It’s that time of the year ladies — the very beginning! I’m sure many of you have already made your new year’s resolutions and I’ll bet exercising is at the top of that list. If you are serious about your decision and intend to keep it up well beyond February then you are going to need a gym hair care kit that will help you to fight off some of the perils of exercising, like sweat and frizz. If you have no idea what to pack in your kit then read on for some of my must haves.
Gym Bag Must Haves
Headbands
This is a necessity for any serious exerciser. When you’re shaking your hips in Zumba and bending your body into a pretzel for yoga, the last thing you want to worry about are stray hairs getting into your eyes.
Remember to always pull back your hair with a headband before beginning to exercise. The type of headband is important. Wider headbands will hold back more stray hair and help to prevent sweat from dripping down your face.
Deep conditioner
Your exercise time can be the perfect opportunity to sneak in a much needed deep condition session. To accomplish this, slather on your DC prior to working out and don a shower cap and beanie. While you exercise, your body will create heat that will help your cuticles to open up so that your DC can work better.
This will only work if you’re not engaging in strenuous activities, however, since you don’t want your hat and shower cap flying off mid work out. If you’re more of a heavy workout curly, you can still deep condition — just do it after you workout.
Apply your DC then hit the gym’s steam room and allow the moist heat to give your hair the spa treatment.
Diffuser and dryer
If you’re a hardcore exerciser, you probably sweat buckets during your workout, and a good portion of that sweat gets trapped in between your curls and coils. Back to back exercise sessions and sweaty hair that never has time to dry can make your hair smell.
To avoid stinky curls, lightly diffuse your hair after your workouts. The diffuser will help to gently dry the roots of your hair to prevent the sweat from accumulating there until your next wash session. After diffusing your roots try to leave your hair down and out to help it to dry completely.
If you’re a heavy sweater, you might want to consider washing your hair more often as well. Always remember to use a spray heat protectant before using heat.
Dry shampoo
While dry shampoos may be a little controversial because their alcohol content, l still think they should make the list because of their usefulness. Dry shampoo is a product applied to the roots of the hair and is used to soak up excess oil and sweat from the scalp. This is especially helpful for women whose hair gets oily and limp quickly but do not want to wash their hair daily.
Before purchasing your dry shampoo, always spray test it on your hand at the store. If the residue is very white and chalky and does not rub away easily, then do not purchase it. This is especially important if you have dark hair as when applied it will give you the appearance of graying roots or dandruff.
Do not use spray shampoos if you have somewhere to go immediately after as you want to give the product enough time to disappear completely. Lastly, if you are looking for a product recommendation then Suave dry shampoo is well raved for both its effectiveness and economical price.
MORE: The Dish on Dry Shampoos
Curl refresher spray or gel
Depending on when you like to get your fitness on, you might need to carry around a curl spray or gel to liven up your hair if you have work to go to, errands to run or a function to attend. Whatever the occasion, frizz, lack of definition and general curly haired problems can be fixed with your favorite product so that when you arrive you do not have the disheveled “I just came from the gym” look.
Whatever your reason for hitting the gym, I hope you stick to your plan to make 2013 a healthier year. As always, remember to have love, peace and curly haired bliss.
