hair cells to draw out water from them, potentially causing brittle and dry hair that’s prone to damage. That’s why it’s important to use moderation when adding salt water to your haircare routine.  

It’s also important to avoid salt water if you’ve recently treated your hair with bleach^[4] or dye, as it can dehydrate it further and cause damage. You can also ruin your hair dye by treating it with salt water, which may cause your new color to fade. 

Another crucial tip for using saltwater on hair is to always rinse it off after treatment with warm water. Whether you’ve been soaking it up in the ocean or pretending your bathroom is an ocean water spa, having salt dry out on your hair can dehydrate it and make it harder for you to brush and detangle. 

Since most people recognize too much salt water on their hair when they’re near the ocean, you might think about investing in an SPF cream^[5] for your hair to prevent damage from UV sun rays. 

Salt Water Alternatives

If you can’t get a dip in ocean water, you can still promote a healthy hair routine by mixing one cup of fresh water with half a cup of salt and massaging the mixture into your scalp.

You can also mix two parts castile soap — usually made with olive oil — and three parts sea salt and blend thoroughly. And lastly, you can always get a sea salt spray and use it in the same fashion. 

Other Tips For Hair Growth

When it comes to hair growth, you can use many different tools to boost those hair follicles to produce strong and healthy hair. Here are some of the best tips for hair growth:

• Biotin supplementation — biotin^[6] is purported to be an important hair supplement that stimulates keratin production and therefore plays an important role in hair growth as well as preventing hair loss. However, this is controversial. 
• Avoid harsh chemicals — plenty of natural hair products on the market are stripped of harsh chemicals and dyes, helping your hair breathe and preventing damage. 
• Improve your diet — a diet rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and other powerful compounds can only improve the strength and health of your hair, nails, and skin. Eating a micronutrient-deficient diet can have the opposite effect and cause brittle nails, skin problems, and hair loss.^[7] 
• Avoid too frequent coloring and excessive heat styling — hair dyes and extreme heat can weaken and damage your hair, causing breakage and frizz. 
• Avoid frequent washes — it’s recommended to wash twice per week and maybe three if you have naturally greasy hair or tend to sweat a lot. 
• Detangle hair before shampooing — your hair is more vulnerable when wet, so pay attention to every detail when washing it, from avoiding hot showers to detangling before your shampoo. 
• Give yourself a scalp massage — massaging your scalp, whether during wash time or while watching Netflix, can boost your blood flow and stimulate hair growth.

The Bottom Line

Saltwater is good for your hair as it exposes it to many minerals that enrich and nourish it. It’s also a natural exfoliant, removing dead cells and improving blood flow which stimulates hair growth.

However, it is dehydrating, so it’s important not to overdo it, avoid it after hair dyes and treatments, and always rinse after use.

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