Well and Good

8 sneaky tricks to pretty post-workout hair—no shower required

In a perfect world, no workout would come without a luxurious shower, and a gorgeous blowout. But since everyone is trying to save time with a quickie cleanup before dashing back to the office, or save their hair by washing it less, some shortcuts are in order.

Enter hairstylist Hans Van Doornik of Maxine Salon in Chicago, who has styled hair at New York Fashion Week and the Academy Awards. He’s also a regular in the gym, he regularly witnesses common mistakes women make with their workout-hair routine.

“Obviously, if you’re doing something like Bikram, your hair is going to be completely soaked,” he says. “But there are things you can do to maintain your hairstyle or that blowout.”

Get all of Van Doornik’s hair-saving secrets below, so you can slip back to the office without anyone ever knowing you just got your sweat on. —Jamie McKillop

1. Apply dry shampoo before. Yes, dry shampoo is great for after a workout to absorb oils and sweat, but it will have even more power if you use it before, too. “That way, it absorbs as you go,” he says.

2. Don’t pull too tight. When you put your hair up, you obviously want it tight enough to stay put. Put pulling too tight can create other problems. “You’re going to create a crease, and it won’t have that lived-in feel when you take it down,” Van Doornik says. “It will have more of an odd shape.” Try fastening the hair tie the minimum amount of times for your hair to stay up.

3. Use a soft elastic band. “They’re less likely to leave a dent in the hair,” Van Doornik says.

4. Make a chignon, AKA the chic French way of saying a twisted ballerina bun. “You can still have that ponytail base, but you’re setting the hair when you work out, so that when you take it down it will have more of a style to it,” he explains. “And put it on the top of the head for added volume.”

5. Wear a sweatband. For the sake of good hair, you might just have to bring back the ’80s. “It looks a little corny, but if you wear a sweatband around the hairline, it helps keep your hair dry,” he says.

6. Use a blowdryer. Even if you don’t have time to do your hair from scratch, you can still use a blowdryer on your hair to dry the sweat. It might sound a little gross, but “it creates a purifying effect,” says Van Doornik. Or it just blends your damp hair right back in with the rest.

7. Mind your brush. Your hair gets extra tangly with sweat in it, but he advises against combing after a workout. “Use a brush with boar bristles, like a Mason Pearson,” he suggests. “That will keep it from frizzing up.”

8. Use a UV protectant. If you’re running outside or hitting outdoor bootcamp, protect your skin and apply a sun protectant to your hair. “It will prevent color damage,” he says. “You can make your own spray with 200 ml rosewater and one tablespoon grapeseed oil.” Just shake and keep refrigerated.

For more information, visit www.maxinesalon.com