How Women Can Prevent Oily or Frizzy Hair After Intense Exercise

I get plenty of questions in various comments throughout the website, but I also get comments and questions via the Project Swole Contact Form.

Generally I address those questions through e-mail, but often I do not have the time to reply to each and every question personally.

From now on I want to take a more proactive approach to answering Your Health Questions by posting them separately in the blog. This way we can be sure that everyone benefits from the Q & A.

Gillian Finnick wrote:

“Hi Steve. I know you don’t normally answer questions like this, but I’ve seen you address some female topics before, sometimes with female guest bloggers. Do you have any recommendations for taking care of my hair during a workout? I’m sick of getting my hair done then turning into a ball of frizz after just one workout. Please help!”

Response:

You are right Gillian, I don’t normally answer these types of questions, and in fact I can’t answer it right now. However, I have consulted with my fitness friend Heather who also happens to also be a hair dresser, and asked her to whip up a guest post with some tips. That being said, here you go!

How to Care for Fitness Hair

Whether or not you put a lot of time and effort into your daily beauty routine, the last thing you want to do is add to your regimen needlessly. And the truth is that intense exercise can leave your hair oily, frizzy, or worse, both. For women who spend a lot of money at the salon for a particular coif, this can be a deal-breaker. But what good is perfect hair if the body it rests on is less than ideal?

Looking and feeling your best and attending to your overall health is more important than your hair, but it’s funny sometimes how our priorities get jumbled up. In any case, you don’t have to pick one or the other. You can find ways to keep your locks looking sleek even when you exercise. Here are just a few tips and tricks that will help you to stave off the frizzies and avoid the oily mess that might otherwise be the result of intense activity.

Fitness Friendly Hair Styles

A good place to start is with your hairstyle, and securing your strands is the best way to keep frizzies at bay. If your hair is long enough, pulling it back in a ponytail or making a tight braid will not only keep it out of your way during your workout, but it will also stop it from turning into a crazy halo around your head.

If it’s shorter, a headband and some well-placed bobby pins should work equally well. The bonus of this strategy is that having your hair pulled back means you can hop off the treadmill or weight bench and run errands if you have to without the hassle of re-styling. Of course, you’ll more likely want to take a shower and freshen up after intense exercise.

What Causes the Frizz?

The problem is that you’re fighting two problems.

One problem is that your scalp can become a sweaty, oily mess, leaving roots limp and lifeless, while at the same time the rest of your mane can become dry and frizzy from your frantic movements. If you use a product meant to reduce oil on your scalp, such as powder or astringent, it can seriously dry your tresses.

But if you put in a conditioner meant to seal your cuticle and keep your hair frizz-free, it can weigh down your strands and leave you looking like a drowned rat. So what’s the solution that will solve both problems?

Choosing Fitness Friendly Hair Products

The trick is to find the right products and use the right techniques when it comes to cleaning and styling your hair after you exercise. You might start with a shampoo designed to combat an oily scalp and follow it up with a deep conditioner to combat frizz.

You could also consider a lightweight leave-in conditioner, although you may just want to spritz it on the ends of your hair. And you should consider the amount of heat treatments you’re using.

Blow-drying can not only dry out your locks and lead to frizzing, but the heat can also cause your scalp to produce more oil, exacerbating both of your problems. But you could try using the cool setting to solve at least one issue. And while you might use your chi flat iron to smooth away the other problem, you should definitely try it in tandem with products meant to protect your hair from heat.

With the right combination of preparation, products, and treatments you can stop the oil and frizz that set in when you exercise so that you can enjoy your activity without having to go all out to tame your tresses afterwards.

Tags: chicks, exercise, fitness, frizzy, girls, hair, women, workout

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