How To Protect Your Natural Hair While You WorkOut
Are you a woman who wants to have a fantastic body but you find your natural hair doesn’t agree with your workout schedule? A lot of women struggle with trying to maintain their natural hairstyles because they sweat so much and eventually choose their hair over their body. Well I have some good news for you! I’ve fought many battles against sweat, and I’ve discovered some best practices that really help me preserve my hair and hair styles. Here are 5 tips on how to protect natural hair when working out:
1
Tie your hair up during your workouts
Don’t leave your hair out! Braids, twists, buns, and bantu knots are all great examples of ways you should tie your hair down during your workout. This does not have to be a stressful process and should not take you very long. Arrange a few twists (or whatever style you choose) in a presentable way, and go get your workout in! This will help keep your curl pattern intact and the frizz at bay. Not to mention this will protect your ends from breakages caused by your hair rubbing against your clothes and the gym equipment.
*Side Note: Do not take your style down before your hair has a chance to fully dry.
2
Allow your scalp to breathe when you work out
You are shooting yourself in the foot if you are working out with your hair in a hat, scarf, bandana, du rag, or anything that will trap sweat. Once your scalp is completely drenched with sweat, that moisture will start running up your hair shaft. Before you know it, your hair is wet from root to tip! You have to give your scalp a chance to breathe so that sweat will evaporate and your roots will dry quickly. One of the quickest ways to ruin a hairstyle is to trap all that sweat and moisture during a workout.
3
Utilize your blow dryer
If you have to be somewhere quickly and you do not have adequate time to let your hair dry before you take your twists or braids down, blow dry your hair on the cool setting. This will help speed the process of drying your hair so your hair won’t frizz when you take your twists out.
4
Apply moisturizer nightly
Before wrapping your hair at night, make sure you are applying a moisturizer that’s not water based and lock it in with oil. Constant sweating will make your hair look dry and feel brittle. Moisturized hair will give your hair that soft, shiny, and bouncy look.
5
Use gel or paste on those edges
As the week goes on, your hairstyle will get a little old, and the sweat from your workouts will make your hair a little frizzy no matter how hard you try to fight it. Slicking your edges down and fluffing out your hair a bit will always pull the look back together until your next washday
rolls back around.
Always choose your health over your hair! You have to realize that you are not your hair. Your hair is just an extension of you. On any given day, you can create a new style or redo an old one. But with your body, you can’t manipulate it so easily. We only get one body and that’s it! So choosing a permanent healthy lifestyle over a temporary hairstyle will always be the right choice.
Jena is a hybrid between a life coach, a fitness trainer, a disciple, and a healthy lifestyle ambassador! It brings her no satisfaction if you're physically strong but lack mental or spiritual fortitude. She's in the business of empowering you to be whole and healthy. Fitness exponentiated! Follow Jena on Instagram @thefitnessjem.
