So I have noticed I over the past few weeks after playing racquetball for a couple hours I come home and see white streaks down my face. I guess I have a lot of salt in my sweat and it does burn my eyes quite a bit if it gets in them.

I think I have always been a salty sweater when I was young my baseball hats would have white rings. This seems to be more than normal lately where it leaves a visible build up on my skin. Does this mean I am eating too much salt? Something else?

Do you use any product in your hair, if so, it could be that?

I have the same problem. Don't use any product in my hair.

It is just sweat. Anyone who sweats in an environment where the sweat can evaporate will get the white salty streaks.

I've heard that if you have really salty sweat it can be caused from a low sodium diet and that increasing your sodium intake can help with the sweat and your endurance. Don't have any idea if it's true, but if you maintain a pretty bland diet, it might be worth looking into.

The worst I get is some white tinting at the base of my hats.

its sweat. dont' worry about it. just replenish fluids and electrolytes.

Mine is definitely more saltier than standard sweat. I've never really thought of it as a problem and never talked to a doctor about it, but when I've had blood work done I'm always low on sodium.

I have seemed to noticed that my sweat is less salty when I make an effort to get more sodium in my diet.

ETA: I'm not saying my hat is white so I have more salt in my sweat more than most people. Though I do have to wash and replace hats very often because of how white they get. I can actually feel salt on my skin after sweating. My skin is very gritty feeling after sweating a decent amount.

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Mine is definitely more saltier than standard sweat. I've never really thought of it as a problem and never talked to a doctor about it, but when I've had blood work done I'm always low on sodium.

I have seemed to noticed that my sweat is less salty when I make an effort to get more sodium in my diet.

ETA: I'm not saying my hat is white so I have more salt in my sweat more than most people. Though I do have to wash and replace hats very often because of how white they get. I can actually feel salt on my skin after sweating. My skin is very gritty feeling after sweating a decent amount.

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Interesting observation. Perhaps the more salt you eat, the more water you drink, and the more salt you pee out. But if you're not drinking as much water, your sweat is more concentrated. Do you know what your sodium level runs on your labs? Is it in the low end of normal, or is it actually below normal?

Unless you get frequent lung infections, have frequent indigestion and fatty stool, or are having fertility issues, I don't think it's a medical issue.

Don't remember the numbers. But I'm actually pretty sure with some people it happens when you drink too much water or only water. When I mix in gatorades it seems to be better.

My very limited internet research seems to show the same.

Actually, just got my results back from a recent physical. First time I can remember my sodium was in range, 135. Probably has something to do with getting married and my wife loving salt....

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Actually, just got my results back from a recent physical. First time I can remember my sodium was in range, 135. Probably has something to do with getting married and my wife loving salt....

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What was your potassium?

4.2

Hmmm... I wouldn't figure I would be lacking in salt. I am not the healthiest eater, I had pizza and a frozen lean cuisine which contains plenty of salt on one of the days before working out.

I would be curious to know the mechanism behind low sodium causing greater salt excretion in sweat. Doesn't really make sense, but who knows.

Yeah, 4.2 is normal. I'd be more concerned if it was super high in the setting of low sodium, especially if you have low blood pressure or dizziness on standing, etc.

tv1113 - I don't really know the mechanism behind low dietary sodium causing saltier sweat. The body uses sodium to regulate blood volume/pressure. Just about all the sodium you eat ends up outside your cells, so if you eat a lot of salt your body has to take fluid out of your cells and put it into your blood in order to keep the salt concentration from getting too high. Most regulation of salt in the body is via the kidneys.