My Go-To Hair Styles for Working Out

This month I decided to get back to working out regularly.  Since I'm planning on exercising at least  four times per week, there are certain hair styles that I'm thinking will work best for me.  It has been a little over a month since I last straightened my hair but that style is not on my current playlist.  I was able to keep my hair straight for two weeks but I just don't see that happening while doing heavy workouts.  Here are some of the styles I plan on rocking while I'm getting fit this month.

The Wash n' Go

I call this style the wash n' go but there is a little more to it than that.  This is when I rock my hair in its natural curl pattern.  I tend to use different products depending on what I have and how much time I want to spend.  Still, I pretty much always use a leave-in conditioner, something heavy to seal and then a hair gel.  You can watch me do this style here.

The Puff

This is fast becoming one of my favorites styles as of late.  I can wear my puff up high, low or somewhere in between and it still looks great.  This is usually my follow-up style after wearing a wash n' go for a couple of days.  My hair already has product in it so I just wet my edges and nape and brush my hair into a puff.  Sometimes I use a banana clip placed sideways while other times I simply use a ponytail holder.  Click the video link below to watch how I do it.

PUFF HAIR TUTORIAL

The Braid Out

This style can be worn up or down and is pretty easy to maintain.  It also is the type of style that looks great when it gets bigger so a little working out won't hurt it.

The Braid Out
can be worn up or down

These are the styles that I'm gravitating towards lately but I may throw in a bun here and there.  Either way, it's all about keeping it simple and doing what works best for me.

Should I Go Back to Using Henna On My Natural Hair?

My hair in Feb. 2014 when I still used
Henna and Indigo for black hair

For five years I was a faithful henna user.  I had a pretty good routine down so it wasn't a daunting task for me.  That was until I started doing the two step Henna and Indigo treatments to cover my gray strands.  It worked like a charm but the process seemed to take ages each time I did it.  That is why I decided to start using an ammonia free box color.

Switching back to an easy option for hair color was almost a no brainer.  I wasn't using something overly harsh and drying so it didn't seem to make a big difference.  It still doesn't but now I'm beginning to wonder if my hair was stronger when I used henna.  My original intention for using henna was for the conditioning benefits.  At the time I was having scalp issues and also wanted the added strength.  When I think back on how my hair felt when I was using it, I remember it
being thicker.

Many assume henna for hair is a protein treatment.  Technically it is not.  It is a plant based powder with an active ingredient called lawsone.  This attaches permanently to the hair making it feel stronger and thicker.  With multiple uses some have even noticed a changed in curl pattern.  Lawsone is also what gives the hair a shiny reddish tint.  I really never liked the red color but it wasn't that obvious at first.  At one point though my hair was burgundy which sent me on a search for indigo powder.  With the two step henna/indigo process you get black hair as a result.  Thing is, you have to use both treatments separately in one night in order for this to work.  We're talking seven hours of applying, waiting, rinsing and conditioning.  Not to mention the cleanup!  No thank you.  

WATCH ME PREPARE HENNA FOR HAIR DYE

That brings me to where I am today.  I keep thinking to myself that maybe it is time to get back onto the henna bandwagon.  I remember reading a suggestion for using henna after hair color over at hennaforhair.com.  It was said to help repair the hair after using chemicals.  My plan is to use the box color for root coverage and then follow up a few weeks later with henna.  I also want to add conditioners to my henna like coconut and olive oil.  These are things I avoided before because they slow the color process down.  The conditioning type of henna treatment is often called a henna gloss.  Hopefully I'll see thicker, stronger hair over the next few months.

Keep watching the blog for upcoming posts on my new, less complicated, henna journey. 

Protective Style Challenge and Youtube Channel Updates

Here's my latest Youtube Video where I go over a few updates for my channel and natural hair

journey.  I even speak a little bit about what I'm doing with my hair now for moisture during the colder weather.

WATCH MY LATEST HAIR UPDATE ON YOUTUBE

My Protective Style Challenge 

This weekend I posted a video to help keep all of my viewers up to date on my protective style challenge.  I started wearing my natural hair in protective hair styles in hopes to retain more length this year.  I would like to see my hair at least a few inches longer so I thought putting it away would help speed things up.

One Name to Rule Them All

Last month I took the plunge and renamed my Youtube Channel.  It was something that I was contemplating for some time now.  It feels good to have one name across all of my social media platforms as well.  Just makes things so much easier for me.

Winter Hair Routine and New Products

Lately I have been playing around with a couple of moisturizers to help boost my curly styles.  I'm having great success and mention both in my new video.


Be sure to stop by my Youtube Channel for more hair tutorials and curly hair updates!