The New Year always signifies a time of great excitement with new opportunities for a better year. For people that do make New Year’s resolutions, there is at least one goal that focuses on either improving health, fitness or losing weight. This is evident by the increase in gym memberships every year in January as people rush to the gym with the renewed motivation to create a healthier and fitter version of themselves (source).

However, according to research conducted by the University of Scranton, only 8% commit and complete their New Year goals (source). As the weeks and months continue, people begin to lose momentum and the excuses start to roll in, and soon that health and fitness goal has fallen by the wayside, only to be retrieved again in the upcoming New Year. Health and fitness should not be a goal, but a normal part of our lifestyles. It should be something you do subconsciously, like brushing your teeth or moisturising your hair ;-) To encourage you to see health and fitness as a way of life, we have put together some tips on how to look after your hair when you working out. At Curly & Wild, we understand how our hair can become an excuse to not take care of our health, so hopefully, these tips will help.

The annoying fact about sweat is that it dries out your hair, can make it frizzy and limp. Nevertheless, the best way to deal with sweat is to have a hair regimen that takes into consideration one’s workout regimen so you can best protect your hair in the most effective way.

Below we give 5 hair care tips to practice in conjunction with your workouts.  Keep an eye out for the bonus tip below!

1: Air-drying

People may think they should wash their hair after every workout session. However, this is not ideal as too much washing will remove the hair’s natural oils, which can lead to dryness and breakage from continuous manipulation. Rather than washing your hair after every workout opt for air-drying instead. Once it is dry you can refresh your hair by lightly spritzing it with water and styling as usual. Spritzing your hair is also a good way to add extra hydration between wash days.

2: Shampoo your hair 1-2 times a week

When you have a consistent workout program it’s best to shampoo your hair no more than 1-2 times a week. How many times you do this depends on the number of times you workout, the intensity of each workout and how often you want to shampoo your hair. If you are doing gentle exercises and don’t generate much sweat, you may feel it’s not necessary to shampoo your hair twice a week. However, if you are doing HIIT workouts (High-Intensity Interval Training) 5-6 times a week, then you may want to shampoo your hair more frequently. If you do a combination of moderate to intense workouts, perhaps reserving your shampoo days for the times you sweat the most is easiest. Regardless of how many times you shampoo your hair, it is about devising the best wash day schedule that fits around you and your workouts. In any case, if you are working out 3+ times a week, shampooing your hair once a week should be sufficient for most.

3 Remember to co-wash, clarify and use protein treatments

If you decide to wash your hair at least twice a week, make sure you utilise co-washing to help replenish moisture to your hair. Using a clarifying shampoo once a month can remove the build-up caused by excessive sweat. This can also be a good way to reboot the scalp for the next month of workouts. If you are undertaking a rigorous workout schedule that is causing your hair to be continuously damp, your hair may become limp and mushy due to the extra moisture. To counteract this, incorporate protein treatments to maintain your hair’s moisture/protein balance.

4:  Protective styling

When working out it’s always best to keep your hair off your face. Braid-outs, twist-outs, buns, ponytails and pineapples are great ways to protect and maintain your hair while working out. These styles are low-maintenance and practical because they do not require a great deal of styling after your workouts. You can also choose to leave them in until you are ready to wash and restyle your hair.

5: Use silk scarfs and headbands

You can use a silk scarf to flatten your hair to reduce frizz and maintain your edges and hairstyle. Headbands are also a great way to absorb excess sweat and protect the hair. In addition, you can try using hair grips to help pin down and flatten your hair before you put on your silk scarf or headband. This will also assist in maintaining your hairstyle.

This may sound like a lot to consider but in practice, it’s very straightforward and once incorporated into your lifestyle, it will be second nature. There are so many great benefits to working out; one of them includes hair growth because your heart rate increases the blood circulation around your body, which stimulates the scalp.

Let us end this post by promising to make 2019 the year health and fitness becomes a natural and enjoyable part of our lives, rather than an unattainable goal that has to be attained every New Year.

BONUS TIP:

Because sweat by nature is drying to your hair you can incorporate more moisture into your hair routine during your week. Deep conditioning your hair once a week is an easy way to do this. Another way is by mixing water and your favourite leave-in conditioner into a spray bottle and misting your hair until it is damp before working out to protect your hair. If you go to a gym with a sauna you can also let the leave-in conditioner sit in your hair for 15-20 minutes as an extra treatment.