It’s easy to lose ourselves in an intense gym workout. The pumped up music coursing through our ears, the intense sweat, and the feeling of a burn rippling through our bodies – there really isn’t a much better feeling than a good day at the gym. Now, while our main objective should be our fitness gains, it can be hard to ignore the fact that we often end up looking like poorly groomed monstrosities at the end of every session.

As hard as we might try to keep our hair neatly behind our heads throughout the routine, we might find ourselves having to whip it back or comb it away with our hands multiple times while we’re in the zone. And after a workout? Expect frizzy hair that’s wet with sweat at the scalp and throughout the strands.

All these hair concerns have led to the question – how can we style and care for our hair at the gym? The answers might seem simpler than you originally thought.

Preparations

One of the biggest mistakes we make before we head to the gym is the lack of hair preparation. Some individuals might even skip out on rinsing their hair before heading out to the fitness centre for the reason that they’re going to get sweaty again anyway. If we want to keep our hair looking clean, pristine, and proper before, during, and after our gym workout, we should make sure to perform the right preparations before we even leave home.

An important practice is to wash our hair before a gym session with a mild shampoo like Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo. This product does not make hair overly oily, and leaves a pleasing scent behind so we can smell good all throughout the sessions. Shampooing hair before a workout is important to remove excess oils, dirt, and grime that we may have accumulated over time. If we don’t clean these out before we start to break a sweat, we might find ourselves riddled with greasy hair that’s harder to manage later on.

A second preparation point to observe is to refrain from adding any other products or hair care treatments before a gym session. Remember, you’re going to get sweaty once you get started and hair that’s weighed down by product will become tangled and hard to manage. Make sure you have as little product in your hair as possible.

During a Workout

One of the hardest parts of managing hair during a workout is keeping it where we want it to stay. A traditional ponytail might not do the job, so we might have to make use of other styling techniques to keep hair steady. Try going for a braid or a bun and make use of a head band to secure your hair away from your face. This way, there won’t be a need to keep flinging hair out of our eyes.

For those who have long, thick hair that just won’t stay put in a braid or bun, it is okay to re-tie hair once or twice throughout the session. Keep a few extra hair ties and pins in a pocket to ensure a quick tying process. If it’s really necessary, we can even brush through our hair a few times in between workouts with a GHD Natural Bristle Brush. These brushes are designed to detangle hair and filter out any dirt and grime that might have stuck on to strands and areas of the scalp. Run the brush a few times through hair before retying and we’re all set to head back down to the lifting!

After a Workout

Once we hit the showers, it’s ideal that we shampoo our hair and condition it to resolve any tangles that might have developed during the session. We highly recommend the Wella SP Hydrate Conditioner. This product works wonders for after work out sessions because of its strong hydrating properties and its ability to bring hair back to a manageable state.

At home, it’s important that we continue the hair care regimen in order to save our locks from the damages that a sweaty scalp can reap. By using the trusted Cloud Nine Boar Bristle Brush, we can improve hair texture, stimulate the production of natural oils and sebum, and bring out our hair’s natural shine and sheen. Simply start brushing from roots all the way down to the tips, and repeat until all sections of hair have been brushed.

Just because we’re in a workout session, doesn’t mean we have to look like it. These nifty tips and tricks will help keep hair looking clean and pristine no matter what the fitness challenges. Try out these awesome products and care for hair like never before.