You know that saying, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too”?

I use it a lot. Basically, it means you can’t enjoy the benefits of two desirable alternatives (kudos to Google for the translation).

The same concept can be applied to the debate over a good gym sesh versus a good hair day.

In the ultimate battle where the victor is usually your hair, you might ask yourself if it’s possible to actually have a good workout while also having good hair for later.

Fortunately, by treating your hair with the right products, it IS possible to have your (low-cal) cake and eat it too!

Freshen Up With These Workout Hair Product Essentials

A busy lifestyle with little time for washing your hair is going to require some alternative solutions. In fact, even on your free days, you might want to consider skipping your hair wash, anyway.

Repeated washes can be detrimental to hair health, as the water works to rid your hair of its needed natural oils.

Thankfully, you can save water and time by electing to use dry shampoo.

Dry shampoo

If you didn’t already know, dry shampoo can be your hair’s best solution when you’re in a hurry.

Giving your strands a few quick sprays pre-workout will preserve your fresh hair, as dry shampoo is, in essence, an oil-absorbing powder that will prevent the build-up of sweat and grease.

Because it is a powder, it should only be applied to dry hair; doing otherwise can leave behind a clumpy, cakey mess!

For best results, first, shake your bottle well. Next, spray the product directly onto your roots, focusing on the areas of your scalp where you sweat the most.

Then, take a comb and brush for 1-2 minutes to evenly distribute the product throughout your hair.

As you brush from your roots to your ends, the product will remove existing dirt and oil along with it.

After your workout, use a blow-dryer to dry your hair of any perspiration that may have accumulated during your workout.

Then apply the product again before styling it with a brush and blow-dryer.

This should give your hair a fresh fragrance, as well as some extra texture and pliability to easily transition it into your favorite look for later.

Another favorite Workout Hair Product Essentials are:

Texture spray

Like dry shampoo, a texture (or texturizing) spray can be used to provide extra hold, grip, and body to your pre and post-workout hair.

In fact, texture sprays are often used as a substitute for dry shampoo, since both products share oil-absorbing properties that help give hair a matte finish.

However, the two shouldn’t necessarily be used interchangeably.

Dry shampoos are less efficient in maintaining hold throughout your workout compared to most texture sprays. This is because the powder in dry shampoo weighs your hair down less than the heavier oil in a texturizing spray.

Given its thicker composition, texturizing sprays are best used in quick spurts to gradually add texture in as needed. The spray should target any areas in need of extra volume, body, and thickness.

Dry shampoos and texture sprays are not ideal for every hair type, however.

Since dry shampoos require you to brush the product out thoroughly, and since texturizing sprays increase thickness, both products should be avoided by thick, curly or coarse hair types.

Instead, a styling cream or styling lotion would be better suited for these hair types.

My last Workout Hair Product Essentials are:

Styling Creams

Styling cream provides a light, soft hold that combats tangly and frizzy hair.

To use styling cream, first, start with a golf ball to baseball-sized blob (depending on your hair length) and warm it in your palms.

Then, work it into damp hair from roots to ends. This will help give you a hydrated, silky hairdo that’s ready for whatever workout you throw at it.

Sticking to your fitness goals is hard enough as it is with a busy schedule. Add on all the time spent washing and preppin’ and you’re lucky to even step foot in the gym.

But there are some great time and workout-saving solutions out there! Just choose the one that works best for you and get to it!

Keep these styling tips from eSalon, a custom hair color company, in mind the next time you hit the gym!

This is a guest post submitted from eSalon.