We all know the struggle of trying to maintain our hair when we work out. Regardless of the intensity or type of fitness activities you may engage in it is a common occurrence that the humidity and sweat will wreak havoc on your hair. Unfortunately this is a challenge we all experience when trying to stay fit and active, however for curly hair this can be a particularly challenging issue to overcome.
The easy answer to overcoming this issue is to just wash your hair after every workout, but when you have a lengthy hair wash and styling routine, or workout every day, this becomes a very time consuming process which most of us don’t have the time to do.
So, what can we do instead? Here are a few tips and products you can try out to help minimise the effects of working out on your curls so you can continue to have beautiful curls and limit how often you need to wash and style your hair.
Tip #1 - Tie your hair back (with a scrunchie) away from your neck and face to limit sweat directly touching and soaking into the ends of your curls. Try a high ponytail or bun for the best results.
Tip #2 - Wear a sweat wicking headband to help protect your edges and flyaways.
Tip #3 - Invest in a good dry shampoo to absorb excess sweat and oil after your work out (suggestions below).
Tip #4 - Use a little bit of water mixed with leave-in conditioner to help address frizz after working out. If necessary you can also add a small amount of curl defining cream to help with definition. This will help in the short term but make sure not to overuse your products because it might result in buildup and lack luster curls.
Tip #5 - Adjust your wash routine so it links up with your workout sessions where feasible. Washing your hair after a workout is ideal which may work for people who exercise on specific days of the week. For example, I generally work out Monday to Friday so I always make 1 of my wash days a Friday right after I exercise so I have fresh curls for the weekend and the other day will depend on the product build up I have and how my curls are looking (normally a Monday or Tuesday).
Suggested products you can try out:
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Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo - $25
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Cantu Refresh Dry Co-wash with Apple Cider Vinegar and Tea Tree Oil - $6
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Hask Monoi Coconut Dry Shampoo - $10
The struggle of sweat and curly hair is something we unfortunately cannot avoid, however these few tips might help make maintaining your curls whilst working out a little bit easier!
If you like this post and want more curly hair tips and tricks please check us out on IG @be.curly1 and on TikTok @be.curly