Post Workout Skin and Hair Care
Regular exercise is fantastic for your body and your health, PLUS it works wonders on the appearance of your skin by increasing blood circulation (and therefore the delivery of nutrients) through your body. But unfortunately, exercise can sometimes be bad for your skin and your hair if you’re not sure how to take care of them, after working up a sweat.
So, have a read of this and see if you can incorporate as many of them into your lifestyle as possible.
Hydrate Yourself!
This is a big one! Your skin will sag and get wrinkly, dry and flaky if you don’t drink enough water! This is because blood flow to your skin is reduced when you are dehydrated, thus your cells do not have the nutrients required for their daily renewal process. Don’t forget to take a bottle of water with you to your pole class, to the gym, or even to your own pole at home… and be sure have some water every ten or fifteen minutes. If you don’t have to re-fill your bottle, you’re probably not drinking enough! On top of this, aim to drink about pint, or 500ml of water roughly 2 hours before you exercise and again to rehydrate after you’ve cooled down and stretched.
Rinse or Shower ASAP
Exercising makes you sweat. (That’s a no brainer.) If you don’t clean this off your face soon, it is likely to cause blocked pores and acne. This is partly because sweat contains toxins and salt, and when you’re warmed up your pores will be open, which puts them at risk of getting clogged up by this excess grime when they close up again. For some people, a damp hand towel will do the trick. For others, a proper shower with a face wash or a cleanser, such a witch hazel, is needed.
Wait to Exfoliate
Exfoliation is important to aid your skin in its rejuvenation process. However, your skin is usually sensitive after some good exercise, so scrubbing now would likely be too intense. How often you exfoliate will depend on your skin type. But remember – if you do it too much, you can actually make your skin MORE oily! Beware of stripping your natural oils out to such an extent that your body starts producing extra! A good starting point is to use a gentle facial and body scrub two or three times a week.
Get Enough Sleep
Have you ever noticed that on days you work out in the morning or afternoon, you sleep much better come bed time? Exercise is really good for helping your body get a restful sleep. But keep in mind that if you exercise too late in the day, adrenalin can keep you awake. It’s really important to get a proper sleep if you work out a lot, because not only do your muscles need time to rebuild, but your skin, hair, nails (and all the rest) need to be nourished too. And when does your body set about replenishing and redistributing supplies of vitamins and minerals? You guessed it – when you’re asleep.
Don’t wear make-up!
We’re all aware that working up a sweat while wearing make-up is a recipe for blocked pores. So the best thing to do is obviously not wear any. It’s also a good idea to splash your face with water just before a workout to rinse off any other dirt that may be there. If you really have to wear something, opt for the lightest oil-free foundation you can find.
Moisturise
This is usually a difficult one for pole dancers, because so many of us see moisturiser as our nemesis! And for good reason; wearing moisturiser while pole dancing usually makes it difficult and dangerous. But if you’re practicing pole every day, when are you going to find time to nourish your skin? My best advice is to apply moisturising lotion at night before you go to bed (and then to shower some time before your pole class). It’s also worth finding out your skin type and picking a moisturiser that suits you personally.
Protect Your Hair
It can be very tempting to wash your hair after working out, because you will likely have made your roots oily. However, if you usually wash your hair every 2-3 days, try not to change this routine just because you have started exercising more. Washing your hair more often will actually trigger the sebaceous glands in your scalp to produce more sebum (oil) to compensate! However, it is important to do something to care for your hair during and after a workout…
First up, tie it out of the way so it doesn’t fall in your face and pick up excess sweat and oils there. Second, try to rinse your scalp and hair in lukewarm to cold water, post-workout. The accumulation of sweat and grease can be damaging if left in your hair. If you don’t have time to rinse, or your studio doesn’t have shower, look around for ‘dry shampoo’. This is a product that absorbs the oil and leaves your hair looking fresh again. It even adds volume to some hair types, which is great to combat limp and stressed locks. Depending on your hair type, you might also like to buy some leave-in conditioner, to put in the ends of your hair. This will help avoid dull and lifeless tips as well as split ends.
Side note: Whatever you do, make sure you don’t brush wet hair! You’re just asking for split ends if you do this! You can comb it gently, if you have thoroughly conditioned it, or just wait until it’s dry.
Drink Water!
I’m saying it again because it’s so important and it’s the one thing I never do enough. And yes, I have wrinkles and dry skin to show for it!
Over to you guys.
What are your tips for keeping your skin and hair beautiful when you have such an active lifestyle?
Related posts:
Nice article! Thanks.