What Your Boise Hair Salon Stylist Wants You to Know About the Gym & Your Hair!

We all know that working out at the gym is good for boosting and maintaining your overall health. But did you know that you could also be doing serious damage to your hair every time you go to the gym? Obviously this is no reason to ditch your workout (it’s not) but your Boise hair salon stylist wants you to understand the importance of how you treat your hair when you exercise.

While the go-to hairstyle we often opt for at the gym is the tight, slicked back ponytail, that’s about as far as any hair prep goes, right? However, one of the main culprits we often face is sweat which in turn causes odors, and if you’re doing intense cardio, your hair often accumulates a lot of tangles. So the real question is, why aren’t we protecting and preventing? While no one wants to glam it up for the gym, your Boise hair salon stylist does recommend doing a little prep work when it comes to protecting your strands while you exercise.

SWEAT:

As we exercise, our heart rate tends to increase (that’s what we’re aiming for right?), causing our bodies to sweat. While this definitely means you’re kicking butt, there’s also a drawback when it comes to working up a sweat… Other than the smell, sweat also dries out our hair. While sweat is made up of water, it also contains natural chemicals like ammonia and salt that like to drain all the moisture from your hair. So how are you supposed to prevent your hair from drying out? Your Boise hair salon stylist suggests:

• Prior to your workout, apply Davines protective, moisturizing SŪ OIL to the ends your hair. Its unique blend of oils and antioxidants will help to moisturize, and prevent hair from frizzing while protecting it against sun, salt, and chlorine without weighing it down.

• Naturally your hair soaks up sweat, causing it to become dry and brittle. Prevent this type of split end damage by keeping your hair up and off your skin.
• What about your roots? Fortunately, your scalp creates natural oils that replenish your hair. These oils are what keep our roots from drying out and breaking which is why we focus primarily on the ends of our hair.
• If you tend to sweat a lot, try applying a small amount of dry shampoo to your scalp. While this will help with excess oils but your Boise hair salon stylist recommends only using a small amount in order to help with any odors caused by sweat.

GYM HAIRSTYLES:

During a workout we tend to want our hair out of the way. However, by pulling your hair into a style that’s too tight might cause more damage than you think.

• The Ponytail is the fastest, and easiest gym hairstyle we tend to utilize the most. However, it’s important to go for a looser pony so that it doesn’t pull or break the hair. Try placing it around the mid way mark down the back of your head.
  

• The Bun is also another go-to style we all tend to love. However, try not to style your hair into a wet bun because it can cause breakage. Instead, fashion your hair into a dry, loose bun that will provide you with tons of volume after your workout!

• Braids are another personal favorite. Not only does it keep your hair out of your face and (for the most part) off your skin, it looks stylish as well! However, it’s important to be conscious about which side of your head you braid. If you twist your hair to the right each time you work out, try twisting it to the left on occasion.

While we all think it’s necessary to wash our hair after every gym session, its important to remember that over washing will cause your hair to dry out as well. Ideally, you should try going 2-3 days in-between washings. That’s why your Boise hair salon stylist recommends using a dry shampoo before you start sweating – not after. However, when it comes to packing your gym bag, don’t forget a hair refresher! Try Davines Hair Refresher. Its formulated to refresh and clean all hair types without using water while providing you with the smell and texture of just washed hair!

Boise Hair Salon Tip: When you get home from the gym, grab your blow dryer and immediately blast the roots and ends of your hair with a cool, low airflow. This helps to not only dry your hair of sweat, but prevent build up and itching at the scalp as well. Remember, caring for your hair before and after your gym session will make a huge difference! It’s all about improving your health, right? Part of that health routine should be for your hair!