One of the questions in the Our Aroma Custom Hair Care consultation is the number of times that you work out and exercise per week. While we want to freshen up after a hard workout and wash away sweat and bacteria.
Many of us believe that in addition to washing our bodies that we have to wash our hair after every workout. The truth is, how often you wash your locks has a lot to do with your hair texture, type, and your own preference.
Some beauty experts say that it’s okay to skip your hair washing after a workout. Rinsing with water may be enough. Skipping your post-workout hair washing sometimes can actually be beneficial to the health of your scalp.
Scrubbing too often could disrupt your scalp’s pH and cause dryness, which could lead to uncomfortable flakes and itchiness. Conversely, you don’t want to skip too many shampoos — because, besides the smell, you may encounter scalp buildup. This buildup can block new hair growth and cause other issues.
Tips to Washing Your Hair Less Often Following a Workout
Though the exact makeup of sweat is different for each of us, our sweat is typically a mixture of proteins, ammonia, salts, and water. If you sweat excessively and exercise a lot, the sweat mixture can give you limp and dried-out hair.
There are ways to modify your hair care regimen to keep your mane shiny and beautiful.
Put Your Hair in a Braid, Ponytail, or Knot
If you have long hair, braid your hair or put it into a ponytail or knot to ensure no sweat reaches the tips of your hair during the workout. Our tips are the first to die and dry out, so keeping sweat away from them will help them stay moist and full of life.
When you use a bun or ponytail for your workouts, make sure you don’t pull your hair back too tight. Hairstyles that put considerable tension on the hair follicles can lead to traction alopecia in women prone to getting this hair loss condition.
Wear a loose braid with a headband or opt for a coated ponytail holder. Take it out as soon as you’re done exercising.
Consider Washing Your Hair Less Frequently
Because everyone’s underlying physiology is different, everyone’s hair-washing routine also differs.
Shampooing after every workout may strip away your beneficial natural oils and lead to flatter and dryer locks. Try washing every second or third day — often enough to remove product buildup without the dehydrating effects.
Menopause-related hormone changes dry out hair. As opposed to when you were younger, it may take your hair a week for it to become greasy. However, everyone is different, and for this reason, taking an Our Aroma Custom Hair Care consultation will help you. The customized shampoo will replenish the oils of those who work out more frequently.
Since it is a personal preference, figure out the number of times you should wash after a workout. Evaluate how oily your hair is and how many days. If it takes a couple of days for your hair to turn oily, you can gradually reduce your shampoos. Just rinse your hair with water and use your fingertips to exfoliate and stimulate the microcirculation in your scalp.
You can also use conditioner on the ends of your hair, but not on your scalp.
Ways Sweat Can Impact Your Hair
Though it's okay to skip shampoos after working out once in a while, you do need to wash your hair if you experience a change in hair texture or excess breakage. Sweat left on your scalp and hair too long can throw off your pH balance and cause the following problems:
Sweat-soaked hair can cause your locks to become stretched and easily damaged.
Sweat and your scalp’s sebum oil can harm your follicles and block your pores, blocking new hair growth and triggering hair loss
If the lactic acid in your perspiration builds up on your scalp and mixes up with your hair's keratin protein, it can weaken your hair follicles. It can also lead to inflammation which can negatively affect your hairs luster and quality
Your color-treated hair may fade faster due to sweat
Your head can start feeling itchy because of skin cell buildup
Workout sweat buildup can mix with your scalp bacteria, causing a fungal or bacterial infection, leading to seborrheic dermatitis (i.e., dandruff).
If you don’t sweat much during workouts, you can probably get away with shampooing only two to four times per week. It all depends on how oily your hair gets. If you sweat a lot during your workouts, it may be best to find time to wash your hair to prevent dandruff.
Use Natural and Sulfate-Free Shampoos When You Wash Your Hair
Our Aroma's shampoos and conditioners are all-natural and sulfate-free. Using natural oils and ingredients our products are effective at cleaning your hair and scalp but are gentler and lighter.
No matter your hair type, avoid shampoos with harsh sulfate ingredients, leading to dry scalp and hair breakage from washing your hair after every workout.
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