I’m Letting My Natural Hair Make Me Unhealthy

This is one of the most embarrasing things I’ve ever had to admit. Because it is so vain and ridiculous but it’s the truth. I have let my hair control my health. I have let my hair make me an unhealthy person. And I may not be the only one, which is why I type this. If you are going through this, you might already have an idea. But here is the truth: I avoid working out because of my hair. I activetly avoid working out because I’m afraid of what the sweat will do, or about how the ponytail lines will crease my hair, or if I need to wash my hair earlier (will it get dried out then?!). IT is ridiculous. So ridiculous that I knew I could only share it with the natural hair community, because I’m not the only one who isn’t sure what to do with their hair during a workout. Right? Let me know. I feel like I see this complaint all the time.

I’m almost five months postpartum and I weigh the same that I did at my 6 week postpartum appointment. I have only lost 30% of the weight I gained during pregnancy and it’s been five months. To put it in perspective…after our daughter I had lost 75% of the weight within two months. Yes, each baby and pregnancy is different, but that’s still hard for me to acknowledge. Because I have literally lost count of the times I let my hair be an excuse for why I wouldn’t workout.

But I’m done.

My hair is my HAIR. And I love my waves, but not enough that I will let myself feel unhealthy. I am putting it out there that my hair is not the excuse. It’s time to go for a run, do all the burpees and plyometrics my body needs, and get super sweaty. I love exercise. It’s one of the biggest stress relievers in my life. And when I let go of exercise it feels like a lot of other things fall away too. So I’m ready to take control of my hair and figure out a way to make this naturally wavy hair work with exercise. But I need your help too. Let me know your biggest tip on working out with naturally wavy or curly hair! I’ve got an idea of what I want to do, and the main thing is figuring out a post workout routine.

My Planned Post Workout Hair Routine (not making this an official Hair Routine post because I haven’t done it yet!)

Because I’m not sure exactly how this will play out, this is my current thoughts…

• Cowash – normally, cowashing is a bit heavy on my hair. But in the times my scalp is dirty but my hair is dry, cowashing provides a great balance. So I’m being open to cowashing after every workout. Even if that means daily. Yikes! Oh and this needs to be said: I’m a very sweaty human. There’s no way I can go beyond one workout without needing to cleanse my hair. I sweat a lot. But again, I think that’s why cowashing vs any low-poo will be better. Currently I’m using the Suave Essentials Coconut Conditioner as a cowash. Love how affordable this is!
• Condition – as of now, either the same Suave Essentials Coconut, or the NYMN Dark Blue Conditioner
• Curl Activator Cream – this is the part where I need suggestions! I actually love Devacurl Wavemaker, but I’m not sure I’m willing to use that daily (because $$$). I already own Cantu Curl Enhancer so I will use that a little, but it tends to be heavy. I really really have the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Curl Cream on my list, but I’m open to suggestions!
• Hard Hold Gel – I refuse to part with my holy grail hard hold gel. And it’s cheap, so all the more reason to stick with it.

Another thing I’m going to do is try to limit using my current favorite mousse and hairspray. Using daily has led to a little dryness, so with washing daily I don’t want to risk it.

If anyone would like to join, or tell me I’m crazy (or not crazy!)…please do. Thanks wavy friends. This was embarrassing to write, but I feel 103274582587934 times better now that I’ve admitted it.

-Rachel