Olympic Fencer Nzingha Prescod Explains Her ‘Tug and Go’ Hair Routine

Nzingha Prescod’s accomplishments are impressive, to say the least. The 23-year-old is ranked as the 10th best fencer in the world in addition to being the first black woman to individually medal at the Senior World Championship and the Olympics.   

As it turns out, the burgeoning sports star isn’t just a favorite amongst her peers. The Brooklyn native is also a source of natural hair inspiration with blonde-tinged curls that stand out during competitions. Last week, the history-maker got real about maintaining a daily hair routine with such a busy schedule.  

“I’m super-minimalist about my hair. If it’s a normal day, I just tug my hair and go!,” she told Yahoo! Beauty.

Take a moment to read my piece on @jopwell about the impact fencing made on my life, and the inequalities I've noticed being from Brooklyn and growing up in the fencing world. Link in my bio!

A photo posted by Nzingha Prescod (@nzinghap) on Jul 18, 2016 at 1:22pm PDT

“Sometimes I add Cantu Leave-In Conditioner or the daily moisturizer. If I’m doing something more exciting, I do a twist-out with S-Curl and Cantu Leave-In Conditioner. For washing, I use Shea Moisture hibiscus products or Cantu products. I wash once a week and sometimes co-wash when I feel like my hair is drying out.” 

"The trick is to be grateful when your mood is high and graceful when it's low." ✨#wisewordsoftheday #rio2016 🇺🇸

A photo posted by Nzingha Prescod (@nzinghap) on May 2, 2016 at 9:36am PDT

Besides “praying for the best” while wearing her Velcro fencing mask, Nzingha likes pinning her hair to the side during matches. Outside of those constricting circumstances, a lot of maintenance is required while caring for her color-treated curls. 

“I don’t think there are any tricks but to moisturize every day,” she said. “I use argan oil a lot. And deep condition often! Also, try to limit heat.” 

No more excuses ladies! You can be active and still rock gorgeous natural hair.