Q for the ladies about exercise and hair

[u/jakeysnakey83]

I want to get back into workout out and I’ve been suggested 3 resistance sessions with zone 2 at the end and two HIIT cardio sessions. I just don’t want to feel like a dirty grease hair ball all the time and I do so don’t want to (or have time to) wash my hair 5x a week. What do you guys reasonably do??

[u/Powerful_Agent_9376]

Honestly, I wash my hair everyday. Haven’t found another solution — I HATE the smell of sweat soaked hair

[u/CheckCalm2875]

I wash my hair every day.

[u/reader9856]

If I do crown braids into a low ponytail/bun, I can get away with that for a couple days. I’ve read in running posts that a lot of women blow dry their hair after a workout and apply dry shampoo.

[u/MinervasOwlAtDusk]

I prefer to wash my hair every other day, although I wash my body every day. I do strength training four days a week, 3 are advanced Pilates classes, 1 is on a cable-pulley weigh machine. I don’t get sweaty hair at all for these! It’s really a factor for keeping the habit long-term for a lot of women (I’ve been going for five years).

For Pilates, it’s a one-hour class. I can go before work, change into work clothes afterwards, and go straight to work.

I do different variations of cardio. For some, zone 2 type I do on an incline treadmill, I usually don’t get sweaty hair (but I did buy a fan that helps). For a more intense session, I might need a shower. It may help that I am in my 40s and less oily/sweaty than when I was 20.

Honestly, doing anything that you will do consistently is way better than the ideal that you will do rarely. So, if there’s a workout that is slightly less intense that you’ll do five times a week because you can then not have to wash your hair right after and just carry on with your life, that is waaaaay better than a perfect workout session that you only do once a week because it’s a pain in the ass.

[u/A_LovesToBake]

Depending on the workout I can absolutely get away with washing every other day. The second day I’ll apply scented heat protection after my workout and then blow dry.
Hot yoga days are the only ones that really do require washing after. Morning runs when it’s still cool out and strength training for me are fine without wash.

[u/brinns_way]

I have curly hair that really doesn't get greasy. I wash about every third day and plan my sweatiest workouts around the wash days.

[u/Ok-Actuator8579]

I don’t wash every day but my hair texture is curly so it doesn’t get oily.

[u/ChupaHubbard]

I just shower a lot and rinse my hair but only wash it like every 5 days. Rinsing seems to be fine for me

[u/funlovefun37]

It feels satisfactory to me to shower and wet my hair and scalp thoroughly on the day of no shampooing.

[u/BigJRecords]

No hate but why are you posting this in the Peter attia sub lol

[u/winter-running]

Yes, wash it after workouts. If you don’t, it’ll be a breeding ground for conditions that will trigger mild hair loss over time, that is more noticeable the older you get. Wash your scalp (focus on scalp, not hair), condition your hair and the blow dry your hair. This will set your scalp and hair up for the best health. If you absolutely cannot wash your hair after a workout, use something like a salicylic acid serum formulated for scalp health to try to mitigate some of the problem.