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Saturday, July 25, 2009
Great Hair or Great Body? Straight Hair and Working Out
by Erika Nicole Kendall
There’s that looming debate over why women of color are so adamant about having straight hair. Some assumption that it is so thoroughly related to societal definitions of beauty, European standards of attractiveness, and has nothing to do with who we were born to be. Yeah, well makeup, spanx, and high heels have nothing to do with who we were born to be, either… and we ALL partake in one or the other of those. So… I’m not interested in discussing why women choose to chemically straighten their hair.
What I AM interested in is what the deciding factor is in the decision between choosing perfect hair and working toward a perfect body. Seriously. I asked my male friends about this, and each one said to me something to the effect of, “I’d rather my girl have a great body and a jacked up head, than beautifully straight hair and a jacked up body.” Besides, there’s some kind of debate about the type of men that a natural-haired sista will attract, anyhow.
Make no mistake about it – I’m NOT natural. In fact, I’ve done my own relaxers since I was a sophomore in high school, and keep my hair healthy all by my lonesome. It is thick, 2-3 inches away from my bra strap, and well… let’s just say that to the average person, I STILL look like I’m natural. However… because I know what my head would look like otherwise, I’m grateful for the relaxer. I go from looking like a lion to a lamb – still a little wooly but much better than the alternative – and that has nothing to do with any external factors. It’s just not what I prefer to sleep on, comb through, or see in a mirror.
Having admitted my own plight with my hair, I will tell you.. I’m not willing to let something as meaningless as hair get in the way of my goals for my personal health. I won’t act like it’s easy for every woman to make that kind of statement. I can’t imagine what women in more corporate settings go through, especially since once upon a time.. it was considered acceptable to call “afrocentric” hair a “corporate don’t.” I work for myself, so I set my own rules. Being beholden to the beauty standards of someone that might not understand the “limitations” of your culture is stressful to say the least. However, it simply cannot serve as an excuse for not taking care of ourselves. Maybe, in the future, I can find links for attractive hairstyles that are manageable and conducive to a good workout regimen.
I won’t lie.. I need ‘em too. I wear my hair in either two pixie braids or a giant afro puff all day. LOL.
All of that typing was a pre-cursor to this video, about women of color and how we allow our hair to get in the way of our health and well-being. The newscaster, Robin Robinson of Fox Chicago, made a pretty daring move in going against what her viewers are used to and wearing a style that they may not be accustomed to seeing. I think that’s pretty bold, and although I kind of snickered at her “benefits of wearing ethnic hairstyles – thank goodness there is one” line (because even though I know it’s received poorly, I felt her pain), I hope she chooses to stick with it.
What are your thoughts? Do tell!
23 Comments
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I’m natural. We all know that sweat, heat, and humidity are the enemies of pressed hair. I just had my hair pressed last week and made the decision to continue working out. I just put my hair in a ponytail and went for it. My hair was damp and (a little bit) frizzy when I was done. I simply blowdried it, ran the flat iron through it, and wrapped it. Good as new! While I am a bit uncomfortable with using excessive heat in my hair, it’s a small sacrifice I’m willing to make to get this weight off. Period.
—Tracy
I’m natural and I workout 4-5 days a week. I rarely wear my hair curly. I will admit I won’t workout for at least 3 days after a hair appointment. However I have successfully lost almost 60 lbs over the last year and have a goal to lose another 30 this year. Ladies don’t let your hair hold you back. It’s just hair. Wrap it and hit the gym.
—JediPrincess
I have locs, and I had this problem when I would palm roll my roots for maintenance. I workout 4-5 days a week, and I have to wash my hair. So, of course, my newly re-twisted locs would be a mess by the end of the week. This was the main reason I started interlocking my roots as a way of maintaining my locks. I can workout, sweat, wash my hair, and keep it moving, and every 4-5 weeks, I get my hair done. But even when I wore a relaxer, I never let a “new perm” prevent me from working out.
—N.I.A. naturally
I just got kinky twists put in and am considering a transition to natural. I work at an HBCU, so it’s definitely more acceptable for me to have natural hair in my workplace.
For me, it’s more of a psychological thing- manageability, the ability to see myself as attractive with natural hair, and negative feedback/pressure from family are challenges I face in this process. We’ll see how it works out…
—Evelyn
I wear my hair relaxed. I heard of something called “co-washing” in between normal shampooing for sweaty hair. I haven’t tried it yet, but I did cut almost 5 inches off my hair and it does seem to fair better during workouts – not so much of a mess afterwards.
—Yum Yucky
I’m definitely a co-washer – my hair is not only softer, but I feel like it’s growing twice as fast, now. Don’t worry – I’m fully planning on posting my ‘fro and it’s story in a few days, LOL!
Thumbs up for snipping the hair, though – I’m a big advocate of haircuts. Fastest way to blink and look like someone new! LOL!
—Erika
I was introduced to your site when a link appeared on my daughter’s facebook page. I have been reading all the topics and love the format. Why did you choose a website as your communication tool? Do you have a journalism background?
—Ladyonthelake
My issue with the reporter’s hair is not that it’s a more natural style, but that it’s not necessarily flattering on her.
If she decides to keep it, I would suggest that she have it cut to fir her face shape.
—SexyCool
I really like the hair, but I think if she wore it longer in the locks it will look better, its hard for me too keep my hair natural. meaning I think its too short and looks funny.
—Ilana Phillips
Just wanted to provide an update- I wrote earlier that I was considering a transition to natural hair. I’m happy to say, I actually went through with it! I transitioned for 7 months and did my big chop 3 weeks ago. Right now I’m enjoying the process of learning my new hair texture and being free to workout, sweat, get rained on,drive with my windows down, etc. Looking forward to watching my body reach its full potential in every way!
—Evelyn
I thought about this article today! I went to the Dominican spot and got my hair blown out…looking all FLY then I went to Spin class the next day,lol! When you get home put one of those shine serums in your hair and wrap it up *BAM* good as new!
—LisaLynn
What is co-washer? I have relaxed hair and its below my bra straps and I have put my hair in a ponytail to exercise but I think its the sweat that makes it so dry. Any suggestions? Should I just oil it before sessions and then try the co-wash? Its hard to dry and I don’t want to wash it everyday. HELP!!
Thanks,
—Sadie
A co-wash is when you rinse your hair only using conditioner – no shampoo. So if you don’t want to wash, then…. LOL A co-wash might not be what you’re looking for.
—Erika
This is so timely. I wear my hair in a natural curly style. I just got my first blow out in many months today. Before I went to the salon I had every intention of going to the Bikram yoga. Yes, the hot yoga. The 104 degree heat inducing from the scalp yoga. But when I saw how nice, smooth and shiney my hair looked I decided to take a break and enjoy the sleekness. But the comments are so correct while the smooth style is nice it prevents me from being my authentic goal oriented self. I will ahve to save thosee sleek styles for special occacions. I have a long way to go in my weight loss journey, and I can’t let my hair hold me back. Love your blog.
—michelzulu
Ok,
So I’ve kept a relaxer for a long time. I workout 3 to 5 times a week in the mornings @ 4:00am, better in the mornings for me because I can never find time in the afternoons or evenings. The daily upkeep on my hair is too much!!! Working in a corporate environment does not help. I’ve gone towards sown-in weaves (sometimes full, sometimes partial) which have helped with time management BUT, the amount of hair breakage once taking the weaves out is depressing (even with the weave well done and a deep conditioner prior to). When I leave my hair out the Dominicans get it in! but by the end of the week I have a clip on ponytail because my hair is sweated out. Going natural is not an option for me. I think because I’ve never gone that route, and it always looks better on other people, also when I get new growth my scalp starts to hurt, so I alway go back to what I know (ugh).. Do you or anyone else have any suggestions for me? what can I besides stupid weaves? They’re getting too expensive! I get a new weave almost every month. Help!
—Christelle
I kind of did the reverse when I decided to really hit the gym and change my lifestyle. I have kept my hair in some type of braid style for at least the last 10 years. I decided to take the braids out, get a fresh perm and find alternative styles (just to keep from using the flat iron all the time), at first I simply wrapped it at night, but at my last hair appointment I decided to try a 2 strand twist on my relaxed hair, I love it!!! I bought a dry foam shampoo (that kind of resembles wrap foam, I use that between full shampoos, you don’t have to wet your hair, but it cleans your hair – think witch hazel’s affect on your skin) and I simply twist my hair or put a bonnet on at night, untwist in the morning and add moisture as needed.
—Sakika James
I just had to take a moment to thank you for sharing this with us. As a average citizen I’ve really appreciated the great insights and content obtained from visiting your blog. I hope you will continue to develop a intelligent community here as I will…
—Candice Essary
I FINALLY SET A DATE FOR MY 2ND BIG CHOP AKA HAIR CUT ITS GONNA BE MAY 20TH ILL BE 10 MONTHS NATURAL
IM EXCITED I MIGHT DO IT SOONER IDK!
—Loris Balderama
I finally made it back to the gym this week after a 5 month hiatus. Ouch. Working out in the past was great–as I had braids. I’m now w/o a relaxer for 11 months..and I get my hair pressed every two weeks.At the gym, I have my hair wrapped and tied with a cute scarf. However, I am still sweating it out. My hair is really puffy at the roots right now, however, I figured this was a small sacrifice considering my long-term goal.
—Michelle
I don’t know what her hair looked like before, but she’s rocking this look.
—Bannef
Thank you, thank you for this post. I tease my naturalhair twitter friends if I blogged my blog would be call ” Relaxed and working out”..or something like that. I am relaxed, with healthy hair pass bra strap. BUT more than that I’m a runner and a triathlete. Somedays I’m in the water 4-5 weeks and that doesn’t include any running/biking I might do as well, on those days. I’m not afraid to workout out or of getting my hair wet. I gotta maintain my size 2-4. LOL. Thank you again for speaking for those of us out there
must retweet this on twitter! @happygigglygirl
—Tabitha
I like the freedom of working out and breaking into a good sweat. I work out 4-6 days a week alternating cardio and a kettle bell or free weight workout. My natural hair is maintained in two strand twists that I pin up when I work out. I spritz w/ water and leave-in conditioner in between shampoos. I like to shampoo with black soap shampoo to clarify followed by a light rinse w/ coconut shampoo and conditioner. I use a natural light hair butter or flaxseed based gel to maintain my style. My hairstyle allows me to be versatile so that I can wear it up in an updo or take down in a twist out.
—Nina S.
I want to know if getting a full sew in helps with the excessive sweating in hair when working out. I have decided to really get on point and work out 3-5 days a week. I will mostly be doing zumba classes and walking at the local track near my house. My hair is relaxed and cut into a medium length bob. I plan to get a sew in next week. I hope this will allow me to be able to work out 3-5 days a week without worrying about my hair looking a hot stinky mess.
—Towanda