How To Workout Without Ruining Your Hair Style
How To Workout Without Ruining Your Hair Style
Since the pandemic more of us have dedicated time to our health and exercise routine. This is great! Not to mention the great health benefits but the opportunity to have time for self-love is an added perk of exercising regularly. The downside to working out could be “sweating out” our hairstyles. If you went to the salon and invested in getting your hair styled or even if you, did it yourself, you don’t want to ruin your fresh style with sweat. No need to worry you can still get a great workout and protect your hair style. Here are some tips you should try to protect your hairstyle before hitting the gym.
Invest in a workout friendly headband. A headband that is made specifically for working out will absorb your sweat and keep you cooler. Pair this style of head band with a satin scarf to keep your hair in place as well as soaking up the sweat is key in keeping your hairstyle in place.
Use a backup protective hairstyle. Pulling your hair into a ponytail, wrapping your hair and applying the headband and scarf to your hair after wrapping, braiding, or twisting your hair extensions while working out will help preserve your hairstyle while working out. For me when my hair is straight, I’ll wrap it in a dome style and cover with a satin wrap or pull my hair into a high ponytail to prevent frizzing while working out. When I am wearing curly or wavy hair extensions, I’ll braid my hair or use flat twists to manage and maintain my hair style during an intense workout.
Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Drinking water prior to your workout, during, and after will help regulate your body’s temperature and decrease the need for your body to produce more sweat to naturally cool your body.
After your workout do not remove your headband and scarf right away. Allow the headband to absorb as much sweat as possible while you are cooling down.
Blow dry your hair and scalp using a hair dryer but use the cool setting, too much heat may restart the sweating process and the goal is to dry your scalp and hair not to straighten or style with heat.
If you are a heavy sweater and you notice build-up you can use a q-tip to apply aloe gel or an astringent such as witch hazel or sea breeze to your scalp to lightly remove residue.
If you are going to go more than 10 days before your next wash, incorporate a dry shampoo into your routine. A dry shampoo may also prove to be beneficial in removing build-up from sweat and hair products.
You can also tailor your workout around your wash days. For example, if you wash your hair extensions weekly you can increase the intensity of your workouts closer to your workout. Below is a sample workout schedule you can use if you wash and style your hair weekly.
Day 1 or 2 of your fresh hairstyle: Stretch, try Yoga or Pilates
Day 3 or 4 of your recent hair cleanse and style: Try cardio and resistance band workouts
Day 5 or 6: Increase cardio, weightlifting, jumping jacks increase intensity you are closer to a fresh hair do.
Day 7: Go HARD! Try a high intensity impactful workout. Hair day is here!
With the right techniques and convenient timing, you can achieve your hair and fitness goals!