Natural Hair and Exercise: My Top Three Tips to Natural Hair Maintenance while Exercising

I love working out!!! I love how my body looks after I work out! I love to sweat when I work out! I love how working out makes me feel; there's nothing like that rush of energy and instant mood boost following a workout!

And this isn't new for me! Honestly, I've always loved working out since I was in elementary school, completing the Cindy Crawford fitness tapes my college age sister left behind. I would also ride the stationary bike for an hour or so (Don't judge me;-). Even beyond elementary school, I stayed pretty active, playing basketball (although I wasn't good at it) to running track to simply completing a routine gym workout. I like to keep my body in shape, and I love the overall benefits that exercised has on my physical and mental health!

With that said, it's no secret, that I work out at least four to five times per week!  I typically run 1 to 3 miles per day, and I lift weights according to what body area (i.e. arms, chest, back, legs, abs) I'm focused on for the day! But sometimes working out with natural hair can be difficult. I can walk in the gym with natural hair hang time or a twist out that flows in the wind and leave looking like "who done it and why". 

I'm not willing to compromise the overall health of my body just for the sake of my natural hair style. In fact, I'm sure working out/exercise helps to stimulate hair growth. So here are some of my top three tips to help exercise and maintain my natural hair:

1. Rock a protective style. You can wear braids, Marley twists, Senegalese twist, flat twists, buns, roll and tucks, and the list goes on, but a protective style is key for maintaining your hair during exercise. I personally love box braids because I am able to exercise and still maintain a nice hairstyle. I can go to the gym one way and rest assured my hair will look the same when I leave.

2. Clean that scalp, girl! I sweat a lot when I work out! I mean, I sweat on my face, arms, legs, and yes, my scalp sweats too!!! So you can imagine how much sweat and dirt build up on my scalp after a five day work out routine!?!?! This is one of the main reasons I like to clarify my scalp. Clarifying the scalp helps to remove the sweat, dirt, and excess sebum that can clog pores and prevent hair growth. So my clarifying treatment of choice is apple cider vinegar. I simply take a spray bottle and mix 1 part Apple cider with 3 parts water. I then spray the mix and massage my scalp to loosen any sort. I rinse. Wash out with warm water and repeat.

3. Moisturize you hair. Exercise and sweat go hand in hand. Sweat running down the strands of your hair can actually cause dryness so it is essential for you to moisture your hair strands. Keep them hydrated with a spray bottle of water and your favorite leave in. If you are a lover of the LCO/LOC method, moisturize with your favorite products, but keep your hair moisturized by any means necessary. 

Since health is the new wealth, you really can't compromise your health for the sake of your natural hair. You have create a plan for your health and natural hair that work in conjunction with each other. You don't want to have cute natural hair with a body that looks like______ (You can fill in the blank)!  So, I encourage you to review some of these tips above and concoct a regimen that works for your body and natural hair. 

Until next time... 

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken 

The LOC/LCO Method + My Homemade Moisturizing Cream/Mixture

Hey Kurlies,

The LOC method is one of the most popular ways to moisturize and seal hair among naturals. LOC is an abbreviation for liquid/water based leave in conditioner, oil, and cream. I swear by this method-
sort of! I'll tell you about the LOC method in general, and then I'll share my version of the LOC
method at the end. Without further adoo, let's get started.

What does the LOC method entail?

Using your choice of LOC method products, you should apply your liquid/water based leave in conditioner first, oil second, and cream last. Sometimes the order of items is rearranged to create the LCO method, where the leave in is first, cream is second, and oil is last. Regardless, the moisture in your natural tresses is sealed by two well known sealants, oil and butter. 

Oil and butter are well known for their ability to create a moisturizing layer along the hair shaft, which prevents water from being evaporated from your hair. When water does not evaporate from your hair, your hair will stay moisturized longer. 

How do I complete the LOC method? 

1. Apply a moisturizing liquid/water based leave in conditioner to freshly washed hair
2. Apply a thin layer of oil to your hair for moisture
3. Apply a butter based, creamy moisturizer to your hair to seal that moisture in

What are some of the best products to use in the LOC method? 

Moisturizing liquid/water based leave in conditioner can include pure water (lone of the most moisturizing liquids EVER), Giovanni Leave In Conditioner, Cantu Leave In Conditioner, Karen's Body Beautiful Leave In Spray, and Alikay Naturals Lemongrass Leave In, and many more.

Oils that are great for sealing are Jamaican black castor oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, argan oil, macadamia oil, and grapeseed oil; however, there are plenty of other oils you can use.

Your cream/butter can be your styler if you are placing your hair in twists or bantu knots. If you like 
to rock wash and go, a cream can help define your curls or coils a little more. Examples of creams/ 
butters could be shea butter, mango butter, or cocoa butter; commercial creams you can use include Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, Alikay Naturals Shea Yogurt Hair Moisturizer, just to name a few. 

How frequently should one complete the LOC method?

The answer to this question is totally dependent on you and your hair's porosity. High porosity hair may have to moisturize more frequently. Low porosity hair may need less. 

My personal account on the LOC method....
Now, I personally have tweaked the LOC method to work for me. My liquid/ leave in is my water and Aloe Vera juice mix, which consists of a spray bottle filled with 1/3 Aloe Vera juice and 2/3 water. For my homemade moisturizing mixture, I use several oils, which include olive oil, castor oil, and several others. The cream I use is shea butter. I mix my shea butter and oils together to create my
homemade moisturizing mix, technically, combining steps 2 and 3 of the LOC method (See post on how to create moisturizing mix here). I moisturize my hair every day or every two days, depending on how my hair feels. Since I have begun using this combination, I have seen a major difference in the moisture levels of my hair. My hair was already soft prior to using this method, but since the use of this method and products, my hair is truly moisturized, easier to detangle, and overall, more manageable.

The products for my current LOC method

Kurlies Weigh In: Do you use the LOC method or some other variation of this method, like LCO (same products in a different order)? If you use the LOC method, what are your favorite staple products to moisturize and seal? If you don;t use the LOC method, what do you use to keep your hair moisturized?

Until next time...

Be faith-filled,fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken