Care for hair after a sweaty workout

Very tight ponytails can cause traction alopecia, giving the impression of a receding hairline over time. Tying your hair back can really make a difference between a frizzy mess and cool waves. Taking hair restraint further, it’s even better if you cover up your strands with a sweat wicking material. Use a scarf or head wrap. Even a sweat resistant headband can help! These materials will protect your tresses from workout trauma, while helping to absorb that frizz-inducing sweat. 

If you’re working out more than once a week, giving your hair a full shampoo every time will only add to drying out your hair. So instead, use a conditioner every time you wash it during the week — it’s called co-washing — and shampoo only once a week. You want to lock the moisture in, and you don’t want to get it dry and brittle. 

After washing your hair at the gym and before cranking up the blow dryer, apply a trusty leave-in conditioner to boost the moisture levels of your hair. You can also use a little bit of coconut oil with it. 

If you were focused enough to squeeze two workouts and more than one co-wash during the week, take some down time to restore moisture and a little care to your hair with a deep conditioning session and add a little heat. It helps to replenish moisture and lock it in the hair follicle. Use it once a week with your favourite deep conditioner. 

As the year rolls around, be sensitive to the changing needs of your body and amend your routine accordingly. When the season changes, so do your skin and hair. In the winter, you need to keep that moisture spray on deck. In the summer, use your oils, but not too much. Your body naturally makes its own oils. So don’t go overboard because excess oils will get on your face and cause breakouts.