How to Care for African-American Hair After Exercise

Portrait of an African American young woman stretching arm over white background

moodboard/moodboard/Getty Images

Working out is good for you, but if you are African-American, it can be very hard on your hair. Black hair tends to be coarse, which causes it to dry out quickly. The salts released with sweat can dry it out even more, but so can overshampooing. Not to worry. Black hair care does not have to be a huge chore, even if you work out every day. All you need are the right tools and products.

Rinse off in the shower after your workouts to keep the salt from your sweat from drying on your scalp. Use diluted shampoo if you don’t feel clean without actually washing your hair.

Wrap your head in an absorbent turban or towel instead of rubbing or wringing it. Let the cloth soak up the extra moisture.

Apply a leave-in conditioner to damp hair, working it through from your scalp to the ends. Do not massage it into your scalp.

Comb out any tangles with a wide-toothed comb.

Put your hair up with coated elastics or clips until it is dry, rather than using a blow dryer. Heat is very damaging to hair, so the less you use on yours, the better.