How to Care for Your Curls During & After a Workout

It’s not easy to keep hair looking good beyond wash days if you are a person who works out regularly. The reason hair gets so fluffy and frizzy post workout is because of the salts in your sweat which can dry the hair. I do a mix of aerobics, cardio and weight training through the week and especially with my long hair, getting it to look sane is tricky. I work out 5 days a week and this is what I do.

During workout – I put my hair up in a high pony with a tight plastic jaw clip (something like this or this)  because buns can spoil curl definition. (I buy my clips from a shop call Goodwill Collections in Kochi. I haven’t seen a shop like it anywhere else!) Also using a rubber band to tie up a ponytail results in my pony sagging and loosening up while running or jumping. You could pineapple, if you have shorter hair.

After workout –

It’s best not to wash hair everyday as it can cause Hygral Fatigue. I tend to approximately follow this schedule –

1. Sunday – Wash day with shampoo – My Curly Hair Routine
2. Monday – Refresh
3. Tuesday – Refresh
4. Wednesday – Cowash – Co washing curly hair – What, Why, How
5. Thursday – Refresh
6. Friday – Refresh
7. Saturday – Maybe an overnight oil treatment
8. Sunday – Wash day again 🙂

Refreshing routine for hair and scalp

1) Refresh your hair using any of these methods – 4 ways to refresh curly hair

2) Refresh your scalp to free it from sweat and odour –

• Mix a few drops of essential oils you love with water in a spray bottle and spritz it on your scalp. These essential oils especially work great for this because they smell good.
  • Tea Tree Oil – Buy Here or Here
  • Peppermint Oil – Buy Here or Here
  • Orange Oil – Buy Here or Here
  • Eucalyptus Oil – Buy Here
  • Lavender Oil – Buy Here or Here
  • Citronella Oil – Buy Here
  • Lime Oil – Buy Here or Here
  • Ylang Ylang Oil – Buy Here or Here

• Or take a cotton ball and put some witch hazel (for e.g. Bliss of Earth Alcohol Free Witch Hazel ) on it and rub it along your scalp in sections. This will absorb excess oil. You can also use the essential oils mentioned above for the same method. Make sure to dilute it with water.

Do you have any tips for working out with curly hair? Do share 🙂