Hi,
I would love to see an article on taking care of Ethnic hair when you exercise. I won't share the gory details as I sit here from an intense work out.
But I'm curious as to some tips one what to do between shampoos to take care of the hair when you work out.

I usually put my hair up away from my face and neck. I make sure I don't cover my hair with anything(scarf, head band, because that causes my hair to sweat. I see that some ladies wrap their hair to work out, but this will only frizz up the ends when the sweat gets to it.

Does anyone have any suggestions for thick afr-am hair, I would like to eliminate my perm and go natural but it is too hard to manage without the chemicals? Plus, when I excercise I really look like a poodle afterwards.

try hot combs and humidity defying/controlling products. I have a few clients that went chemical straightening free. They come in a couple times a month to get a wash, blow out, and flat ironing from me. They usually have a hot comb at him they use ofr the naps (as I work in a majority white spa, don't have access to some tools).

Okay....Exactly what kinds of problems are you having? You sweat a lot when you exercise I know, but do you exercise inside or out?

Can you rinse your hair after working out? I know that's what I did when I worked out. I always kept a bottle of Pantene daily leave in spray conditioner. It works great for light conditioning without weighing your hair down.

Keep it tied back or braided whatever the case maybe. Don't leave it out so it can get more tangeled. It will also become dry and brittle when exposed to the elements like that. Spend time preparing your hair for your work out if your hair is that unruly. Also understand when you work out it is a plus for your hair.

What kind of hair do you have dry, tightly coiled, curly?

I will look into that Dianne. It's a very good question plus I would love to see what they have on the market today for "exercised hair".

Ms.D,
Thank you for posting. I am glad you stopped by. Yes keeping your hair back is a good idea when working out.

Some times women tie their hair because by exercising it releases the natural oils in the hair to condition it naturally. It's like being in a sauna. Also headbands etc worn during exercising usually is meant to keep the sweat out of the eyes so they can exercise with out the burning sweat running down their faces.

I know for me I don't like the sweat and actually I keep my hair tied up all the time. It keeps the moisture in and my hair is softer and grows better. I don't get a lot of slpit ends this way either. I only take it out for special occassions. I know everyone can't do this but it's what I choose to do.

When I do take my hair out I am careful to make sure it's conditioned good to deal with the elements. Keeping your hair tied up also minimizes the dust and dirt from sticking to your hair and causing it to get dirty faster.

As Dianne has mentioned hair care and exercise was never something to be thought about. But I will consult with the experts to find about hair care and workouts.

Hello DKnows,

Welcome and thanks for posting your quetion here.

Jase response is a good one but I would recommend using Luster's Pink. I these products for hair with chemicals and with out. It is especially for Afro-Am hair. It softens the hair and it's more manageable. The entire line has several different products to style condition heat protection etc. Also their products if not mistaking has sunscreen for the hair.

Lusters Pink Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion, 12 oz

Hope this helps. Good luck.

They even have products for thick coarse hair. Check it out.

A good old fashioned do-rag always helps. Is breakage and brittleness of the hair a problem related to this? In addition to shampooing you should probably use a strengthening conditioner. Modern day life is very very hard on african hair. I use Urielpure's Strengthening Conditioner ( www.urielpure.com ) Between the do-rag and the conditioner that helps me. I hope this helps you too. Cheers, Lara

Hi Lara,

Thanks for stopping by and for your comments.

You're right about the strengthening conditioner. Thanks for the tip!

Do enjoy the article entitled Walk to Get Fit

We'd love to hear other exercises that can help us to slim down or tone.