The main attribute of the bathhouse is a broom. But after him comes the bath cap. Regular and experienced bath-goers who value their health know how important this accessory is. After all, a hat can protect you from overheating and heatstroke, headaches and fainting, nausea and other unpleasant consequences.
In this article we will look at the shapes of the caps, analyze what materials they can be made from, as well as the need for their use and which cap is best to choose for a bath.
The need to use bath caps
The bathhouse has long been famous for its healing and strengthening properties. Therefore, before going to the bathhouse, you need to properly prepare and purchase all the necessary accessories. So, for example, no one will forget about a towel, but many devalue the importance of a hat, and very wrongly.
In the steam room, the higher you go, the hotter it is, so while our body is more or less comfortable, our head is most exposed to hot air. A bath cap is not a whim, but a necessity. It maintains a constant temperature inside, regardless of temperature fluctuations outside, and thus does not allow heat to reach your head.
Beneficial features
An experienced bath attendant always enters the steam room with a specially designed hat. This rule is not a whim and follows fashion trends. Among bath sets, a special place should be given to the cap. Textiles can provide safety, so you need to be careful when choosing them. It protects the head from thermal shock and overheating and eliminates such consequences as general weakness and nausea.
In this aspect, it is necessary to take into account that the temperature in the bath and health complex is higher in the upper part. By wearing a hat before visiting the steam room, you can maintain a stable temperature on the head, where the sense organs are located. In this regard, she is the first to react to negative fluctuations and give an appropriate reaction. It also provides reliable hair protection from overheating, preventing damage to its smooth surface. Due to this, such a procedure will bring health benefits and pleasure.
Types of bath caps
By shape
Bath caps can be of various shapes, in the form of a bell, helmet, earflaps, canvas, Panama hat, helmet, clown cap, kokoshnik, etc. In general, you can choose a hat to suit every taste, from standard to unconventional, unusual design.
The main thing is that the hat covers not only the ears and eyes, but also the crown, parietal part and back of the head from hot steam, because these are the places where the vital parts of the brain are located, and about 50% of the liquid from our body evaporates through the back of the head.
Depending on the material
The most important thing in a bath cap is not the appearance and shape, but the material. It is important that the hat is made of natural material:
- wool;
- linen;
- cotton
- felt;
- felt.
Hats made of natural material allow air to pass through well, protect the blood vessels of the head from temperature changes and protect the hair from drying out.
Under no circumstances buy bath caps made of synthetics or rubber; they not only do not protect against overheating and do not absorb moisture well, but can also release harmful substances when heated. In addition, synthetic hats practically do not protect hair from heat, and this can lead to dandruff and the development of seborrhea.
Diversity
Living in an era of enormous choice, we sometimes get lost in front of a colossal assortment of goods. We are ready to spend hours selecting the accessories we like that can diversify our life and enrich our vacation with bright, unforgettable moments. Even such a seemingly insignificant thing as a bath hat has been decorated by modern life in such a way that by wearing it, you will not only protect yourself from overheating in the steam room, but you will also be able to transform yourself into an original, cheerful character.
For example, the “Budenovka” bathhouse hat is very popular; you can also be offered hats in the form of a cocked hat, papakha, or kokoshnik. However, the classic bell hat remains traditional and especially popular. If desired, it is quite possible to make it yourself, for example, sew it from ready-made material or felt it from wool fibers. Let's consider both options.
Which hat is better to choose for a bath and sauna?
Felt hats
Felt is a dense fabric made from sheep's wool. Due to their porous structure, such caps allow air to pass through perfectly and are an excellent thermal insulator. Moreover, the thicker the felt, the better the hat will protect you from the heat.
Felt hats are good for saunas; they allow less hot air to pass through. And in a Finnish sauna the air temperature can reach +120 degrees.
It is best to buy felted bath hats undyed, in natural colors (gray, white or black). But if you still want something bright and unusual, make sure that the paint on the hat is waterproof and does not fade.
Felt hats
Felt is a lighter and thinner type of felt that does not have the specific smell of wool. Felt is made from rabbit or goat hair. Such soft and pleasant-to-touch caps are good for a bathhouse, where the air is humid and the air temperature is lower compared to a sauna (70-100 degrees).
Cotton and linen hats
Such hats are used less frequently, but have their advantages:
- flax maintains a constant body temperature and prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria, which can actively multiply in a humid, warm environment on the scalp;
- Cotton quickly absorbs and evaporates moisture and is considered a hypoallergenic material that can replace wool for those who cannot tolerate it.
How to steam properly
The bathhouse is a place for relaxation, and everything should be done here leisurely. The first rule of good vaping is don't rush. Everything has its time. You shouldn’t immediately rush to the steam room upon arrival. The body has not yet warmed up and relaxed. Undress, steam the broom.
First, stand in a warm shower (do not wet your head), gradually increase the water temperature. Once warmed up, you can go into the steam room (putting a hat on your head).
You cannot enter the steam room without a hat.
First entry into the steam room
You need to start steaming from the lower shelves. Sit or lie down and warm up. From the second or third approach you will be able to climb higher, but for now don’t rush.
If you lie down, your legs should be positioned higher than your head. This makes it easier for the heart to work, and you will know that it is actively working by the increased heart rate. The duration of the first entry into the steam room is no more than 5 minutes. When you leave, be sure to take a warm shower. With sweat, many toxins that have accumulated in the body are eliminated. Leave them on the skin and they will be absorbed back.
After the shower, if you want, go to the dressing room, relax, drink hot tea with herbs.
Next visits to the steam room - work with a broom
Then you can use brooms. Now you need to pour specially brewed herbal infusions onto the hot stones several times.
Hot steam will rise from the stones in powerful jets, so be careful. When you achieve the required temperature and humidity, you can start working with a broom.
Working with a broom in a bathhouse
It’s more convenient to steam together, taking turns whipping each other with a broom. “Single” use is also possible, although the back is then poorly worked.
First you need to lie with your back up. They begin to lightly pat the broom, moving from the legs to the shoulders. With each pass, slightly intensifying the blows.
With some brooms you need to “stretch” the leaves a little in the final stage (the last 2-3 passes). Usually they stretch with birch, oak or alder brooms, but this can only be done if there is no damage to the skin. The procedure is repeated by turning over on your back. Please note that you need to pat your stomach much lighter than your back.
When to stop entering the steam room and how to rest during breaks
Listen to your own feelings. As soon as you feel tired or it gets hot, it’s time to go out and rest. For almost any person, 10 minutes in the steam room is enough. You need to lie down in a cool washroom or dressing room, but not immediately after leaving the steam room. You need to walk around a little, taking deep breaths, then stand under a warm shower. Now you can lie down.
To maintain water balance and body temperature, you need to drink hot tea or herbs in small sips. The rest becomes longer the more visits you have already made. The duration of rest cannot be less than the time spent in the steam room.
After 3-4 visits to the steam room, you can rub yourself with a hard mitten, and before the last visit, you can apply a mask to your body (preferably homemade). In the steam room, wait for profuse sweat to appear, then rinse everything off under a warm shower.
Total visits to the steam room are 5-7. Less is no point, more is too much stress on the body.
Swimming in an ice hole after the steam room
Recommendations for the use of bath caps
- People with problem skin are advised to purchase special large hats that cover the face up to the chin. They protect the skin from dehydration when overheated.
- After several visits to the bathhouse or sauna, the hat should be washed. The main thing is to choose the washing mode wisely, or even better, wash it by hand at a temperature no higher than +30 degrees.
- After washing, you need to stretch the cap by stretching it over a 3-liter jar, lightly beat it with your hand and dry it, do not remove it from the jar.
Choose beautiful hats that meet all the requirements described above, and then your time in the bath will be unforgettable, useful and safe for health.
Heatstroke - briefly about the terrible things
As mentioned above, a hat in the bathhouse is used to prevent heat stroke.
In the Russian tradition there is a well-known saying: “until thunder strikes, a man cannot cross himself.” Many extremely self-confident people neglect the rational solution to the question “why is there a hat in the bathhouse” and rely entirely on the power of their body and the cardiovascular system, in particular. It’s certainly worth pointing out the main signs of heat stroke and immediate measures to overcome its consequences.
Let's start by describing heat stroke as a physiological phenomenon. Heatstroke is a functional disorder of the body caused by overheating. Main features:
- Redness of the skin of the body, the skin is dry to the touch and feverish;
- Rapid breathing, shortness of breath;
- Rapid, weak pulse;
- Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, darkening of the eyes, visual hallucinations;
- Muscle weakness, cramps.
Heat stroke is a dangerous and insidious phenomenon, especially in relation to children, the elderly, those with weakened immunity and diseases of the cardiovascular system, therefore, at the slightest suspicion of symptoms of heat stroke, it is necessary:
- Organize general cooling of the body and an influx of fresh, oxygen-rich air.
- Ensure that the victim is in a supine position, naturally, in the absence of vomiting.
- Call a doctor.
- To clear consciousness, periodically inhale vapors of ammonia.
