Hair Hacks for the Busy and Active Lifestyle
Keep your hair looking amazing even through your intense workouts this week!
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I’m all for a healthy and active lifestyle, but not at the risk of consistently experiencing bad hair days.
The truth is that upping your activity and living a busy and beautiful life does not at all mean that you’re required to wash your hair daily, or give up on it entirely. You can absolutely have beautiful hair and a busy schedule, too.
The trick? Well, you’re going to need a bit of dry shampoo, creativity and patience. You’ll also need to prepare yourself for the amount of double takes you’ll be doing in the mirror 💁♀️
Fine, fine. I’m done being dramatic (for now). Let’s get to it!
11 Tips to Keep Your Hair Looking Fresh and Flowy Throughout the Week
1. This’ll sound silly, but try to plan your hair washing days around your heavy cardio days.
You might be thinking “duh,” but seriously - if you know that you have a few days a week where you’re working out heavily and planning to seriously sweat, make it easier on yourself! Try to plan your hair washing schedule around those heavy, seriously sweaty workout days. If possible, follow those hair wash days with a rest day or two. Your unsweaty, freshly blown out scalp will thank you.
2. Use dry shampoo as a preventative, not just an answer to a crisis.
Dry shampoo is magical. It sucks oil out of our hair, adds texture and volume, and can also act as a preventative measure.
Right after washing and styling your hair, spritz the dry shampoo at your roots to help prevent oils from building up. You can also heavily reapply at night (we’re talking spritzing until you see a white cast) and sleep with the dry shampoo in your head, which will give the oil time to absorb. When you wake up, just brush any excess dry shampoo out of your hair!
Obviously, this tip is useful for anyone active or inactive. But, it’s especially handy to add dry shampoo to the root of your hair pre-workout, to help absorb that excess sweat and oil.
Now, let’s say you forget to dry shampoo your hair before going to sleep. That’s no problem at all! Spritz your roots with dry shampoo when you wake up, then go about your normal morning routine. This’ll allow the shampoo to set, and do its work.
3. Prep your hair with liquid volume before you blow dry.
Prepping your hair with a liquid volume product before blow drying it (after a fresh wash), is what will help your hair last an extra day. Due to the powdery base of the liquid volumizing product, your hair’s oils will be kept at bay, and your hair will actually take on a fuller, fresher look.
Apply your liquid volume section by section, and really work it in with your hands before blow drying, to ensure that your hair doesn’t feel tacky.
4. Double up on the dry shampoo.
I should’ve named this the “dry shampoo blog,” honestly.
Have a couple of dry shampoos handy - a softer one for earlier in the week, right after you’ve freshly washed your hair, and a more powerful one for your last few days before washing (or for your pre-workout ritual).
The best dry shampoo brand depends SO much on the individual that I can't give a generalized recommendation because it won't be the best option for everyone. Unite, IGK, and DryBar do make some great ones. Feel free to send me an email with a little description of your hair and I can help you with some more personalized recommendations!
5. Get creative with buns and hats!
There are two types of workouts: one where you get a nice, dewy glow, and one where you look like you jumped into the pool. Thrice.
If you’ve just experienced the latter, sometimes it’s easiest to just get creative in concealing the sweat and oil in your hair. Try a cute messy bun (oily hair is best for a messy bun, okay?!) or a fun hat if you don’t have time to restyle your hair.
Personally, I love a floppy hat for riiiiight before wash day. It’s the perfect excuse to buy all of the hats, too.
6. Pair up your wash + gym day, and give your hair a little treat.
If you’re feeling extra productive and have planned to wash your hair on the same day as your heavy workout, throw a deep conditioning mask into your hair! You can braid it, or put it up in a bun while you work out.
The heat from your scalp will actually warm the product up, allowing it to “cook” (ew, I know) while you get active. It’s like a weird spa day, for your hair.
Just imagine how nice it’ll feel to shower off AND have ridiculously soft hair right after working out 💭
7. Two words: shower caps.
Whether you’ve just had a hard workout OR you’re just wanting to preserve your hair on non-wash days, a good shower cap will be your best friend.
Shower caps not only protect your hair from moisture, but they fight off humidity, too. You might’ve noticed that after showering and removing your hair from a normal bun on the top of your head, your hair can be kinky and a bit frizzy. That’s allll thanks to humidity, my friend.
So, grab a shower cap, and pop it on! It’ll make a world of a difference.
I’ve actually linked my favorite shower caps from Amazon at the bottom of this blog. Check them out!
8. Once it’s finally time to shampoo, it’s your chance to really shampoo.
If you go a few or several days without washing AND you’ve been utilizing dry shampoo AND you’ve also indulged in a good sweaty workout or three, your typical shampoo routine just won’t cut it.
It won’t.
The most important part of hair wash day lies in ensuring you’re not only washing the old product out of your hair, but you’re also washing your scalp and hair, too. Most of the time, a single shampoo can’t do that.
You’ll want to wash once with a good clarifying shampoo, and then a second time with your normal shampoo!
9. Prevent unneeded restyling with a good elastic or scrunchie.
Half the battle in maintaining a limited hair wash schedule (especially when working out), is decreasing the amount of dents and kinks your hair might endure while being tied up in a bun.
I recommend using only no-dent elastics or scrunchies when tying up your hair for workouts. This’ll decrease your post-workout restyling needs, and prevent loss and damage.
I’ve linked my favorite elastics and scrunchies from Amazon at the bottom of this blog!
10. Be gentle with your hair, especially when working out.
We have a tendency to want to slick our hair back into a high ponytail or bun when working out. The problem? Well, tight, high buns or ponytails can cause hair loss and damage over time.
I recommend alternating your workout hairstyles, to be as gentle with your hair as possible. Try high and low ponytails and buns, braids or pigtail french braids. These will all keep your hair off of your face and neck, and will allow you to switch things up between each gym session.
Now, if you’re trying to preserve your recently curled or waved hair, opt for a low ponytail or a single, loose braid.
11. Yes, you can actually wash your hair in the sink.
If you’re an extension wearer, in many ways, it’s far easier to get away with unwashed hair. Given the fact that the wefts of your extensions don’t come directly from your scalp, those portions of hair tend to carry little to no oils.
You’ll notice that most of your oil buildup can happen at the top of your head. My favorite hack for a freshly blown out look? Tying my hair back into a low ponytail, and washing the crown of my hair in the sink.
Not only is this a super quick process, but it will help you achieve that freshly shampooed look, without the tedious washing, conditioning and blow drying time. Give it a try!
Now, those tips might sound like a lot, but they’re actually super simple. Make sure to stock up on your hair-safe elastics and scrunchies, try to coordinate your washing schedule, and remember - dry shampoo? It’s your best friend.
To shop my favorite hair products, just click here. Don’t forget to check out my top picks from Amazon, below!
Shower Cap:
Dent-Free Hairties:
Scrunchies:
Please Note: I will ONLY ever recommend products that I've tried myself and love.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
