How To Avoid Over-Washing Your Hair If You Work Out Every Day

Few beauty products can replicate the glow given by a good morning workout, but what of your hair? Fashioning your tresses into anything work-appropriate after exercising can prove a challenge. In even the loveliest of gym changing-rooms, washing, blow-drying and styling hair before you hot-foot it to work is far from convenient. Then, for those who exercise every day, there’s the dilemma of daily washing; just how bad is it for your hair?

We asked the experts for their advice – here’s what they had to say:

1. Forgo a full wash

Happily, Sam Burnett, the owner and creative director of the London salon Hare and Bone, says that skipping a wash can be healthy for your hair. “Over-washing your hair can make it drier and flatter and can lead to more oil production, so if you can forgo a full wash,” Sam says. “Fringes tend to suffer most from a gym session, so wash this zone and spritz dry shampoo over the rest of the hair.”

2. Choose your workout carefully

Your choice of workout type and even positioning in the gym can also help or hinder your hair-styling necessities. “Try to work out near an air-conditioning unit to limit the amount you sweat,” says Nadia Dean, a senior stylist at John Frieda Salons. “Or, if you dry sweat into hair with a hairdryer, it acts like a salt spray and can give you extra volume.” Opting for low-impact exercise is also advisable. Barre classes, for example, engage every major muscle group in the body without leaving you overly sweaty.

3. Use the gym to your advantage

If you’re getting up extra early or have the time for a particularly long workout, Sam says to use this time wisely. “Make the most of your post-workout sauna or steam-room and apply a treatment or hair mask – the heat will help it penetrate the hair.”

4. Prep hair beforehand

“If your hair is freshly washed but you’ve booked a fitness class, spray hair with dry shampoo beforehand and twist up into a top knot,” says Sam. The dry shampoo will help absorb any excess sweat until your next hair wash.