With the fitness industry booming and the variety of exercise now on offer increasing, does regular fitness impact our hair as well as our bodies? With fitness revenues of an estimated US$99 million in 2018 in Canada, and the revenue growth predicted to rise to US$138 million by 2022, there is more awareness of fitness and how it affects us. It’s common knowledge that regular exercise and well-balanced, healthy diets provide many mental and physical health benefits, but perhaps the benefits of exercise on our hair are more encouraging than the negatives if we look after our hair in some simple ways.
Different types of exercise
Regular exercise should promote healthy hair by boosting circulation, but the type of exercise will affect the condition of hair as will what the hair is exposed to during exercise. Any exercise that makes you sweat, will leave sweat in the hair afterwards. A build-up of sweat can cause hair to become dull or dry and susceptible to breakage. Therefore, it is advisable to wash your hair after such exercise and at least once a week wash with a mild, pH-balanced shampoo to ensure the build-up of sweat is attacked. Regular swimming exposes hair to chemicals such as chlorine, so it’s best to wear a swim cap or wash your hair straight after swimming to minimize damage.
Making the best of your hair
We’ve all got different hair and hair styles. For a few of us it’s easy to exercise, shower and then leave hair to dry naturally and it still looks good. For others it might take a bit more work to achieve a post fitness look that we're comfortable to be seen in public with. Although those with long hair may tie it back to exercise, if it is pulled back too tightly it is more at risk of breakage. If it is still wet and put in a braid or ponytail it can further damage the hair because it is more fragile when it’s wet.
If you have curly hair and you want the best post fitness style, then using a diffuser can really help. It’s a good way to style your hair and reduce the heat exposure as a diffuser will divide the hot air from the dryer, so it’s a kind, effective way to dry your hair post fitness. Also if you use the right diffuser you can use it on fine or straight hair too, so there’s no excuse for wet hair after exercise or too much hot air!
A lot of things can damage our hair, the sun, extreme temperatures, and many other factors. For the hair-conscious among us, there’s no excuse not to exercise and look after your hair, certain factors just need to be taken into consideration. You may not notice obvious differences to your hair if you do exercise regularly and it does depend on the nature of the exercise and the frequency of it, but with all the hair products on the market, a bad hair day cannot be blamed on fitness.
