First off, Merry Christmas!  I hope everyone had a great holiday!  I didn’t break from running, as you’ll note on my ticker.  On to the monster post!

I work out a fair bit between teaching Zumba, running, running for Haiti, and working in a shop completely dedicated to running. I also was blessed with a huge full head of hair. Not a complaint at all…usually people think it’s pretty cool, ask to touch it, stare at it, and on one creepy occasion, a guy asked if he could cut a piece of it off for his personal enjoyment. Yikes. Working out make me feel good, keeps me looking decent, and emotionally balances me. The only complaint I have is it wreaks havoc with my hair. But we can’t let that stop us, right? So here, a few lady friends of mine gave me their best tips on how to care for your hair in a workout situation.

Joy (a Zumba teacher!), says CUT IT OFF. A little extreme if you’re attached, but hey, it does the trick right?

Arielle, a fellow camp counselor of mine, rocks a gorgeous, thick curly head of hair. She wears it pulled up during the exercise, conditions every day, but washes only 3 times a week. Among women who work out, I see this a lot, (not washing every day).

Kimmy is my adorable younger sister. “I rarely ever flat iron my hair, moisturizer everyday, wash once to twice a week and I’m about to put it in twists for my internship bc being in the ocean everyday and out in the sun is gonna dry it out I don’t need the agitation of combing and washing everyday on top of that.”

Lauren Elliot, Kristin Jones, and Samantha Seeberg all seem to be big fans of some version of dry shampoo after a workout to stave off having to wash all the oil out of their hair after every single workout.

Miss Carly Swanson is firstly, one of my running inspirations.  I met this teeny beauty a few years ago when we both worked for North Carolina State University, and I am honored to say I know her.  She’s incredibly motivated.  Carly a fan of tying her long hair up in a cute Jasmine (from Aladdin) style braid thingie in order to prevent her long hair from getting in her way when she’s running or lifting.  We hope to have Cary’s two cents in here a little more often.

And finally, Whitney Saulsberry and I, the two black girls who work out, have mastered a way to go about 5 days between washes.  This involves a lot of conditioner, natural styles, braids, dreadlocks, and as little heat as possible to protect our dry hair.

And there you have it.  In this monster post, I hope you can pick up a few tips to keep in moving despite wanting your hair to look fly in your off time!