hair issues during IM training plan

Maybe look into picking up a dry shampoo or make your own? Dry shampoos will soak up any excess oils and might help "fluff up" a bad hair day.

Also think about researching how commercial shampoos strip the scalp of natural oils (causing over production of oil) and create a cycle of the more you shampoo, the more you NEED to shampoo. Nice article here.

Edited by lisac957 2014-01-15 2:21 PM

So I will state that I'm a guy but I do have longer hair.
I've come up with two solutions, both or neither of which may for you.

First, I just don't wash my hair after my P.M workout. Just rinse off in the shower. Still use soap on my skin, just don't wash my hair.
My thinking being that I'm just going to wake up, work out in the morning, get sweaty and have to take another shower.

Second, I've found a couple of leave-in conditioners that work well after the pool, which seems to do the most damage.
This stuff works so far:
http://www.amazon.com/Ion-Ion-0024-Swimmers-Leave-in-Conditioner/dp...

^^^do what this girl says, clearly speaks from experience. she has pantene hair!

Agree with this. And I'm a lady with long hair!

My experience. I always shampoo after a swim, and that is usually in the morning. In the evening, if I'm not seeing anybody else, I do not shower at all sometimes just wash my face, others I just rinse off in the shower before bed. Otherwise I use a dry shampoo or baby powder near my scalp and style after showering without getting my hair wet. If my hair is freshly shampooed, I'm probably rocking blown out straight hair. If you see me with curly or styled hair... I did not wash my hair during my last shower or I have a hot date.

Also, get a quality shampoo from a beauty store. More expensive, but you can use less and your hair doesn't get nasty as quickly.

Edited by MechEChick 2014-01-15 3:00 PM

x2

x3

yep, most people don't know what I look like with my hair down. Only for 'special occasions', but it is usually in a pony tail or low bun - AND a visor.
I have long, thick hair that is to the middle of my back. I wash after swims ALWAYS, but usually only every 3rd day (and I'm a sweaty girl). My hair is pretty dry though, so it doesn't seem nasty until that 3rd day or so.
I agree with the high quality products and dry shampoo!

I don't wash my hair after every workout either (always, always after swims though, because it's so damaging). I know it sounds gross, but I spray dry shampoo on the roots, brush, and blow-dry all the sweat/dry shampoo. It ends up looking pretty good. If it looks gross, I'll twist it into a knot on top of my head. I have long hair and that helps. Like PP said, there are all kinds of pretty up styles you can do. A simple twisted bun works great for me. I have to say that my hair is in much better shape doing this than when I tried to shampoo it every day. When I do wash and style it, it looks so shiny and vibrant.

Ooo, and put extra hair ties everywhere. Somehow I always lose them. I keep extras in my car, purse and work desk.

Go bald. It worked for me.

I totally feel your pain. Two a days are no good for your hair, and I'm in the military so my hair HAS to look presentable! I try to plan my hardest, sweatiest workouts for the am so I can wash and style my hair for the day. I also swim in the am for the same reason. If I do a second workout (most days) I either put it up so it doesn't get wet in shower, then dry any sweat and use dry shampoo. If my second workout is really sweaty I rinse my hair only with conditioner no shampoo. I also do once weekly deep conditioning treatments. Having less than perfect hair is just part of a triathlete life! Hope this helps!!!

Thanks all for the advice! I invested in fancy hair products (by fancy I mean not the cheapest thing I can find at Target, as is my usual M.O.) dry shampoo, and a massive stock pile of hair ties. Now to see if my boyfriend can handle six months of this!

Also, how you pull your hair up during the workout (at least runs and to some extent bikes) can help. I have bangs and I pull them and the top part of my hair into a little ponytail on top of my head and put a wicking hat on top; the rest of my hair is put up somehow to not be against my neck. That way you have a little bit of scalp sweat but your hair's not soaking up the face/ neck sweat. And when you take down the bang/ top of head thing it has some volume.
Experiment to find headbands and hats/ visors that wick the sweat. I find that some just make me hotter and sweatier but some do keep my head from sweating too much.

I have short colored hair and pay a lot for my color, so I do whatever I can to protect my hair. Having short hair also means I have to wash it everyday and after each workout.- dry shampoos are not an option. I think not only of my hair but my skin when I have to consider 2 showers and look for moisturizing properties. Sometimes I will skip the evening shower if possible ( biking but never running) I use Nexxus products which are quality hair products but not too expensive. When I swim I spray my hair with a sun protectant/conditioner and then put my swim cap on. With the conditioner already applied, I don't think an extra wash here and there will hurt if I need to shower twice. If you run with a hat or visor you may want to consider spraying in a leave in conditioner prior to your workout and the heat/ conditioner will work together to condition your hair while you work out. Then a wash would be perfect.I would also check with your stylist for recommendations

Edited by MamacitaT 2014-01-20 12:34 AM

Obviously I don't take my own advice. Just had to a pack of hair ties. Fail.

Pixie cuts are very trendy right now. I have had one for two years and want to grow it out for a change, but it is just so compatible with working out that I am reluctant to do it.

i hear you on this I'm about 12 months into growing mine out and with an entire packet of bobby pins and a small hair tie I can get a ponytail that is maybe 1" long. But it doesn't stay up when I run and is no good for under my helmet.

Also after a week of days where it has been over 100* I'm getting it chopped off next week it's just too hot and with the swimming has started to get that overly shiny look and feels a bit like straw - time for it to go.

I wish I had the courage to go for it. I think perhaps I'm too attached to my long hair...

Maybe... you all recommend it? Like having shorter hair?

I LOVE having short hair.

I took the plunge and had it chopped short - like real short 4 years ago. Before that it reached well past the middle of my back. My hair is very thick and curly, it also goes very frizzy especially when you blow dry it. I was finding that during the summer I always had it tied up because it was just way too hot otherwise and in winter it was always wet because I would wash it everyday to control the frizz and then couldn't blow dry it so it would take till well after lunch to dry.

With it short it is much less curly and frizzy and I can wash it every second day give it a mega quick blow dry, wack some goop in it and be done. I very rarely spend more than 10 minutes doing it.

The only down side maybe is that my hair grows fast for the first little bit so I get it trimmed every 5-6 weeks. But once it reaches about to my collar it's growth slows right down so I doubt I will ever have the patience to grow it out.

Not training for an IM but I do train a lot in a very sweaty climate, swim a lot, and often have very quick transitions from training to work and vice versa. Another vote for short hair--just a lot less trouble to manage and it's easier to keep short hair healthy. I have a small face anyway so the pixie look works a lot better than loads of hair. I also color with a copper weave so try to treat it nicely during training to make the color job last. My "secret weapon" after swimming is Paul Mitchell clarifying shampoo (called Shampoo 3--my old stylist, who also swam a lot, recommended it.) I follow that with Pantene conditioner, usually the Nourished Shine one. By itself, the clarifying shampoo or a lot of the "swimmer" shampoos tend to strip your hair and make it dry and frizzy. If it's not a swim, I don't wash my hair after every workout--sometimes just rise as I shower to get the sweat out. For washing at times other than swimming, I usually use Pantene shampoo or a botanical with green tea or lemon grass, no conditioner. My hair is short but soft and shiny--colleagues and even stylists have said it's unusual for someone who not only colors it but swims a lot.

If my hair feels like it's getting dried out, sometimes if I've been sick, our pool chemicals are out of whack, or it's really hot in dry season. I do a treatment with coconut oil. It's from botanical beauty lines in Thailand and Indonesia, and intended for hair, but probably any coconut oil would work. You can even comb it in and leave it on for a while during the day (probably not at work unless you are going for some very traditional SE Asian slicked-down looks), and rinse it out later.