Our Hair is Killing Us
We are letting our hair kill us:
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – About a third of black women cite complications of hair care as the reason they do not exercise or exercise less than they would like, according to Amy J. McMichael, M.D., the lead investigator of a study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
McMichael, associate professor of dermatology, specializes in hair and scalp diseases, ethnic and pigmented skin diseases, and general dermatology and skin care. “I see a lot of African American women in our clinic and had noticed how many of them are overweight. This puts these women at risk for hypertension, diabetes and other serious problems.”
In fact studies show that 77 percent of black women are overweight or obese, McMichael said. “I thought it would be interesting to look at what role their hair plays in their amount of exercise. Many African American women with coarser hair use either heat straighteners or chemical products to straighten their hair. Depending on how coarse or fragile their hair is, they can’t just wash their hair after exercise without having to go through the whole process again, and that can take hours. Over-washing fragile hair can make it break off easily.”McMichael and the team of investigators from the Department of Dermatology, the Division of Public Health Sciences, and the medical school interviewed 103 black women about how much and what types of exercise they do, and the time, expense and complications of caring for their hair. Sixty-four of the respondents had relaxed their hair by various means.
All of the respondents believed it was important for them to exercise. And 50 percent stated that they considered changing their hair to make it easier to exercise.
To read the rest of the article click on “Dermatologic Barriers to Exercise in Black Women” in the left sidebar under “Articles.”
I’m not unsympathetic to the hair issue. But I will readily admit I don’t understand it. When I had hair I still exercised and exercised hard. I never allowed my hair to stop me from working out, but then again I rarely went to the beauty salon either, unless it was to get a relaxer. So, I rarely had a hairstyle I had to “protect.” I’ve talked hair on this blog before, but as the study notes there are no easy solutions. If you have straightened or relaxed hair, you’re gonna sweat it out. There’s no way around that if you’re working as hard as you should work.
To those who navigate their workouts and their hair, how do you do it?
I’ve worn my hair in every conceivable style: long natural, short natural, shaved, dreadlocks, braids, straightened and it has never stopped me from doing anything. e.g. when I was in Barbados at Christmas, I went to the beach almost every day for three week and that never caused my straightened hair any problems. I simply rinsed out the salt water when I got home (although if it was dry by the time I got home I would just leave it), applied a leave-in conditioner and let the hair air dry. I will admit though that a shaved head (which as of yesterday,I now have once again), is the easiest of all the styles because I don’t have to spend any time on it or any money on shampoo or conditioner … I found dreadlocks the most burdensome.
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Welcome to the shaved head club (again) Nona! Yeah, I let mine grow in here and there so I keep the shampoo around but it lasts much longer…lol.
I worked out when I was permed. I NEVER thought my hair was so serious that my health should suffer. Now that I’m a (proud) dreadhead, it’s even better. Come home from the gym, rinse or shampoo whenever I want, and that’s it.
I agree that we limit/compormise ourselves too much because of our hair. This is why I initiated going-natural.com and America’s Next Natural Model. You can read more here: going-natural.com
I keep my hair relaxed but I also workout 6 days a week. I now have a routine down that keeps my hair healthy and growing. I do a co-wash after sweaty cardio, condition and throw it back into a bun. I do a full wash every week. It isn’t the sexiest look but it keeps the hair on my head and the weight off my hips. I will wear my hair “down” but only when I have something special going on.
meaning they dont want to sweat out that new do…
First, I want to say that I happened to learn about this site while reading an article in Heart and Soul magazine. When I saw that it was started by a southern girl who needed to break the cycle of ‘southern eating’ I knew I had to check it out. I struggle with my weight and after a long discussion with my sister about the ‘science’ behind it all and we wanted to test it out. I just decided a few weeks ago that I am going to monitor more what I eat, opt for a 2000 calorie a day diet and just eat healthier while exercising daily atleast 30 minutes. I have lose 3 pounds in two weeks just from doing that. There’s no going back now!I will visit regularly for tips and blogging updates.
I also wanted to add that I just decided to go natural, something I have not been since I was 12. It really has nothing to do with exercise though. I exercise regardless, its just something I have to do.
Can I ask why you decided to go natural? Just curious as to what motivate women to go natural. See my site http://going-natural.com and you’ll understand why.
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Because this is so far after the initial post, perhaps no one will ever see this comment but I thought I’d try. I do not have a relaxer and have not had one since April of 07. The straight ends are long gone (I had my big chop in February of 08). Last summer, the workout routine was easy. Go hard, sweat, hit my hair with some water and conditioner, put it up with the product of the moment, walk by the dryer in the locker room, and head to my office. Yes I pretty much air dried (so not professional). Once a week, I washed with shampoo. I also swam whenever I felt like it. Neither me nor my hair are afraid of water. The cooler months are actually more difficult because you couldnt pay me to have my ears and neck out when it’s less than 40 degrees outside. So I flat iron. I’ve never been a heat everyday kinda girl so one flat ironing has to last a week. That means I tie my hair down tight before I work out and then untie it after it dries. It works. My roots get wavy as the week goes on but so what. Hair should accentuate your look not prevent you from getting your best look. Meaning if your hair ever prevents you from doing something active (from walking to dancing to swimming to even having sex) then it is preventing you from looking your best.
I could have saved you pencilnecks a lot of time and money if you just read my blog! I wrote about this same thing over a year ago!