What’s a girl to do who works out and gets sweaty daily but dislikes the maintenance and time-consuming task of washing hair daily?! Insert myself (and I’m sure a bunch of you too since this was such a highly requested post). I get asked all the time how I handle keeping my hair looking fresh even though I sweat a ton every single day at the gym. Today I have the answer, I’m sharing the products I use, and what’s worked best for me to keep my hair looking revived after a sweaty workout!
Before we dig in to the post, I want to start out by saying three things:
- I am by no means a hair stylist or hair expert, this is just what I have found works best for me.
- Everyones hair type is different so what works for me, might not work for everyone. My hair is naturally thick, a little frizzy, and a little wavy.
- You have to slowly start training your hair so it gets “dirty” and “texturized”, meaning train it to not be washed daily. Wash it every other day, then slowly increase to only washing it twice a week (which is what I do)!
WORKOUT PANTS: Fila (on sale for only $30!) // CROPPED SWEATSHIRT: Topshop // SHOES: Adidas // SUNGLASSES: Perverse (only $26)
Click the image below to shop the look:
1. Only use these hair ties: I’m serious. These have made such a difference in not pulling out my hair and not creating major kinks in my hair. When I sweat, I like to pull my hair into a ponytail or a messy bun, and these definitely hold my thick head of hair out of my face without the damage that comes with regular hair ties.
2. Take your hair out of your hair tie immediately after sweating: As soon as your workout is over, take it out. I usually do this once I get in my car and am heading straight home. After I make dinner, I always shower. My hair goes back up in one of these hair ties so it doesn’t get wet in the shower.
3. After the shower, I like to blow dry my hair: There are some pieces that got extra sweaty during the workout, and some pieces of hair even got wet in the shower. It’s ok, just blow dry it out. I especially make sure I blow dry the front pieces that surround my face.
4. Apply dry shampoo: This is probably THE most important step, as you can imagine. Dry shampoo is a lifesaver (although my boyfriend thinks otherwise haha), but for us girls, it really should be our best friends! I’ve tried my fair share of dry shampoos over the years, and have finally discovered my favorites: THIS and THIS (and they’re both under $10!). The trick to applying dry shampoo properly, is this:
- Part your hair down the middle and spray the dry shampoo liberally down your part. Then grab a one inch section of your hair parallel to your middle part and spray liberally into your roots. Then pick up another one inch section down the side of your head, and repeat until you’ve completed both sides of your head.
- I also like to flip my head over and spray where my hair meets the nape of my neck. It usually gets sweaty under there, so make sure the dry shampoo is applied there too!
- Let the dry shampoo sit for a minute or two, then rub it into your roots with your fingertips.
5. Brush through to get tangles out: Do this lightly, but make sure it gets done.
6. I sleep with my hair down, then in the morning sporadicly touch up my hair: I use the largest barrel on this curling wand (and used this more affordable option for YEARS). After randomly curling a few pieces to bring my hair to life, I add volume to the curls with this texturizing spray. It gets used spraingly because 1- a little goes a long way, 2- it’s a bit expensive, and 3- you don’t want too much texture, as your hair already naturally has some since it’s progressively getting “dirtier” throughout the week.
7. TA DA!!! You can now go for up to 4 days max without washing your hair and still getting in your killer and sweaty workouts! This is a really easy routine that has worked for me and I hope it works for you!
Click the image below to shop the products that keep my hair fresh:
One last piece of advice:
Right after washing my hair it is the cleanest, so I usually wear it down (which is a mixture of thick, wavy, straight hair). The next day, I’ll usually do nice curls. These curls will last for a couple days. Near the end, about day 4, I’ll usually wear my hair half up, in a low messy bun, in a braid, or in a ponytail. This way it’s still styled but as the week goes on, my hair style changes a bit due to the texture in my hair.
I’d love to hear how this routine works for you! Give it a try and let me know 🙂