If you’re someone who plans your workout around your hair-washing schedule (and who among us hasn’t ditched a workout on a good hair day?), then it’s time to reconsider your haircare products. Yes, there is a way to both have a good hair day and get your sweat on—even on the same day. But the key is picking the products that offer up some serious help to the problems of workout hair. The problems? Namely that potent combo of sweat and shapelessness that can make even the easiest-to-manage hair feel lacklustre, lacking in volume and kind of gross. Consider this your workout hair: solved.
What happens to your hair during a workout?
While working out is definitely good for your body and your mind, it doesn’t necessarily help your hair. For starters, sweat isn’t doing your hair any good. While you might assume that you’ll be left with greasy hair post-workout, the opposite is actually true (once the dampness dries, of course). Because sweat has large amounts of salt in it, it can actually be incredibly drying on your hair and weaken it over time. When hair becomes too dry, it becomes brittle and breaks—but most of us aren’t keen on putting a ton of moisture at our roots where things can often get greasy quickly. A little bit of sweat is—pardon the pun—no sweat, but if your workout includes an intensity reserved for boot camp, then you’re likely going to be dealing with quite a bit of moisture that can leave hair lank and limp and then super-dry. While the limpness isn’t necessarily damaging, it certainly isn’t cute. So what do you need post-workout? You need a bit of nourishment, definitely some volume and an opportunity to feel good about your hair—workout or no.
What’s the fix?
Your new favourite workout buddy is L’Oréal Paris Magic Invisible Dry Shampoo. The five scents offered will do wonders for getting rid of any odour associated with sweat (Vanilla and Bergamot, anyone?), and they will last all day. A bit of volumizing action ensures that any limpness is promptly banished, whether you’re opting to wear your hair down and need some volume at the roots or if you’re planning an easy braided ’do and could use the grit of a dry shampoo to keep everything in place. Rice powder absorbs any oil—because even though sweat might be drying, there’s a good chance you’ve got some natural oil production happening that could use some help. Plus, the true game-changer is the invisible factor. While most dry shampoos leave a white residue, and other tinted options tend to be a bit harsh, the best dry shampoo (and especially the best dry shampoo for dark hair) goes on invisible, making it perfect for everyone from the whitest of blonds to the darkest of browns.
Workout hairstyling tips
While the wonders of dry shampoo are endless, you do need to make sure to use it on dry hair. If your hair is a bit damp from your sweat sesh, just make sure to completely dry the roots before applying your product. Even better? Wear a fabric headband to help absorb some of that wetness while you’re working out. How to use dry shampoo? Simply shake the bottle, spray the formula on your (dry) roots and massage it into your scalp. If you’re looking for how to get volume in your hair, be sure to get the roots, but work down the hair shaft too. The added grit gives a dose of volume. Or you can even spray the dry shampoo with your head upside down—you’ll definitely notice the volume when you flick your hair right-side up. You might be thinking about your other hair-volume products, but dry shampoo is truly a two-for-one in this case.
While a simple ponytail might be your workout go-to, consider a French braid or two twisted buns instead. While you’re working on your squats, your hair will work on its soft bends. When you take your hair down, you’ll have a simple, no-fuss look that, with the addition of a bit of dry shampoo, will look like you worked as hard on your head of hair as you did on your morning run.
