Should You Workout After Putting Pomade in Your Hair?

A lot of guys who put a lot of effort into styling their hair each day go out of their way to avoid activities that would interfere with the style they have achieved.  But one activity that really cannot be avoided is working out, since exercise is an essential component to one’s health.

So, once you’ve put the perfect amount of pomade into your hair, will an exercise routine ruin it?  Let’s find out.  As you will see, it depends on a few different factors.

It Depends on the Type of Pomade

Sweat is more likely to break down a water-based pomade than a clay or wax-based formula.  Further, the stronger the pomade’s hold, the less likely it is that working out is going to interfere with your style.

It Depends on Your Hairstyle

If you’re using pomade to give yourself some laid back tousled waves, then working out will be less likely to disrupt the look you’ve pulled off.  If you’re using pomade for a more intricate or complex hairstyle, it’s more likely that it will get messed up during the workout process, not just because of the pomade getting weaker as the scalp sweats, but because of how much you’ll be moving around during your exercise.

It Depends on the Workout

Lifting weights, for instance, won’t have that big of an impact on your hairstyle, or the pomade that is in your hair.  But, doing an intensive HIIT routine, where you’re moving around very quickly and sweating a great deal, will be more likely to interfere.

It Depends on How Much You Sweat

Some guys just sweat more than others.  If you are the type of guy who doesn’t sweat all that much, consider yourself lucky, as you won’t have to worry as much about scalp sweat breaking down the pomade’s ability to keep your hair in place.  If you do sweat a lot when you exercise, you may want to hold off on the pomade until after you’re done.

It Depends on What You are Doing After Your Workout

It also depends on what you are planning to do after you’re done working out.  In other words, do you need to be somewhere where your appearance matters, like a date or at the office?  If so, you will care a lot more if your hair gets messed up while you are exercising.  If planning on going back home and watching TV, then you probably don’t need your hair to look perfect throughout your exercise.

It Depends on the Weather

Finally, the weather makes a difference.  For instance, if you’re a guy with curly, unruly hair who is using pomade to keep things in place, and it’s a humid day, you really need that pomade to work all day long, and so a workout could sabotage your hair’s needs.

The Ideal Way to Use Pomade as a Workout Enthusiast

If you’re able to, try not using pomade until after you’re done working out, assuming you have time in your schedule.  Ideally, you can work out in the morning, and then wash your hair and apply pomade.  The reason why washing is a good idea is because the sweat in the hair can interfere with the pomade’s ability to permeate the strands, causing it to sit on the surface rather than do its job.  Washing your hair after working out gives you a fresh and clean canvas to work on, where the pomade is more likely to stick.

Alternatively, you can work out as the last part of your day, so that even if your hair does get messed up, it does not matter, since you are going straight home to wash out your pomade anyway.

If you are working out midday, and need your hair to look its best, bring your pomade with you to work out, as well as a comb.  Once you are done exercising, reapply if necessary, and smooth the hair down with the comb as needed.

Overall, even the best pomade in the world may not do its job of keeping hair in place throughout the day during a particularly grueling workout, where sweat is dissolving the actual formula.  If you are able to, schedule your workout sessions so that you can wash your hair and apply pomade shortly after.  If not, just bring some pomade with you and apply more to your hair as desired once you’re done exerting yourself.