Working Out It Week: Hair Care

I posted this picture last week on Facebook of my hair after 2 days of running intervals outdoors. While my roots were definitely curly and parts of my hair had returned to its wavy state overall it didn't look half bad. I filed this pic under: No excuses.

As a woman of color, particularly a woman with relaxed hair, I understand the plight we go through in order to maintain our locks. That said I can't tell you the last time I had my hair professionally styled. I've always done my own hair mainly because I don't have the time, energy, money, or patience to be in a salon weekly or biweekly. I can't imagine how it feels to sweat out a style after you've paid money for it. I can't relate to that.

So my first tip would be to learn your own hair. Learn how to do a simple wash, blow dry, and style.Roller sets work well and wear well. Also it's less heat applied daily to your hair. This may be asking a lot but  I would even encourage women to save salon styles for special occasions, trims, colors, and take over the responsibility of your regular hair care maintenance. Also embracing your hair's natural texture will free you of the "creamy crack" and make you more likely to get active.

I'm not a total naturalista yet but I do a mean wash & go. Less heat, less product, less time in front of the mirror equals more time working it out!! Win WIN!

Moving on. Let's your protect your hair during workouts. Second tip should be a no brainer: Get your hair off of your face & neck! Scarves, clips, ponytails, and headbands are all your friends here. Use them until your workout is complete and you've cooled down. Then immediately let your hair down to let your scalp breathe.   

If you're exercising regularly and sweating up a storm you'll find that washing your hair once a week just won't cut it. You may opt to fit a second wash into your weekly routine. It's inevitable that you'll have extra buildup of sweat and product in your hair when you work out so it's really important to take extra special care of your hair as well as your scalp.

I'm a bit of a product junkie so I could offer some of my own tried and true labels but I prefer to stress the importance of this instead. No matter what do not let your hair hold you back from being active and healthy. The last debate you want to have is do I want to be cute or fit? I hate to bring up men here but I have to. I've done my fair share of unscientific polling and guess what? There's not a man on this planet that would choose your perfectly coiffed hair over your health. Nope, doesn't exist.

Share your healthy hair tips. How do you wear your hair? Do it find it easy to maintain during workouts? What's the hardest thing about taking care of your hair while sweating buckets? Sharing is caring.