Every time you hop into the shower after a workout, you face the eternal dilemma: To wash your hair or not to wash your hair? It’s now common knowledge that washing on the reg can cause damage to your strands—and it turns out, it can also fade your dye job.
“Frequent shampooing is the second largest culprit to fading hair color after sun exposure,” celebrity hair stylist Kyle White—who’s worked with stars like Jessica Alba and Reese Witherspoon—tells me before I get a single process at New York’s Oscar Blandi salon. “All my workout girls think they need to shampoo everyday.”
“Sweat’s different than oil and dirt and other gunk that gets into your hair.”
The truth is—thankfully—you really don’t. This is especially so if you’ve colored your hair. “You want to do everything you can to keep the color as long as possible,” says White. Frequent washing can rough up the cuticle, which allows the color molecule to slip out more easily. Beyond that, the natural oils you produce can actually help the health of your hair. “Sweat’s different than oil and dirt and other gunk that gets into your hair—your natural oils are nature’s best conditioner,” he adds.
To conserve these precious goods (and keep your hair lookin’ fly), White advises to just shower like you would normally, wet your hair a little bit, and then “skip the shampoo and just use conditioner,” he says.
After putting it through the spots that need that post-burpee TLC, you can opt for some dry shampoo if you still feel a little film in your strands. “Put dry shampoo in your hands and run it through your scalp,” adds White. “It really works to restore the volume and gives you a fresh scent, all while saving your color and hair texture.”
This morning, I decided to try the sans-shampoo conditioner trick after a rigorous sweat sesh at Barry’s Bootcamp. The result? My hair feels super soft and voluminous today, and even has a lovely sheen to it (which is a rare occurrence considering I was a frequent shampooer in my past life). Moral of the story? As White says, even a day in between washes can do wonders for your strands—not to mention save you some time and effort in the locker room, which is always a great added perk.
When you are washing, here’s how to tell if you’re hair is really clean. And this hair serum is a wonder for dry locks.
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