I had been relaxing my hair since middle school. I couldn't do the "Big Chop" so I cut my hair in three stages, letting it grow out a little more each time. I got my last cut a few weeks ago and can finally start letting it grow out! :drinker:

I wet my hair and comb it out with a wide tooth comb in the shower...

Spray this all over it when I get out...


And then spray a bit of this in my hands and run it through my hair and let it air dry.


The Reconstructive Elixir can be REALLY oily so I make sure to use it sparingly so I'm not dripping everywhere! lol

Sometimes I'll work out with my hair out, other times I'll wet my hair and put it up in a bun before I work out.

Also- I rinse/comb my hair out in the shower maybe three times a week and condition once a week. I shampoo maybe once a month before I do a deep conditioner!

I love the Shea moisture line, great for wash and go ... I have the leave in deep conditioner.

I cut my hair in stages too ... I basically just grew out the relaxer and every few months I'd part with a portion of it. After a while I got sick of having multiple textures on my head. I loved how my natural hair grew out of my roots and hated the limp and lifeless remaining ends from processed and heat damaged hair.

Yes!! I was SO excited to get all that stringy hair off!! lol

I just started the curly girl method a week ago and loving it. I wear either a ponytail or a twist out while I'm transitioning and working out.

I've had dreads for over 10 years and they are down past my waist. I'm pretty much a simple girl. Just put it in a bun and then workout. After I finish, I usually let it down for a bit in order for it to dry out. I put shea butter once a week to my scalp for moisture. That's about it.

QUOTE:

Hi Ladies,
For the past month, I've started a vigorous workout regiment; 5-6 days a week for 60 minutes and 2 days with a personal trainer. My hair so doesn't like this plan. It's dry, brittle and shedding. My last relaxer was in May (not planning on another one). I need suggestions as to what to do before and after my workouts.



slather your hair in a conditioner before you begin working out... then rinse out immediately after working out.. then wash again with conditioner only ( no shampoo at all)... style as usual...

working out, 5/6 times a week and you should do the above regime everyday. That is a lot of work. Is there not something a little simpler?

Hi ladies!
I have fine, naturally curly hair. My curls are super tight. I usually wet it everyday, let it air dry and fluff for volume. I
stopped relaxers about 8 yrs ago & have never looked back. I was using Motions Naturally You products but they have been recently discontinued. Thx for the info on naturally curly hair products/sites. I will definitely look into those.

I usually put my hair in a ponytail during my workout and call it a day. I work out 5-7x wkly & I need it out of the way. I wash/condition it 2x wkly. My hubby loves when I flat iron,but the humidity here in OK is crazy so I rarely do it.

Thank you so much. I truly didn't know what to do. I can't even say my hair is relatively healthy anymore. I'm also a "beach bum", so my hair is really taking a beating.

My hair is natural, and I usually have it out for a few weeks to a month at a time, then do micros or a sew in for 2-3 months then repeat. I prefer braids to sew-ins as far as working out goes; sweating out tracks is just not cute.

I big chopped the day after Thanksgiving last year. So far I have been rocking the wash and gos and twist outs because I feel that my hair isn't where I want it to be to do anything else yet. On some days I just put it in a puff and rock it out. But I have been using the Shea Moisture line as well. My hair loves this stuff!!!!!

Kind of the same situation here. Haven't had a relaxer since May but lately I have been working out 4-5 days a week. And this 90 degrees of humidity isn't helping. I just pull my hair back in a ponytail and keep it tied up when I am working out. When I go to the gym I will put conditioner in my hair while sitting in the sauna too. It feels soft when I rinse it out in the shower. I swim at the gym too so that makes my hair even harder sometimes. That's probably the only time I deep condition.

Hi Ladies,
For the past month, I've started a vigorous workout regiment; 5-6 days a week for 60 minutes and 2 days with a personal trainer. My hair so doesn't like this plan. It's dry, brittle and shedding. My last relaxer was in May (not planning on another one). I need suggestions as to what to do before and after my workouts.

slather your hair in a conditioner before you begin working out... then rinse out immediately after working out.. then wash again with conditioner only ( no shampoo at all)... style as usual...

Good advice. I would add only to shampoo every third day.

If you use heavy styling products use a "purifying" shampoo once a month. I like the one made by Hair Rules.

I see lots of suggestions for "natural" ladies, any relaxed ladies have anything to offer......

That's interesting, I hadn't noticed. I haven't relaxed my hair for years but I tried to:

--Treat it as gently as possible.
--Relax it only to provide control against frizz.
--Never blow dry it, instead I wore a wash and wear style.
--Trim the split ends frequently.
--Relax rarely, sometimes I went for a nine month or a year without a relaxer.
--Make sure the stylist understood that I did not want my hair relaxed stick straight. The one I used mixed the relaxer specially to make it super mild. She also only did half my head at a time because I have a lot of hair and if she'd did the whole head at one go the part where started would have been over-relaxed by the time she finished. It also helps if the stylist has an assistant.

I see lots of suggestions for "natural" ladies, any relaxed ladies have anything to offer......

That's interesting, I hadn't noticed. I haven't relaxed my hair for years but I tried to:

--Treat it as gently as possible.
--Relax it only to provide control against frizz.
--Never blow dry it, instead I wore a wash and wear style.
--Trim the split ends frequently.
--Relax rarely, sometimes I went for a nine month or a year without a relaxer.
--Make sure the stylist understood that I did not want my hair relaxed stick straight. The one I used mixed the relaxer specially to make it super mild. She also only did half my head at a time because I have a lot of hair and if she'd did the whole head at one go the part where started would have been over-relaxed by the time she finished. It also helps if the stylist has an assistant.

No offense but that still leans toward advice for the natural or transitioning. I'm def. not going 9 months without a relaxer, 9 weeks is pushing it. I do trim split ends frequently. My beautician has recommended sew ins and ponytails while I am on this weight loss journey. Not sure how I feel about weaves..............

I went natural for a year and hated it! I love running outdoors and my hair became completely unmanageable. I did not like fussing over my hair as much as I did then, and I simply did not like the look. It just wasn't for me.

I also was suggested to get sew-ins and did so twice, but after exercise, it drove me crazy how sweaty and itchy my hair got because of it, and I felt like washing my hair everyday. When I did wash it it took forever to dry. It was a hot mess. Never again.

Now, I relax my hair every three months with Mizani's sensitive relaxer. Believe it or not, their sensitive relaxer relaxed my hair just as good as their regular or coarse formula, and I have super thick hair. Even after about 2 1/2 months, my hair is still very straight, and my hair is way more manageable after exercise compared to before. Before I exercise, I use a little bit of hair conditioner and put my hair into a low or high ponytail. Sometimes I'll tie a silk scarf around my head or a simple sweatband. Most women I know wrap there hair, and wrap a scarf around it. After exercise, I pat dry my hair, and keep going. I wash my hair every two weeks and twice I sop my hair in conditioner like butter. I mainly air dry but sometimes I don't, which then I would blow dry my hair with the comb attachment (I use Mizani's wrap spray before and put Mango butter, coconut oil, or a serum after drying).

I am a big fan of half wigs, lace wigs, and u-part wigs. I love being versatile, and wearing hair pieces allow me to do so without damaging my hair. I hate the fake looking hairline as much as the next, so I blend my hair with the lace wigs I wear, and a lot of people can't tell I'm wearing one. I do wear my natural hair out, and style my hair in a low ponytail with a side part, or down with a side part. I find that with Mizani's relaxer, my hair takes very well to it, and I rarely have to put heat to my hair to maintain it, as long as I wrap my hair at night.

Bottom line: If I want to wear my natural hair out, I do. If I want to show out with an ombre wig down to my butt, I do. Either way, I refuse to let my hair deter me from exercise. There are several studies that indicate that a barrier to exercise is hair. Hair. I refuse to be a part of that statistic, and I refuse to put my hair above my health.

Great Topic op!

I see lots of suggestions for "natural" ladies, any relaxed ladies have anything to offer......

That's interesting, I hadn't noticed. I haven't relaxed my hair for years but I tried to:

--Treat it as gently as possible.
--Relax it only to provide control against frizz.
--Never blow dry it, instead I wore a wash and wear style.
--Trim the split ends frequently.
--Relax rarely, sometimes I went for a nine month or a year without a relaxer.
--Make sure the stylist understood that I did not want my hair relaxed stick straight. The one I used mixed the relaxer specially to make it super mild. She also only did half my head at a time because I have a lot of hair and if she'd did the whole head at one go the part where started would have been over-relaxed by the time she finished. It also helps if the stylist has an assistant.

No offense but that still leans toward advice for the natural or transitioning. I'm def. not going 9 months without a relaxer, 9 weeks is pushing it. I do trim split ends frequently. My beautician has recommended sew ins and ponytails while I am on this weight loss journey. Not sure how I feel about weaves..............

Whatever works for you. This treatment worked for me in the 20+ years that I had relaxed hair.

To wear a wig would feel very alien to me, same with weaves and other artificial hair. My mother once wore a wig for a few months over 40 years ago when she lost a patch of hair from stress. No other woman younger than my grandparents and great aunts ever wore a wig.