Half the time, we swear it’s not even the actual workout and the latent fear that we might just have a heart attack right there on the Elliptical that keeps us away from the gym, but the inevitable clean up that comes right after. You know, when, somehow, in a few short minutes, you have to get from beet-red and sweaty to presentable inside the confines of the perpetually wet gym bathroom. Seriously though, what in the world are you supposed to do with your headband-and-sweat slicked hair?
But—for this month at least—we’ve resolved to stay physically active, and (especially) not let a little thing like vanity get in the way of that. Except that we are who we are, and that little thing does (kind of) happen to get in the way. So we called in the pros: a.k.a. three of our favorite Wall Group repped hairstylists to help us get over our fear of post-gym hair—and, with the help of some well-used dry shampoo and a couple elastics, actually take advantage of it. Herein, three after-the-sweat-sesh hairstyles that are easy to do—even in a damp gym bathroom.
The Knotted Braid
By Lacy Redway
“This hairstyle may look intricate once complete, but it's actually super easy to do. You can do this with braids or twists.”
1. “Start off by sectioning your hair with a Fromm Diane Rat Tail Comb.”
2. “Put your hair into two low ponytails and secure with elastics. Apply a little of Bumble and Bumble's BB Texture Hair Cream to the individual ponytails and braid all the way to the end. Secure with elastics.”
3. “This is when the fun happens: Take both braids into both of your hands at once and crisscross while twisting them down to the base. This is such a fun style because every version is unique as it depends on the amount of hair that you have. The braids will eventually coil onto themselves creating a cool hairstyle that can easily transition to your street style.”
4. “Repeat these same exact steps with twists if you’re not able to create braids.”
The Textured Ponytail
By Kylee Heath
1. “Post gym, brush your hair out and go ahead and blow dry your roots. I know it may seem strange, but just blow dry away any sweatiness.”
2. “Once your hair is moisture free, apply your favorite dry shampoo throughout the roots. My favorite at the moment is the Elizabeth and James dry shampoo (I prefer the White scent). Work it into your hair—this will be sure to hide any unwanted oil and make your hair smell delicious.”
3. “Next, section the front half of your hair (from crown of the head) and clip away. Then pull the back section into a high ponytail and secure with an elastic.”
4. “Unclip the front section and pull it back, joining the hair with the ponytail using a fine toothed comb or boar bristle brush and secure with another elastic.”
5. “Then, take a small piece of hair and wrap it around the elastic to hide it and pin the end underneath. Plug in a curling iron and add a texture to the ponytail. Lightly tease the base of the ponytail to create volume.”
The Fishtail Top Knot
By Bridget Brager
“All you need to create this after-workout hair style is an elastic band, dry shampoo, two bobby pins and a spritz of hairspray.”
1. “To start: After your workout, refresh hair using a dry shampoo. I like Bumble and Bumble Prêt-à-Powder. It adds volume to the roots, texture to the lengths of the hair and makes the hair feel clean, even after your sweat session.”
2. “Next, gather your hair into a high ponytail on the top of your head (at the crown). You can decide whether you want your style to be boho-piecey by using your hands to gather the hair haphazardly into a ponytail, or you can use a brush for a high shine, sleek look.”
3. “After you've secured your high ponytail, begin your fishtail braid, going all the way down to the ends of the hair.”
4. “Add a bit more dry shampoo and use your fingers to loosen the fishtail braid to create a fuller looking braid.”
5. “Holding the base of the fishtail braid, begin wrapping it clockwise around the base. Secure the braid by crisscrossing two bobby pins over each other. This locks in your look.”
6. “Use a light hairspray for the edges if you need to—and DONE!”