Gym Hair Tips So You Can Sweat It Out
It’s been awhile since I talked about hair on this blog, but on the few times I’ve been able to make it to they gym, I’m always amazed at what length black women will go to not to sweat. Not sweating…in the gym? Isn’t that the point? But god forbid they mess up their hair.
This leads me to ask the question: Is your hair really worth your health? Really?
I want to look fly like everyone else, but even when I had relaxed hair, I was in the gym sweating it our six days a week. Never was my hair going to prevent me from being healthy and in shape. And let’s be real, how fly can you look if you’re grossly overweight? There is more to your body and looking good then a hot hairdo. It’s long past time for us to get out proprieties straight where are health is concerned and realize the superficial (fly hair) is not worth our health.
Make this the year that it’s okay to sweat out the do. It can always be fixed. Here are some tips to help with the post workout hair from Nubian Fitness Goddess:
1. While working out wear a cotton sport headband. It absorbs most of the sweat while I workout and keeps my hair flat. I do not recommend tying your hair up with a scarf. I have found that my hair sweats more that way.
2. Do NOT touch your hair until it dries. When I first started working out I would try to comb my hair while it had sweat it in. This does not work; it spreads the sweat throughout your hair. I learned that my hair is much more manageable if I wait 30-45 min after working out so it can dry.
3. Learn how to care for you own hair. This past year I had to learn how to care for my own hair. Caring for my own hair gave me the opportunity to wash and deep condition it at least once a week ( as opposed to paying someone every other week). Doing this has kept my hair healthy and I work out when I want to without worrying about wasting my money at the hairdresser.
4. Hair Products that Help
*No Rinse Shampoo- if you’re on the go and you really need to get the sweat out use No Rinse Shampoo.
*Aveda Reviving Mist- this is useful if you need a refresh, you can also dry Dry Shampoo. It’s really helpful in between washes
*Aveda Anti-humectant – this little jar is worth the investment during the summer time. It helps prevent frizziness in humid weather.
So what do you think? Are these some gym hair tips that you find helpful? Do you think now you can sweat it out in the gym and keep your hair looking fly? Let us know in the comments.
Sweet Potato Pie,
I’m not trying to get off topic here (it does relate though), and this is NOT an attempt at an ‘Internet Hand Grenade’ either. Trust me, please, on that. Disclaimer’s … geez … what a world, huh?
Now, to the point. Your comment about the resistance of A/A women to sweat and the effect it has on ones hair got me thinking about this in a larger context. Why? Yes, sweating and doing physical workouts can mess with the hair, but (here’s the “but”), that’s mostly certain kinds of hair styles. I’ve never understood the general resistance to shorter or natural hair by A/A women. You all look beautiful like that, its part of the unique beauty you possess, separate from other women. Revel in it.
Then there is the overall idea you posted about ‘only white people do this’. Ever realized how contradictory this attitude becomes? Just look at collegiate/professional sports. What do you see? Many women of color kicking butt! Track and Field is dominated in many disciplines by women of color from the USA, Caribbean and Africa. Look at the WNBA (isn’t Candace Parker beautiful?). What two women from the USA have been kicking Tennis butt for years now? Yep, the beautiful Williams sisters! So … the big question … what happens below this, in recreational/average citizen’s sports and activities? Even in areas with very high concentrations of A/A population, when I run events there, the percentage of A/A participates (especially women) is so discouragingly small. Why? Where are ya’ll at? I’m definitely not trying to be critical or anything negative. I just simply don’t get the social dynamics going on here.
Help me out!
This is a topic that continues to baffle me.
When I speak at sorority functions or to my friends or to other groups of black women, someone always asks the question, “How can I work out without sweating?” To which I say, “You can’t.” I tell people that heart disease doesn’t care how good your hair and nails look. Women balk at the cost of a gym membership but will pay that much on just one trip to the hair dresser. I wrote about this on my blog not long ago. http://blackgirlfitrevolution.blogspot.com/2009/03/running-is-better-than-gucci-bag.html
Sure, maybe it is easy for me to say (I have locs), but even I get annoyed by the fact that every time I run, my hair looks a little less like the way I want it to. But I can always fix it. I didn’t take up swimming lessons last year because I knew my hair would look crazy all the time. But I want to start swimming and that is one of the reasons that I will be cutting my hair next month. (I find long hair to be over rated) I am not going to allow my hair to get in the way of my workouts or my health.
I think the obsession with long hair is tied into the media and Hollywood standard of beauty that tells us that long hair is beautiful. But this is the same media that tries to tell us that Cameron Diaz is beautiful and Beyonce and J Lo are fat, so go figure.
Before I get off my soap box, I want to agree that Aveda Reviving Mist is great. For some reason, though, I can’t find it in DC anymore….
Great post! I look forward to reading more.