Today, I’ll be talking about exercising for better hair growth, and I’ll mention a great incentive I use to help me with my exercise goals.
I’ll also share how I make my DIY post-workout spritz which I use after exercise to deal with sweat in my Sisterlocks and on my scalp – and to add fragrance.
And keep reading to find out how I keep myself motivated to achieve my daily exercise goals…
Benefits of exercise
Exercise provides us with a stack of benefits.
It helps to:
- Control and/or lose weight
- Reduce the risk of heart disease
- Promote a strong hair growth cycle
- Increase the body temperature – which in turn:
- Increases blood flow to the scalp
- Promotes blood circulation around the scalp
- Encourages better hair growth
Weight-bearing exercises
Weight-bearing exercise is one of the main ways to reduce osteoporosis (a health condition that weakens the bones and makes them more likely to break).
Women are more at risk of osteoporosis, especially over the age of 50.
Warnings!!:
- Seek medical advice if you’re new to exercise or doing different types of exercises, particularly cardiovascular exercises like running or high intensity interval training (HIIT).
- Watch my video to see snippets of some of my favourite exercises and workouts to show what I do for hair and body health. The exercises aren’t a full exercise routine and should not be taken as instructional exercises as I’m not a qualified instructor. As with any exercise, I did a full warm up to start and ended with a warm down and stretch.
My new Fitbit Inspire HR
This is my secret weapon and ally! Among other things, it monitors my activity levels, type of exercise, sleep, heart rate and step count. I have just upgraded to this after using the Fitbit Alta for 4 years.
It’s my little motivational hack, that reminds me to move and to hit (and often exceed) the recommended daily target of 10,000 steps.
Post-workout spritz
I work out almost daily and would like nothing more than to wash my hair every day, but it isn’t something that’s recommended for Sisterlocks, so here is my solution.
I make and use a post-workout spritz using a blend of essential oils spritz! Essential oils are a concentrated form of plant extracts that impart many health benefits – as well as keeping my Sisterlocks fragrant and moisturised.
Always use good quality oils. I’ve added links to my preferred essential oil brands.
The benefits:
- soothing and healing
- soothes dry skin conditions, such as eczema
- has antiseptic qualities.
The benefits:
- Can help to improve hair growth
- Can help to prevent some types of hair loss
- Imparts a fresh clean smell to the hair and scalp
Peppermint essential oil and hair growth
Here is a link to some medical research on the benefits of peppermint essential oil:
Peppermint Oil Promotes Hair Growth Without Toxic Signs
The research discusses the benefits of peppermint essential oil and mentions the effects, of some over-the-counter remedies that are used for hair growth).
The research covers the use of peppermint essential oil in an oil mix. I use peppermint oil in water as I find it works better. I used to prepare a post-workout hair freshener using peppermint essential oil in oil, but found that although it smelt divine, it was too heavy and added unnecessarily to the oil load on my Sisterlocks. PLUS, the combination of oil plus sweat was too heavy. Oil plus sweat equals a sticky mess!
How I make my post-workout spritz to restore sweaty Sisterlocks and relieve my scalp
- Cooled boiled water – 1 cup (or even better, distilled water, if you have it)
- 10 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 10 drops of lavender essential oil
- Shake and spray the spritz on your hair after your workout
If using a smaller spritz bottle – e.g. a bottle that has a half a cup capacity, reduce the essential oil amounts by half.
Remember to store the spritz in the fridge – it’ll be good for up to 3 months.
Let me know how you get on if you try the spritz for yourself and what your exercise routine looks like.
