Black TikTok Creators Have Cracked the Code on Keeping Their Hair Looking Great While Working Out

Black women on TikTok have found a solution to the age-old problem of maintaining their hair and a consistent workout routine without compromising their edges or their body goals. Now they’re sharing their top tips with their followers online.

Black TikTok is flooded with videos from creators who have figured out how to protect their hair and scalp from sweat and keep their styles looking fresh. They even have a name for it – “Pilates hair” – because the styles are often worn for a sweaty, hot Pilates class guaranteed to mess up your leave-out. But even if you prefer spinning or kickboxing, these styles can also be used for regular gym sessions or any workout that might cause your edges to curl and your roots to puff up.

If the idea of sweating out your silk press or having your updo come undone is keeping you from your regular workout sessions, we’ve rounded up some of the top tips to help you keep your hair looking great.

The Bun Method

Lifestyle influencer Jaz Turner just had to put her followers on when she discovered how to keep her hair intact, exclaiming that she had “cracked the code.”

Turner gathered her hair into a bun with a thick, oversized scrunchie to keep her locks out of her face and placed a wig band on her edges and a grippy, moisture-wicking headband on top of it.

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Leaving her viewers with one final tip, Turner added: “You want to make sure you let your hair sit for at least 30 minutes—ideally, two hours. If anything, you’re going to come out looking like you had a fresh blowout.”

The Ponytail Method

If you’re someone who sweats from your scalp and your forehead, there’s another foolproof method for you, too. Beauty creator Arabella (@Arabella_vh) managed to keep her silk press intact by parting her hair into two ponytails.

Splitting her silky-smooth locks right down the middle, Arabella twisted her ponytails and tied them into two small buns at the top of her head before laying her edges down with a scarf.

After her Pilates class, Arabella patted her scalp dry, then, when she got home, dried it further with a blow-dryer on the cool setting. As evidenced by her video, her silk press remained laid. The key is making sure your hair is as dry as possible before you take it down.

A Much Needed Product

Tying your hair back is definitely helpful, but another creator, @Byaudraa, had to give a shoutout to a product that helped her hair stop frizzing during her class.

“I did my first hot Pilates class yesterday, as a straight natural, and the only thing that reverted was like an inch of my roots, just at the front. Everything else in the middle of my head was completely straight,” she said. “My hair is fine. It’s perfect, and that’s because I use Color Wow. You should be using Color Wow in your routine anyway.”

Ending her video, Audra added that in her next class she would make sure to secure her edges with a sweatband, but Color Wow was enough to make her hair look just as good as it did the day she got it done.

Now that you know the methods and products that will keep your hair intact even after a hard workout, you no longer need to sacrifice your edges or your summer body—you can have the best of both worlds.