Published August 22, 2018 | By admin

Hair vs Workout (21 August 2018)

 Every Tuesday on 
East Coast Drive with Bongani and Mags
between 16h40 & 16h50

ECR

Every woman cherishes her hair and when it comes to working out it sometimes gets in the way - deciding which hairdo goes with your lifestyle is key. It’s often never an easy decision to make as it may involve settling for a practical hairdo instead of a sophisticated cute/ pretty look.

For the African Girl with ethnic hair, it gets even more complicated. Our hair is coarse (naturally thick, curly and stubborn), for it to be straight you need to apply a relaxer cream and maintain that hairdo. Alternatively, weaves, braids dread locks or a natural afro will be the way to go. All these take a lot to maintain - adding exercise means even more work.

Here’s how Active Women can maintain Healthy looking Hair:

  1. Wash your hair regularly (especially after a workout)
    Washing your hair after a workout is not a choice - it’s a MUST. When we exercise we sweat and most of the sweat accumulates from your upper body particularly your head. Now sweat dries out to form salt particles which if not washed will dry out your hair causing it to be damaged and later on break.

    If you exercise regularly, you will need to wash your hair more frequently so best you make sure you use a gentle lightweight shampoo/ conditioner formula (as most shampoos contain alcohol & sulphates, always check the content) that won't over-cleanse and strip your hair of it’s natural oils.

  2. Alternate your Hair Ties/ Bands & Style:
    It makes perfect sense to tie your hair when going for a workout but try and tie it differently from time to time. This way you will ensure that you DON’T pull your on the same spot, causing it to break. Alternate how you wear/ tie your hair switching from Ponytail, a Fishtail, a High Ponytail and more. Furthermore, it will help a great deal not to tie your hair too tightly as it may cause you a continuous headache a loss of hair.

    Be picky about the type of Hair Band/ Ties you use. For hair ties, use those gentler than your average elastic. For Hair bands use ones with fabric that dries up quickly.

  1. Cover Your Hair:
    This especially applies to people who workout outdoor (Runners, Triathlete…) for a longer period of time. Hair gets damaged when overly exposed to the sun so best you wear a cap AND even use a shampoo/ conditioner with ingredients to fight sun exposure.

    For swimmers, if you swim in a chlorinated pool make sure you rinse the pool water (containing chlorine & salt) out of your hair thoroughly with clear water.