How To Handle Your Hair After A Workout.

 

We've all had it happen.  You spend an hour or two working out, sweated, and at the end of the time, your hair feels yucky.  Mine, because it's so long, usually feels as if it could stand up on it's own and walk off.  I hate that feeling.  I know I don't always have time to wash and style it before I have to head off.  Furthermore, what you do depends on what type of exercise, your type of hair, etc.  

If you choose an exercise such as pilates or a lower demanding yoga, you might not sweat as much. Consequently, you should be able to get away without washing your hair.  You should be able to lightly style your hair or put the hair into braids, soft pony tails, a loose bun or even a few curls.  

If you've chosen a more intense form of exercise such as spinning, dancing or cardio.  look at the pony tail or braided pony tail as it allows the hair to be smooth agains the head and it keeps it from bothering you. Finally, if you follow and intense workout that leaves sweat dripping down you at the end, you might want to use a head band or hair wrap to help your hair till it's dry.  Or you might want to skip washing your hair and use only conditioner instead but run it only through the ends.  

No matter what, you should not wash your hair every day, even if you workout every day.  You shouldn't wash it more than two or three times a week. You can rinse your hair out with plain water but don't use shampoo because the shampoo can remove the oils your hair needs. In addition, finish it off with a bit of leave in conditioner at the ends to help keep it hydrated. Do not use dry shampoo on wet hair, otherwise you'll end up with a caked mess. If you use dry shampoo, use it on dry hair only. If you want to use dry shampoo, use it before you work out so your strands will absorb the sweat.

Another way to help your hair is to apply a conditioning mask to your hair before you workout. Comb it in from roots to ends before popping it in the braid, bun, or loose pony tail so that the heat produced during your workout helps the mask penetrate hair strands more deeply.  It also keeps your hair slicked back during the workout.  After the workout, you can rinse the mask out or leave it in to take out later.  

You could also apply a pre-shampoo which is a product one puts into the hair before shampooing to help hydrate it and seal in the oils already in the hair.  Apply some pre-shampoo to the hair before the workout, leave it in and then rinse it out.  When you are done, your hair will be in good shape.

Rather than leaving your hair loose, put it in a bun, loose braid, loose ponytail, or clipped up during the workout. This helps keep the sweat from spreading throughout the hair.  Once the workout is over, rinse the hair or just leave it in it's current style. 

These are some ways to handle your hair after a workout.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.