Types of sweat
The good, bad, and ugly
Depending on session time and more of the far infrared spectrum and lower heat and if 1 long session or several back to back sessions are being done, this can determine the type of sweat. The difference between the body just trying to cool down the whole time getting rid of water reserves or the sweat that has pulled out toxins from deep in the body and the toxins that are drained from the fat and lymphatic system.
The thickness and consistency of the sweat if done right is much thicker and oilier and is more concentrated if certain protocols are taken. Also the higher or lower fluence of the sauna heaters makes a difference (sebaceous vs more watery sweat).
Note: drinking more water and being hydrated before the sessions so the body can release more sebaceous sweat. (hydrophilic)
Sebaceous sweat vs 99% water sweat
This is the sweat that cleanses the body and is not the water sweat but the oily sweat. Its where the wastes come out. The sebaceous glands VS the part of the sweat gland that rids water to cool the body down. The toxins that dissolve in the fat in the body come out of the sebaceous glands. Its so funny when people think that they are detoxing when they are sweating like a pig when in reality its just dehydrating them and very little toxins are being pulled out. This is what is usually the case. At the gym I hear people saying how they like to go in the sauna and detox. Some times I let them know whats really going on but most people don't want to hear anything that breaks their routine.
If I start saying that the toxins they are wanting to rid come out of the sebacious glands only and they are not getting the results they think they are, they look at me like I'm an idiot.
Caution: I do not go in the sauna too long or go in and raise my temperature too fast. I always do 2 to 3 back to back session. I don't rush my sessions. If I am going to get the full benefit from a session, I do it right and don't just go in without prepping my session just like I don't workout without a good warm up and stretch first. See my before, during and after the sauna page to see. Go the the page here.
I only recommend the most expensive high fluence saunas when the right protocols and precautions are taken. Many people go in with a stagnant lymphatic system. A chi machine can be the best way to prep the session. Many people drink so much water (hydro phobic people) and their core body temperature doesn't allow to keep the furnace in their body hot enough to get the most benefit from the session. It really has surprised me that no one is taught the right way to do sessions. When I go to the Russian Saunas they have techniques most do multi sessions and don't just go for one long sweat session.
When the body is less toxic and the person knows how to use an infrared sauna, especially in the winter, to detox themselves, the best way to know if the sessions are working for someone is to get a good look at their sweat to see how clear it is and smell it.
See my video page on how we take a large spoon and scrape the sweat and put it in a clear mason jar
When the kidneys and lymphatic system are in check, they wastes from doing lymphatic exercise and being in a sauna also get eliminated though the colon, otherwise they can go back into the body. The goal of being in an infrared is to sweat out 99% water and 1% toxins. Thats the ratio at its best. Not 1% minerals and electrolytes. Some people have 1% toxins in their sweat and people that get the least results may a fraction of that 1 percent and these people who don't take the right protocols are the ones that usually give infrared saunas a bad rap.
Note: Know the difference between dehydrating sweat session and detox sweat session. You don't want to be pulling minerals and nutrients out of the body but more toxins. Its the ratio which counts. There should be enough fluence to vibrate the fat molecules deep into the body to help loosen them up so the lymphatic system can help pull the toxins out (learn about back to back sessions with doing lymphatic exercise in between sessions with the already warmed up loosened fat).
If the fluence is too low I don't want to just vibrate the surface fats. Also, many of the toxins coming out of the fat can go back into the bloodstream giving the body a 2nd chance to eliminate the toxins through normal mean when only so much can be released though the skin. If not eliminated they can go back into my body and my immune system will have to play catch up. This is usually if a person has a poor lymphatic system.
