Headphones? Check. Favorite Spotify playlist? Check. Don’t know what to do with your sweaty post-workout hair?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. And while it may be enticing to skip your workout because it can damage hair, or even because it is too hard to style appropriately, this can lead to a habit of workout neglect. Your fitness and weight loss goals shouldn’t be ignored simply because of your busy life. Fortunately, we have a number of tips from the women at custom hair color company, eSalon, that your hair will greatly thank you for!
Your hairstyle should suit your workout:
Have you ever tried squatting only to have your ponytail get tangled up in the bar? Not good. Squatting with proper form is essential and typically involves resting a barbell on your shoulders, behind your head. For those of us with long hair, this is a familiar struggle and usually limits hairstyling to a high bun.
However, if you’re feeling creative, try some Minnie Mouse buns or a sock bun. These hairstyles will get the hair off your neck and away from your face and only take about 2-4 minutes to style.
To style Minnie Mouse buns:
- Part your hair down the center.
- Tie off one side of your hair to get it out of the way.
- Bring the other side of your hair into a high ponytail and use an elastic hair band to hold your hair in place (when considering height, think about where you want your cute Minnie ears!).
- Loop your hair back through the elastic about 2-3 inches, resulting in a fan-like look with loose ends.
- Put your thumbs through the loop you just made and spread it apart to give it a rounder look.
- Take the remaining loose ends and tuck them back into the loop. Use bobby pins to tuck your hair down for a more secure, hardcore workout-proof hold.
- Repeat on the other side and voila!
To style a sock bun:
- Starting with a sock with the toe area cut off, roll the sock down to create a doughnut.
- Pull together your hair into a high ponytail and hold the ends of the ponytail together.
- Pull the ends of the ponytail through the doughnut and push that same hair around the outside, hooking in around the doughnut.
- Continue turning the doughnut around and around toward the base of the ponytail. Your hair will naturally wrap around the outside of the doughnut. Once completed, you can use bobby pins for a firmer hold.
Hair Health
Dry shampoo is your new BFF (if it wasn’t already):
Showering after every workout can be an inconvenient time drain on your schedule and is actually quite unhealthy for your hair. Excessive showering and hair-washing can strip hair of the natural oils needed for it to be healthy and strong. Shampoos with sulfates worsen this problem by further removing oil from your hair. Sulfates may also cause color-treated hair to fade faster and have been found to increase scalp irritation and sensitivity.
For these reasons, we suggest using a sulfate-free dry shampoo. Dry shampoo can be applied before your workout to absorb excess oil and sweat. It also does not require water, making it your hair’s best friend when you need to get fresh and look good in a pinch!
To apply dry shampoo, first, ensure that your hair is dry, as applying dry shampoo to wet hair will result in a cakey residue. Before your workout, spray your hair from roots to ends, focusing mainly on the ends and the front of your hair, which often get the dampest from perspiration during workouts. You can apply dry shampoo again after your workout by following the same method. When you’re finished, blow dry your hair on a medium setting and further work in the dry shampoo with your fingers to give your hair some added texture and volume. This is an easy trick to get a fresh post-workout hairdo in just a few minutes.
Don’t forget leave-in conditioner!
If your hair is in need of some heavy hydration, try using a leave-in conditioner. Unlike dry shampoo, leave-in conditioner requires your hair to be damp (as water assures the best conditioning results!). Apply the leave-in conditioner to towel-dried hair. The added moisture from the water and conditioner will rejuvenate your hair, detangle strands, and help make styling easier. We recommend using a product with a lightweight formula, so your hair isn’t weighed down and a nuisance to deal with later.
Like dry shampoo, leave-in conditioner can be applied prior to a workout. Doing so will help protect your hair and create a barrier between sweat and your hair. For very dry hair types, you also have the option of sleeping with a deep conditioner in. Just be sure to rinse it out in the morning with cold to lukewarm water.
Stay away from hot water!
We get it. You might want to shower after every workout to avoid feeling like a slimeball. If this applies to you, make sure to stay away from hot water. Not only does hot water dry out your skin, but it dries your hair out as well (especially during the colder, winter months)! Hot water does a more effective job of cleaning your scalp and ridding it of its natural oils. However, washing hair with hot water too frequently can result in frizzy and brittle hair that is more prone to breakage.
Consistently washing hair with hot water may even contribute to an overproduction of oil as your body naturally reacts (and may overcompensate) to combat its depletion. This may damage your hair at the roots, making it more prone to shedding. If you still fancy a hot shower, we recommend rinsing out your hair with cold to lukewarm water to seal in the moisture in your hair.
By following these tips, you’ll be on your way to having fresher, more beautiful hair that will make sticking to your workout routine that much easier. Utilize these new hair tips and visit CORE to test their effectiveness! Like healthy hair, the health of your body and mind must also be maintained. Stop by CORE for a relaxing massage session, or get your blood pumping in one of our personal training sessions!