Black Hair Styles For The Gym

Due to the uniquely coarse and dry nature of African American hair, you need to know about a few very specific black hair styles for the gym.  If you like to work out, this is crucial because black hair is, unfortunately, easily damaged by conditions that other hair handles well.

For instance, the coarse and dry nature makes it easier for black hair to break under extreme heat or cold.  This makes it harder to use irons and other equipment that most hairstyles typically require in order to establish them.  It also means that you have to be particularly careful when forming designs because the weakness could cause them to break from simple pulling and weaving.

This is also important to understand because black hair is also naturally very wiry and kinky.  This means that you cannot simply style black hair like you can hair that is naturally straight.  You have to try to straighten and flatten black hair before you can do anything with it.  Of course, this means that you will have to use chemicals or other equipment that could potentially damage your hair.

For workouts, hair that is of a medium length can offer great benefits.  Cornrows and locks, then, are perhaps the best styles.  Cornrows are especially practical because you can leave them in for a few weeks at a time, so you will at least know that your hair is manageable for a month or so.  This is a method of braiding that starts close to the scalp and moves in an upward and underhand motion.

While cornrows can be very convenient, after you endure the few hours it takes to put them in, you might want to avoid all of that altogether.  You can always try to use special compounds, conditioners, and pomades to get your hair to stay in one place.

You do have to keep in mind, however, that black hair can and will always revert back to its natural state.  The longer you stay on the floor at the gym, the more susceptible your hair is to temperature and moisture changes.  This means that regardless of what you choose, you will always need to make sure that you have the proper tools and hair care products on hand, even at the gym.  If you have a gym you use regularly, you can just leave a second set of these in your locker.