Trichologist reveals you should actually wash your hair every day if you exercise – you can do ‘more damage’ if you skip
DON'T think there are any shortcuts when it comes to maintaining healthy strands after going to the gym.
A hair and scalp expert has shared the reasons why you should always wash and rinse your locks after sweating up a storm.
Eva Proudman, a trichologist at , has tips for how to care for your hair after exercising, as well as what hacks to avoid.
She explained how not all workouts are created equal.
"If you are doing a lower-impact session, such as yoga or pilates, then you might not notice," she said.
"But each time you work out, you are building up more oils and sweat across your body, particularly your scalp."
While she explained that natural oils are "good for your skin," the excess sweat caused by working out can "build up" on your hair strands.
Looking greasy isn't even the worst of your potential hair worries.
"These oils can trap dirt and impurities from elsewhere causing more damage to your hair," she said.
“If you want to avoid the greasy post-workout look, the best thing you can do is wash your hair regularly - every day or every other day - with a shampoo with active ingredients to help with the overproduction of sebum, or natural oil," she added.
Proudman wants to make sure you're prioritizing your scalp as much as your workouts.
Natural shampoos such as Absolute Collagen's Complex Hair Thickening Shampoo, which sells for around $19, is described as featuring a formula that is meant to tackle fine and thin hair.
She also advises against following viral social media hacks, including blow drying your sweaty hair.
"Too much direct heat onto the hair can cause breakage, so heated tools should be used sparingly and with a heat protectant spray," she said.
And don't even think about picking up the dry shampoo to combat damage.
While she doesn't foresee a problem with replacing regular shampoo with a dry alternative for one day, using it any longer can cause build-up on the scalp.
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When combined with the excess oils and sweat from a workout, you might just have one "very irritated head."
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