I know we have had several discussions here about African-American women letting their hair compromise their health. Well, it's a new year so hopefully more women are ready to the hit gym and get back in shape. I decided to compile some more tips for maintaining your hair while you exercise.
I have been committed to exercising for about 1 year now and I have learned that AA women have several options for maintaining our hair. Here are some of things that I learned:
1. While working out wear a cotton sport headband. It absorbs most of the sweat while I workout and keeps my hair flat. I do not recommend tying your hair up with a scarf. I have found that my hair sweats more that way.
2. Do NOT touch your hair until it dries. When I first started working out I would try to comb my hair while it had sweat it in. This does not work; it spreads the sweat throughout your hair. I learned that my hair is much more manageable if I wait 30-45 min after working out so it can dry.
3. Learn how to care for you own hair. This past year I had to learn how to care for my own hair. Caring for my own hair gave me the opportunity to wash and deep condition it at least once a week ( as opposed to paying someone every other week). Doing this has kept my hair healthy and I work out when I want to without worrying about wasting my money at the hairdresser.
4. Hair Products that Help
*No Rinse Shampoo- if you're on the go and you really need to get the sweat out use No Rinse Shampoo.
*Aveda Reviving Mist- this is useful if you need a refresh, you can also dry Dry Shampoo. It's really helpful in between washes
*Aveda Anti-humectant - this little jar is worth the investment during the summer time. It helps prevent frizziness in humid weather.
Comment!
Remember everyone's hair is different so everything that works for me will not necessarily work for you. Please feel free to share what works for you and any tips you have.
11 comments:
THank you for your tips! I have let my hair be an excuse for years as to why I didn't exercise. However, after I had my baby girl this summer and I didn't shrink back into a size 6, I realized Ihad to get over it. Your tips will help me figure out what to dow ith my hair, since I am a professional and I have to look right. By the way, I'm writing a mini book on this so I can help other people in the same situation.
I'm glad you are still blogging. I found your blog a couple of weeks ago and I myself am one of those sisters looking to get it right health wise.
Hair has been a major issue for me and i have a natural! the no rinse shampoo was a great tip. Thanks!
Also i would recommend Miss jessis pudding, www. missjessies.com, to maintain hairstyles especially curls.
Thanks for the comments ladies! I'm happy to be blogging again.
great post! now if i can only figure out how to go for a 4 mile run in the morning and keep the curls in my hair without resorting to looking like medusa on the run. lol. im going natural so the curls are the only protective style I can manage.
Great post! I work out M-F (sometimes skipping Weds).I find that I can maintain my straight style for a few days by wrapping my hair and putting on my silk scarf prior to my workout. I conditioner-wash once or twice a week between shampoos (every Sat) and just wear a cute ponytail some days.
This is another reason, upon many, as to why I went natural...the best thing for running and physical activity.
Thanks for the tips! Two years ago I decide that I had to lose weight and workout everyday and I stopped caring if my hair looked particularly good. I lost 55 pounds by the way:) I didn't known that sweat was damaging my hair. Now I have learned that my hair not looking good sometimes means it is not healthy either. Your tips along with some other stuff I have found on the internet are all helping me to discover how to workout AND have good looking healthy hair. I have some hair damage to overcome from past neglect/ignorance but I am encouraged to press on. I basically cowash or wash my hair after every workout session because I do some intense cardio. I'm still looking for the right product brand but i use a leave-in conditioner, hair lotion and light oil (to seal in moisture). I let my hair air dry and I wrap it when it is almost dry. In the morning I have a nice wrap most of the time. Somedays I don't and my hair looks unstyled. On those days I wear it up in a way to hide the "bad hair day" thanks again
Thanks for your tips. I haven't had a relaxer in 2 years so in the summer the co-wash, moisturize, roll the windows down and go routine works. It's not so easy in the winter. I can't roll the windows down on the way in to my office so I had buy a diffuser. Either way, cute hair on not so healthy me is not so cute anyway. That's the attitude I have to take when I scare myself in the bathroom mirror at work.
I have decided not to let my hair stand in the way of my physical fitness. The problem that I'm having is that my hair looks a mess because I sweat profusely during my workouts. I generally workout anywhere from 4 -6 days a week.
I tried wearings a bun...which got old. So now I'm braiding my hair in cornrows and then wearing a wig over them. Since this time, I have not relaxed my hair (3 months) and its getting very thick. Its time for me to decide if I want to go natural or relax.
For me, I don't see the purpose in relaxing because I'm still going to wear the wigs. However, I'm afraid to go natural because I've been relaxed as long as I can remember. I have a good grade of hair but not ready to chop off all my length just yet.
I love your blog!
I haven't relaxed my hair since January...but I am trying to cut down on the chemicals anyway.
Hair has never been an excuse for me not working out as I only go to the salon for trims and cuts.
But in my weight loss group, a lot of "sistas" have that issue. I have learned through self styling that we can wash our hair more than one time per week (and it's actually healthier that way!). I took a sim class one summer and I washed my hair every day..and it grew down my back! LOL
So if you have time to do so, invest in good shampoos and conditioners. You can wash your hair at least 2 times per week and just condition it 2 other times per week. (it seriously works!) :)
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