Greetings, beautiful ones!

The workout explosion of the 1980’s had women all over jumping into skin-tight leotards to break a sweat with physical fitness gurus like the legendary Jane Fonda (“Are you ready to do the workout?!!“).

Nowadays working out hasn’t died down–It’s the reason so many women in their 40s and 50s are killing the game and putting too many of us in our 20s and 30s to shame.

But is everyone on board?

There are women out there who only break a sweat under the dryer at their hair salon. They refuse to let something like thirty minutes a day of cardio ruin their blowouts, twist-outs, and sew-ins.

So let’s talk. Have you ever sacrificed your workouts for your hair?

P.S. Here’s some quick tips on how to workout and salvage your hair:

1. Go Natural. When you have natural hair, many of your styles begin with wetting the hair so it’s not much of a stretch to cleanse your hair after a workout. Post workout, you can fashion your tresses into braids, twists, or knots and then a day or two later have another fab hair do when you undo the plaits revealing a height-defying fro. If you have locs, even easier. You can cleanse your scalp after your workout and keep it moving.

2. Wrap it up. If you have relaxed hair, wrap you hair and cover with a satin scarf prior to your workout. While you’ll still break a sweat, you’ll manage to salvage some of your bounce. Dry shampoos like Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo will be your best friend for times when you need to freshen up, but have no time for a full-out wash.

3. Co-wash and protective styles. This is an option for both natural and relaxed hair. I got my Kanye workout on hard last year (vigorously working out 5 days a week) so co-washing and protective styles kept my mojo up so I didn’t have to worry about my hair. After sweating it OUT, I would cleanse my hair with conditioner (Suave or Herbal Essences for less than $2 a bottle at Walmart worked just fine) then would wrap it wet covering it with a satin scarf. I would get my beauty rest and wake up in the morning with mostly dry hair. Then I’d just add some moisturizer and gently slick my hair back into a loose bun. Sure, not ground-breaking but I lost my 25 pounds and kept the heat off my hair. Aow!

4. Pin it up. If you wear a weave, try piling your hair on top of your head and wear a sweatband to avoid getting sweat on your edges. If you’re super serious about your workout, you may want to consider going for more wet n’ wavy textures that will make styling fast and easy.

5. Low impact, high energy exercises. Vary your workouts and include exercises like Yoga and Pilates that help to shape your body, but don’t cause you to sweat as much.

If you faithfully hit the salon every week or two, schedule your most energetic workouts in the days before your salon visit. This way you can get some days of wear out of your do.

So what do you say? Your hair or your workout?

~Danielle