By Christen N. McCluney
September 2, 2011

 

As fall approaches and the humid days of summer disappear some of us natural ladies like to wear our hair in straight styles. As versatile as natural hair can be one of the biggest issues when wearing a straight style is worrying about it reverting while working out.

According to a study done on 103 African-American women by the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, thirty-one percent of the women surveyed admit to exercising less because it may mess up their hairstyle.

Having your natural hair blown out or pressed shouldn’t prevent you from getting a good work out. Here are some tips to help maintain our heat styled tresses and our health.

Use anti-humectant products. Anti-humectants are designed to repel moisture and help prevent frizziness in your hair. . Aveda Anti-Humectant Pomade is a great product to protect your hair from the elements. Sabino lok and blok is also another product designed to seal in moisture and block out humidity.

Put your hair up in a high bun or ponytail when working out. This keeps your hair out of your face and keeps your ends from coming in contact with sweat.

Protect your edges. Hair sticks are great to keep your edges smooth. They are designed to slick down hair and also add a protective coating against sweat. A favorite is Luster’s Renutrients Slick Stick, which can be found online and in stores for about $5.  Other good wax sticks are: Tancho Stick, Keracare Wax Stick and Bed Head Hair Stick.

Wick away moisture. Tie a satin scarf or use a moisture wicking headband around the hairline while working out to prevent excess frizz around the edges. If you leave the scarf in place until the hairline dries your hair should stay smooth.

Using some or all of these tips can help you keep your style in place while getting fit.

What do you do to maintain your natural style while working out?