Working out? make sure you keep your Locs healthy too!
Working out with locs is a dilemma for many people with locs and it really shouldn’t be, after all aren't locs supposed to be liberating?
On one side of the coin there are keep fit enthusiasts (I go through this phase every so often) who love to exercise. For some people exercising comes first and everything else after, i.e. hair, make-up etc.
On the other side of the coin there are some people who will not exercise for fear of disturbing their mane or they feel it is too disruptive to their life, i.e. washing locs after exercising is a big deterrent for many people.
We know exercising is good for us, it is also good for our hair as the extra blood circulation may stimulate hair growth. Exercising naturally causes sweat, which is good, its feels good to sweat and release all those toxins and to release endorphins that give us that feel good factor. However sweaty locs is an issue, it’s a presentation issue and a loc health issue.
Your locs should never be a deterrent for staying healthy, but you don’t want to workout until your locs drop off and you don’t need to avoid working-out in fear that your presentation will drop off.
Why will my locs drop off you might ask?
Here are a couple of reasons:
Salt build up
When we sweat we produce salt, it is important to avoid salt build up in locs. Salt in limited doses is good for your locs however it can cause breakage in excessive amounts.
Excessive heat drying
Some people like to work out before they go to work, so they must be presentable right after a workout. A wash and go is not an option in this situation, but their locs need to be smelling right so unfortunately many people then resort to heat drying after workout session which over the time will damage the integrity of locs.
So, what do you do?
First, I am going to start with what not to do.
Minimise use of dry shampoos or avoid all together
When it comes to locs we want to avoid product build up at all cost, that's why I am not a fan of dry shampoos or any other type of powder-based product that will absorb sweat. I would not advise any of these products are used on locs as they will enter the core of your locs and stay there.
You will be able to visibly see the white patches inside your locs, not a good look, and this cannot be masked with a dye as it isn't lint (fluff and debris caught inside the loc) it is powder. If you are in this situation then I would recommend you do an apple cider vinegar soak with baking soda.
Also, when used excessively dry shampoo can lead to microbial build up, become a scalp irritant or coat your scalp causing flaking and itching which can lead to more serious dermatological problems of the scalp.
Avoid using alcohol products to refresh scalp
I have also read articles that recommend using alcohol-based products after exercising to refresh the scalp and remove bad odours, while this may suffice at doing these tasks, if you sustain your scalp and roots to alcohol-based products you will damage the integrity of your locs.
You should always look to nourish your scalp so that the hair follicles it brings forth are healthy and strong. Applying an alcohol-based product will do the opposite, you will be drying out your hair follicle before the follicle has even had the chance to sprout, not to mention that you will be sucking the life out of your root bed that is sustaining your loc.
While this may be a quick fix every now and then I wouldn’t recommend you implement this strategy into your regime.
Here's what you need to do...
Wrap or tie locs up
Try to wrap your locs in absorbent hair wrap if wraps annoys you then tie your locs on top of your crown. The aim here is keep your locs upright, so it is difficult for the sweat to travel down the shaft of your loc and you keep the sweat isolated to your scalp area.
If you can tolerate a headband while working-out I would suggest finding an absorbent headband so that it takes away the sweat as it happens.
Shampoo
If you work out 1-2 times a week you must shampoo at least once a week. If you work out every day you should try to shampoo your hair at least twice a week if this is possible.
In most circumstances it is not advisable to shampoo locs more than once a week so if you shampoo your locs twice a week as I have recommended I would also recommend using an oil or glycerine replenishing shampoo; a shampoo that doesn’t leave your locs stripped of all moisture. There are many oil-based shampoos however you can just add a little of your favourite oil to your shampoo.
Cleansing Rinse
If you do not want to shampoo your locs more than once a week another option is a cleansing rinse, which you can do in between shampoos.
You can rinse your locs with water after every workout and there will be no damage done, as a general rule your locs love water however you do have to be careful here as if your locs do not dry completely by the next wash then they are essentially always damp and this can cause mould so I would only recommend this method if you have quick drying locs (high porosity).
By doing this you are at least rinsing some of the sweat, salt and dirt out of your locs.
Prior to rinsing spray your locs with a cleansing mixture such as a lemongrass infused water-based spritzer, lemongrass is a natural cleanser and deodoriser and will help freshen up your locs.
Scalp Rinse
A scalp rinse is the same as a cleansing rinse only you are just rinsing your scalp. This method may be appropriate if you need to freshen up your scalp to prevent itching and odours but you don't have the time to do a full rinse. It is also beneficially for low porosity hair types whose locs will take longer to air dry.
Towel dry
If you absolutely don’t have time for any of the options mentioned above then you should at least attempt to remove as much sweat as possible. You can do this by just basically drying excess sweat off your scalp with a highly absorbent towel, such as a microfiber towel.
Spray your locs first with the lemongrass water spritz to act as a cleanser and then dry your scalp and locs with an absorbent towel to take away excess sweat.
