Calling all Curly Girls!! (post-workout fro problems)

Curly girls of MFP,
What do you do for your curly hair, after a workout?? It's bad for curly hair to wash it very often...mine gets dried out and brittle if I wash it more than 2 or 3 times a week. And my hair's already thin, so I don't want to be hard on it.

So I don't like washing it very often and it doesn't get greasy like straight hair, yet if I go to the gym at lunchtime and work up a massive dripping sweat, my hair looks like I just dipped my head in a lake.

How do you handle your curly hair when you're working out alot?
A. Wash it everyday
B. Rinse it Out
C. Use conditioner only
D. Something else (please comment and explain, b/c I need ideas!)

Replies

  • wocm15
    wocm15 Posts: 81
    As a fellow fine/thin haired curly girl, I feel your pain! I try to only shampoo my hair a couple times a week, too. For the rest of my showers, I get my hair wet, then put a little bit of conditioner in my hands and then really massage it through my hair and rinse it to get the salt and god-knows-what-else out. Then I condition it as normal with the same conditioner for 3 minutes or so. Once a week I also do a hair mask for deep conditioning. I think it's by Neutrogena. It comes in a small round container with a screw on lid. You can also look for shampoos that don't contain sulfates. That is the harsh chemical in shampoos that causes them to "foam" and really strips your hair.
  • KettleTO
    KettleTO Posts: 144 Member
    I have thick wavy (winter) to curly (summer) hair. I don't wash after the gym at lunch because it takes foooorever to dry. Working out usually puts more spring into my hair. The roots are damp/wet. I spray it with a water with a little leave in condition (Mixed Chicks) in it to remove the signs of my head band. I then scrunch in some product to deal with the frizz. Doesn't look perfect, but it works.
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Get an organic shampoo that won't hurt your hair and you can wash it more often. Just scrub your scalp and let it "wash" your hair as you rinse it out. Then apply conditioner and use a leave-in if you have to.
  • penguinlibrarian
    penguinlibrarian Posts: 33 Member
    Thanks yall, that helps!
  • Melissa22G
    Melissa22G Posts: 847 Member
    I know exactly what you're talking about!

    I personally spritz my hair with a leave in conditioner from the middle to ends (skipping top where it is more oily and sweaty) then put all my hair in a bun.
  • woodsy0912
    woodsy0912 Posts: 323
    Fellow curly girl here! I went natural about a year ago and I love my curls now. I hate having a great hair day and messing it up at the gym but I love my exercise too and I just have to sacrifice.

    I work out Monday to Saturday and I hate having sweaty hair so I always shower after every workout. I only use conditioner though. It really helps. I wash only on saturdays.

    I will leave the conditioner in for about 5 minutes then wash it it. Then I put a leave in conditioner in. Then a bit of styling cream and plop for about 30 minutes. My hair turns out nice about 80% of the time. (Also NEVER brush it)

    I also find it helpful to switch up products about once a month. I go from protein rich products, to hydration products and back and forth. When I switch my hair always look sits nicest.

    Curls are so darn fickle!
  • Pwrpuff83
    Pwrpuff83 Posts: 92
    I just rinse my hair out. My hair is super thick and curly and prone to drying if over washed. I do use argan oil on it when its been towel dried and that's been pretty good for me.

    x
  • fitmelinda7
    fitmelinda7 Posts: 42 Member
    Curly girls of MFP,
    What do you do for your curly hair, after a workout?? It's bad for curly hair to wash it very often...mine gets dried out and brittle if I wash it more than 2 or 3 times a week. And my hair's already thin, so I don't want to be hard on it.

    So I don't like washing it very often and it doesn't get greasy like straight hair, yet if I go to the gym at lunchtime and work up a massive dripping sweat, my hair looks like I just dipped my head in a lake.

    How do you handle your curly hair when you're working out alot?
    A. Wash it everyday
    B. Rinse it Out
    C. Use conditioner only
    D. Something else (please comment and explain, b/c I need ideas!)

    Oooh, I feel your pain! :) How about curly hair workout hair do's? That is what stumps me the most. I wear a ball cap but that can be aggrivating sometimes. Mabye I should start a new thread for work out hair do ideas????
  • gabiinacio
    gabiinacio Posts: 124 Member
    I have extremely curly hair, and I love every peice of it. My after workout routine is shower, and the only thing that goes on my hair is a leave in conditioner. I only shampoo 3 x's a week. My hair is healthy.
  • Rose_bee
    Rose_bee Posts: 226 Member
    I rinse after a workout, and use conditioner in my daily morning shower. I wash with shampoo every 2 or 3 days.
  • denisedwrt
    denisedwrt Posts: 28 Member
    Fellow curly girl here! I went natural about a year ago and I love my curls now. I hate having a great hair day and messing it up at the gym but I love my exercise too and I just have to sacrifice.

    I work out Monday to Saturday and I hate having sweaty hair so I always shower after every workout. I only use conditioner though. It really helps. I wash only on saturdays.

    I will leave the conditioner in for about 5 minutes then wash it it. Then I put a leave in conditioner in. Then a bit of styling cream and plop for about 30 minutes. My hair turns out nice about 80% of the time. (Also NEVER brush it)

    I also find it helpful to switch up products about once a month. I go from protein rich products, to hydration products and back and forth. When I switch my hair always look sits nicest.

    Curls are so darn fickle!

    ^This! I work out hard and only shampoo once a week. I do get my hair wet and use conditioner every day and NEVER brush but do comb my conditioner through on the wash day.
  • hfester
    hfester Posts: 114 Member
    I do shampoo mine about twice a week. I've been using Moroccan oil and it has really helped my hair this winter.
  • woodsy0912
    woodsy0912 Posts: 323
    I really like the Mor. oil mask and curl cream. It's one of the product rotations I use.

    Coconut oil is also amazing!

    As for gym-do's, try not to pull if back too tightly. This can cause the hairline to recede. This coming from a girl who used to do a severely tight pony every single day. I just use one of those plastic claw clips now and king of pull it back in a bun thing on the back. Then I just use a bunch of bobbies for the bangs/ flyaways. Coconut oil will keep it from frizzing up at the gym, or hair spray if it is bad.
  • penguinlibrarian
    penguinlibrarian Posts: 33 Member
    has anyone tried dried shampoo? how well does that jive with curly hair?
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
    has anyone tried dried shampoo? how well does that jive with curly hair?

    You can't use it because it requires brushing it in... I learned the hard way!
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
    I only wash twice a week maybe 3 if we're pushing it. I will normally spritz with water after a workout to get my curls to bounce back. I'm lucky that I don't really stink after I work out even if I'm really sweating, so I just shower but don't wash my hair every time.
  • penguinlibrarian
    penguinlibrarian Posts: 33 Member
    I only wash twice a week maybe 3 if we're pushing it. I will normally spritz with water after a workout to get my curls to bounce back. I'm lucky that I don't really stink after I work out even if I'm really sweating, so I just shower but don't wash my hair every time.

    WDEvy, totally agree on the spritzing thing!! Wish I'd known a logn time ago...like junior high...that the most important item in the curly girl's bathroom cabinet it just a tiny little spritzer bottle with water in it. I never go anywhere without it now!
  • VpinkLotus
    VpinkLotus Posts: 849 Member
    I know curlys are not supposed to wash it every day but I do. and condition every day too. Paul Mitchell's new curls line. BEST THING EVER.
  • cmd721
    cmd721 Posts: 3
    I normally do option C. Co washing normally helps clean the hair and condition it at the same time, so it won't get dry. You should try to find a good cleansing cream/conditioner. For example, DevaCurl No Poo Cleansing Conditioner or DevaCurl One Condition. They are a little expensive, but they get the job done when you want to wash your hair and condition it at the same time.
  • k8eekins
    k8eekins Posts: 2,264 Member
    Curly girls of MFP,
    What do you do for your curly hair, after a workout?? It's bad for curly hair to wash it very often...mine gets dried out and brittle if I wash it more than 2 or 3 times a week. And my hair's already thin, so I don't want to be hard on it.

    So I don't like washing it very often and it doesn't get greasy like straight hair, yet if I go to the gym at lunchtime and work up a massive dripping sweat, my hair looks like I just dipped my head in a lake.

    How do you handle your curly hair when you're working out alot?
    A. Wash it everyday
    B. Rinse it Out
    C. Use conditioner only
    D. Something else (please comment and explain, b/c I need ideas!)

    I do the whole sherbang ~ A, B, C & D daily.

    Hair type: Thick, full, voluminous, wavy, curly, coarse frizzy hair. Along the hips when dry. Below my buttocks when wet. <I'd always washed/conditioned and applied varied forms of leave in intensive hair treatments in my hair daily and/or following any workout>

    After workout: (i) Rinse through my hair with a lemon wash (ii) Intensive coconut oil (plus other ingredients) heat therapy (Sometimes use olive oil heat therapy or gooseberry oil heat therapy or almond oil plus other ingredients) as alternatives to a few of my favourite haircare intensive restorative and conditioning/hydration/moisturising treatments (iii) Light wash (iv) Leave-in conditioner => My last eats for the day, before my last protocols shortly before bed.

    I'd once experienced very nearly losing my hair for it had gone through 4 - 5 extreme changes within a span of 2 - 3 days (with my then weaker, finer yet long frizzy wavy coarse curly hair). In short, my sister cut my hair super-short to a number one and had gotten http://www.viviscal.com/hair-care-products/hair-growth/for-women/v-max-v2-32-us-768 during their earlier days with the hope that it'll revive it, massaging my scalp daily with warm/hot oils before applying leave-in hair treatments (daytime/night time) to nourish it whilst I'd gone about my day. All that I have now on my head are American-grown.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I have very curly hair and wash it every night. Never had a problem with it. If I only washed my hair 2 or 3 times a week I'd look filthy!
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    Wash only 2-3 times/week. Very curly & long.

    If I do a seriously sweaty workout, it's probably already in a ponytail - if not, I do that. Then in the shower just rinse my scalp and leave the length alone. --on the "non-wash" days.

    Wash days: 2-in-1 followed by 2nd conditioner, then microfiber towel to keep curls together, then Moroccan Oil creme.