What do you do about your hair if you exercise regularly?

I hate it when I just get my hair done.  Don't get me wrong, I love when it's nice and straight and styled.  But when I run, I sweat and my roots get dampened with sweat.  Then , when it dries, my hair looks...kinda bad.  I've tried hats and head wraps and they keep my hair from touching my forehead and getting sweaty.  But what do I do with my roots? Is there any way I can help my hair stay pretty and healthy (I don't like applying much heat because my hair thins and breaks off)and still work out?

hm... usually i tie my hair up while exercising, and wash my hair right after... it's pretty much inevitable if you sweat during exercise...?

alternatively, you could try to do exercise that won't make you sweat too much (or if it does, it'll be so cold that it dries off almost immediately). what comes to mind is something like yoga/pilates, or indoor ice skating....?

Check this out...someone posted the same thing a few months back, and she got a lot of responses. Maybe you could message her and see what ended up working for her?

 

http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/post/913 69.html

 

edited to add: yay, I made a clickable link :)

Put it up in a bun and let it dry that way (like let the sweat dry that way) and it gets these sexy waves! Then I straighten the last 2 inches and my bangs and wear it down. The dried sweat- as gross as it sounds- gives it awesome volume so I have these sexxxxxy waves mmmmm I love my hair after I work out! Maybe even more than before I work out, haha

I'm confused...why can't you wash your hair after running to get rid of the sweat?  Isn't that what most people do?  I have to wash my hair daily whether I work out or not...it gets all greasy if I don't.

I may be wrong (correct me if I am) but I think there is a big difference when it comes to doing your hair if you are African-American and if you are not.

Yes kelle thank you for noticing.  I thought my avatar would make it obvious.  I am black.  So washing my hair everyday is not an option.  Doing something like that might damage my hair further because I have to apply proper heat so that it doesn't become nappy.  And my hair is also very very short.  As in, it doesn't even touch my neck.  So buns, pony tails, and washing after are all out.  I took a look at the link you gave me Kelle.  PERFECT.  She's just like me.  African American with short hair.  Thanks for taking the time to notice I was not white or asian.  I suppose I should have written it down, though.

I'm a curious white girl - you have to apply heat to your hair every time you wash it to keep it from getting nappy? or did I misunderstand?

i just touch up my regrowth in the front quickly with a flat iron if it gets really wild. that mostly happens when i wash my face and water splashes up more than it should. wearing a headband while i wash my face and work out help a bit too.  i relax my regrowth about once every two months so my hair doesnt get so bad when it meets moisture. during the summer i just wear my hair natural more often.  im much too lazy to deal with that mess on my head! =]

 

Thanks. 

practicallypeach--I think it wasn't a case of that poster not knowing that you were African-American, but rather not realizing that hair care is very different. It happens. :-) My roommate freshman year of college was African-American and she was stunned that I washed my hair EVERY day.

Original Post by jupiterstar1978:

I'm confused...why can't you wash your hair after running to get rid of the sweat? Isn't that what most people do? I have to wash my hair daily whether I work out or not...it gets all greasy if I don't.

It gets greasy because you wash it everyday - over production of oils because they're constantly being stripped away. My mom does the same thing and also looks super greasy if she skips a day. I wash mine 2-3 times a week, it doesn't get greasy looking until about the 3rd day (thank god since my hair is a frizzy mess freshly washed, which requires straightening).

Just curious, what type of care does black hair need? I remember once staying at my dad's place as a kid, I used his wife's shampoo/conditioner (she's Jamaican) and my hair came out super greasy looking. Do you guys need extra moisture?

I put it up in a bun, otherwise, it drives me more insane than I already am. I hate that hair hanging in my face while doing my daily walks .

Lol okay African American Hair Care 101

African American hair comes in many different ways but I'll first point out the thickness.  Hair can either be thick or thin.  If you grab thin hair and blow on it, the air will go right through (almost like white-people hair).  With thick hair it won't.  It will stay right where it is and only a few hairs will move. Also, don't you ever wonder why black people have hair grease?  Our hair does not get oily everyday.  Matter of fact, it gets dryer and dryer and HAS to be oiled regularly.  Washing black hair everyday will cause the scalp to dry and the hair will turn brittle and break off.  That's why you usually see black people (in 3rd world countries) with either short hair or dreads.  It's so easy for black hair to damage and look plain ugly.  Even afros are hard to maintain because if you brush it too hard, the hair breaks off in clumps.  That's why you see people with afros use picks.  

Perms do different things to different hair.  A perm for a person who is white or asian will make the hair curly.  A perm for someone with course hair will make it strait.  

After washing hair, a black person has to go through different motions.  She cannot just dry it off with a towel.  If she just lets it air dry, it'll get puffy and the roots will get nappy very quickly.  So this is all a black person has to do if she wants to keep healthy, pretty hair:

1. Condition hair after washing it (either leave-in conditioner or conditioner that rinses out.)

2. Then add moose and wrap the hair around the head.

3. Put on wrap.

4.  Sit under hair dryer until dry. (could take hours)

5. Remove wrap and comb out hair

6.  Grease hair (sitting under a dryer will certainly dry out the scalp).

7.  Style.

Now some black people just grab a hand dryer and blow dry it that way but they will tell you it's not as effective as a hair dryer that you actually sit under.  I own a portable one.  So when you hear a black person say they don't feel like doing their hair, now you know why.  And now you know why so many black people prefer fake hair or braids.  Our own hair is just tough to manage and keep healthy.  Rain destroys it.  Swimming destroys it.  Exercise destroys it.  Roller Coasters destroy it (We can't just run our hands through our hair and keep moving like a lot of white people.  We NEED a comb).  A lot of female black people don't own convertibles for this very reason.  It's not because they can't afford it.  Hats don't like us either.  You think YOU can get hat hair?  You don't know the half of it.  This is also why you don't see a lot of older (13+) black people swimming.  If hair gets wet that means that one has to go through ALL of those steps in order to get it back to normal.  

Now my hair is short and thin.  And flat ironing it often will make it thinner and cause it to break off (which is bad).  So I can't just grab an iron and fix it that way.  And blow drying it everyday will surely cause breakage.  Pony tails also break off hair (but I think that is for everyone, not just black people).  

(sigh) I suppose I could try and wear a sweat band (although I doubt that will do much).  I guess exercise is just another one of those things that we've got to struggle with.  Oh well.  At least we aren't prone to lice lol.

Wow - I didn't realize the care for African American hair was so vastly different  - that's an interesting bit of information.

I don't know if this would work, but you could look into dry shampoo.  There are several kinds, but that product line I linked to, Ojon, is wonderful.  They also have an oil treatment for weak/damaged hair that is out of this world. 

There are also various organic products specifically designed for black hair. 

You might also try consulting with a comsetologist that specializes in African American hair and hair styling - they might be able to recommend professional products or techniques that will help you.

Good luck!

I was going to suggest dry shampoo too, but don't bother buying the expensive stuff.  You can make your own.  The only thing bad about it is that you have to comb it through (or brush it).  I'm not sure if you'd be able to do that without damaging your hair.

Basically all you need is cornstarch, cornmeal, and baking soda.  You mix them together (or just use one if that's all you have), scoop some on your fingers, and rub into your scalp.  Then brush.  You can also add some essential oils to get rid of "head" smell.

Have you considered Conditioner Only washing?  Instead of using shampoo you use gobs and gobs of cheap (think VO5 or Suave) conditioner.  I'm not black so I dunno if conditioner on your scalp is a no no, but I've heard it works wonders for coarse dry hair.  Do a google search.  Here's a basic explaination:

http://www.geocities.com/bonnecasey/COWASHING .html

Original Post by practicallypeach:

I hate it when I just get my hair done.  Don't get me wrong, I love when it's nice and straight and styled.  But when I run, I sweat and my roots get dampened with sweat.  Then , when it dries, my hair looks...kinda bad.  I've tried hats and head wraps and they keep my hair from touching my forehead and getting sweaty.  But what do I do with my roots? Is there any way I can help my hair stay pretty and healthy (I don't like applying much heat because my hair thins and breaks off)and still work out?

Try baby powder. Apply it to your roots then shake it up using your fingers. Your scalp will absorb it right up and make your roots look fresh again.

 

GOOD GOD.  and to think, when I was a kid I wanted to have African American type hair cause it looks so pretty! No thanks.....

Wow. Thanks for the ideas. But won't things like baking soda and baby powder turn black hair...white? I mean think of our hair as a pure black shirt. EVERYTHING SHOWS. Is it possible to do these things without our hair looking crazy ashy?

Original Post by practicallypeach:

Wow. Thanks for the ideas. But won't things like baking soda and baby powder turn black hair...white? I mean think of our hair as a pure black shirt. EVERYTHING SHOWS. Is it possible to do these things without our hair looking crazy ashy?

 No, I have black hair too (I'm middle eastern) and I use baby powder as a dry shampoo if I need to.  As long as you rub it in and shake it up, your natural oils will prevent it from looking ashy.