Sport and long hair don’t always mix. Many female runners complain that their hair gets tangled up in a mess of knots after a run. It takes forever to comb it out, often leaving you with hands full of damaged hair. Modern Athlete spoke to Pieter van Wyk, professional stylist at Dave & Johan, part of HARINGTONS? Hairdressing London, for some advice on how runners can make sure their ponytails don’t get in the way of a good run
As we all know, the outdoors and the elements affect our hair. Pieter van Wyk explains that to solve the problem of knotty hair after a run, you have to take some measures before and after your run. He gave us a list of dos and don’ts to help us keep our locks sleek and knot-free. • When tying up your hair before a run (whether it is curly, straight, long or medium length), use a soft cotton elastic. Stay away from rubber or thin ballerina elastics.
• After tying up your hair, take your fingers and spiral your hair tightly to the end and roll the hair around the base of the ponytail, almost making a small bun, then secure with a small pin or second elastic at the base.
• To add style, take a broad soft hairband and tie it around the bun as though you were tying a bunch of roses at the base. You can also wear a hairband or sweatband to secure your hair around the face.
• After a run, remove the hairband and pin/elastic to loosen the bun. Shake the hair loose and immediately rinse it, lightly shampoo and condition.
• Use a salon professional shampoo and conditioner with an antioxidant such as vitamin E or grape seed extract and a moisturiser which contains jojoba oil, avocado oil and vitamin B6. This will cleanse and soften your hair after exposure to the sun and other elements. Whilst conditioning, comb the hair with a wide-toothed comb and rinse thoroughly.
• Before drying your hair, apply a salon professional leave-in styling cream with a detangling action and humidity protection, comb out with a wide-toothed comb, then finger dry or blow wave your hair.
