Hairstyles and Tips Depending on Your Workout

What you’ll learn:

• Why is sweat bad for your hair?
• Why shouldn’t you shampoo every day? 
• So what should one do with a full work out schedule? 
• How to refresh your hair after a low, medium, high intensity workout
• Hair care tips before you workout:

If you exercise regularly you probably wonder if you should shampoo your hair after every workout. Planning hair-washing days according to your workout schedule can be tricky, but there are a few solutions that can work out for you -no pun intended. 

Why is sweat bad for your hair?

Sweat is the way our body expels waste and salinity to keep cool and although sweat can work as a natural salty water to recreate beach-y waves, if you don’t wash it off, the salt will dehydrate the strands and eventually it’ll start to smell yucky as well.  

Why shouldn’t you shampoo every day? 

If you’ve read any hair care article before, you know by now that washing your hair daily is a big NO when it comes to maintaining your hair’s health.  Shampoo strips down the oils from the scalp and the strands leaving, yes, a clean canvas. But at what cost? Washing daily messes up the production of the natural oils that your scalp needs in order to keep your strands healthy.  

So what should one do with a full work out schedule? 

What’s worse, leaving the hair to soak in sweat or washing it with harsh detergents?  Neither. 

Some people sweat more than others. This depends on many factors including how intense  a workout routine is.  

Here’s a series of recommendations designed to help you tailor your hair care routine according to your favorite exercises and hair needs. 

If the workout intensity level is low...

...and you are not sweating that much, there is no need to wash your hair. In this case, pat dry your scalp with a microfiber towel or just a clean cotton towel. Then, spray some natural mist to freshen up your hair.  You can make  your own hair mist with some spring water and two pumps of the Balancing Conditioner, it has no silicones, sulfates, nor petrol; so it’s perfect to keep the hair clean and moisturized. 

If the workout intensity level is medium...

...use a headband at the hairline to absorb sweat as best as possible. Then, with a wet cloth, clean the front of your hairline and the back where your neck starts.  Refresh your strands with the same mix mentioned before and blow dry with the heat setting on cold. This will help you cleanse where you got the most sweat. 

If the workout intensity level is high...

...and your hair ends up drenched in sweat, it’s normal that you’ll want to shampoo that sweat off. Avoid the temptation and do a co-wash instead. Using a silicone-free conditioner, rinse your hair and massage your roots gently to  cleanse away the dirt and apply conditioner from the middle of the strands to their ends; then rinse again. For a laissez-faire approach, let your hair dry naturally and embrace your natural hair. You can apply a few drops of argan oil to control frizz and baby hairs. 

Hair care tips before you workout:

• Braid your hair before the exercise and undo it for a wavy style. 

• Clip your bangs away from your face to avoid them getting in your way and to also keep them dry. 

• If you planned your washing day with your workout, pre-poo with extra virgin olive oil. It nourishes the strands and gives them an extra layer of protection before they get cleansed. Apply one spoonful of the oil and distribute it all over your hair and scalp, then tie it up to recreate a slicked back look. 

• Once every couple of months, use an anti-residue shampoo to deep cleanse your scalp from any buildup residue. If you workout daily, you can do this once a month.

• Follow a hair routine that replenishes your hair with essential elements that it needs to be healthy. These are: water, oil, and protein. If you don’t have a routine yet, complete this test to get one.