4 Tips to Maintain Your Hair Post-Workout
by Brianna Allen, RUNGRL Contributor
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As Black women, we know keeping our edges laid while having a consistent workout schedule can be the ultimate struggle. Sweat is never our friend, so sometimes, we find ourselves in a constant battle of choosing between getting our exercise in or maintaining that fresh silk press. A Detroit study found that 45% of Black women avoided exercise because of their hair. I know most of us have made that excuse or had a thought to skip a workout to preserve our hair. Say goodbye to those days because the good news is we can get in shape and maintain a consistent workout schedule while keeping our hair bouncing and behaving with these four post-workout tips.
1. WRAP IT UP
Whether you have natural hair or a relaxer, we all know the effort it takes to keep our crown intact when working out regularly. The key to maintaining your hair during exercise is how you prep your tresses pre-workout. Of course, it depends on your hairstyle, but one of the best ways to keep your edges and hair from frizzing is tying your hair down with a silk scarf or a hair wrap. One popular option is the sweatband called Gymwrap created by actress, Nicole Ari Parker. Parker enjoys working out and wanted to find a solution for other women who work out often but are worried about the aftereffects of their sweaty hair. She created, “a sweatband that would wick away the moisture and at the same time let the heat escape.” The sweatband is “open-ended so you can wear it no matter what style you are rocking that day,” says Parker.
Although using a hair wrap will help, the most important part of any hair wrap post workout is keeping it on until your hair is completely dry. This will minimize the sweat and allow the hair to stay laid until you are ready to style it. Not only do hair wraps increase the longevity of your hairstyle, but they also can be cute accessories and add some style to your gym look.
2. PROTECT YOUR CURLS
I know like myself; most Black women are rocking braids and protective styles all summer long. Protective styles should be a go to option to have during your workouts because it can help minimize the amount of time and manipulation you must do to your hair. According to the 2018 RUNGRL survey, 87% of Black, Hispanic or multi-ethnicity women care about being active at least twice a week and 66% do not want to spend a lot of time fixing their hair so, they appreciate easy and quick styles to maintain.
Braids, twists, or locs are all good alternatives to keeping your hair healthy and moisturized. They are also low maintenance, which is ideal when working out consistently or training for a race. Although protective styles are low maintenance, this doesn’t mean we should neglect our hair routine. You should cleanse your hair once a week and moisturize regularly. After all you want to make sure the protective style is protecting your natural hair. Whether, it is braids, ponytails, or a natural curly style they all take care of your hair and can cut time on your hair ritual.
3. SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN
Keeping your hair and scalp clean is a must, which is why wash day is a staple for Black women. Cleansing our natural curls and protective styles will help to decrease the buildup on our scalp post workout. We should aim to wash once a week depending on how much sweat is in your scalp.
A good rule of thumb is to also do a deep conditioner once a week or every two weeks especially after shampooing your hair. This is a good way to deepen the moisture in your natural hair to avoid it from becoming dry and brittle.
While Black hair doesn’t need to be washed daily with a shampoo, using a co-wash can be helpful. Co-washing is “conditioner-only washing” instead of using a shampoo. It has become a popular cleansing method for Black women to keep the natural oils in our hair and avoid over stripping it in between wash days.
4. ALWAYS MOISTURIZE
Black hair is naturally dry. Sweat, gels, and other products can rob us of moisture. After a good sweaty workout, you should make time to moisturize. Trust me, your hair will thank you when it’s feels soft and shiny.
Whether it is an everyday moisture cream or a leave in conditioner we need to replenish and hydrate our hair from the sweat. If your crown is in its natural curly state, you should be sure to section your hair to make sure you are evenly distributing the product. While if you have a protective style, be sure to focus on oiling your scalp.
With a good hair regimen, the right protective styles, good products for moisturizing, head wraps and even a nice silk pillowcase, your Black hair will be able to withstand your workout routine in no time.
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Get more #MyRunningHair tips and learn ways to prioritize your wellness while also maintaining healthy hair on our My Running Hair page.
Brianna Allen
Contributor
Brianna is a native Houstonian who is based in New York City working in entertainment marketing. She is a former volleyball player turned runner and has a passion for all things health and wellness. She is also an alumna of the University of Texas at Austin and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.