• Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

Real Talk: Are You Choosing Hair Over Health?

Are you letting your hair maintenance stop you from getting healthy?
Real Talk: Are You Choosing Hair Over Health?
By · Updated October 28, 2020
Do you let fear from messing up your hair keep you from working out?
 
Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin believes that Black women’s concern for their hair may be one of the reasons we have the highest rates — four out of five — of being overweight or obese compared to other groups in the U.S.
 
“Often times you get women saying, ‘I can’t exercise today because I don’t want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet,’” Benjamin told an audience at the annual Bronner Brothers International Hair Show. “When you’re starting to exercise, you look for reasons not to and sometimes the hair is one of those reasons.”
 
Benjamin has taken a lot of flak for her remarks, especially from guys (and others) who just don’t get it. But hair maintenance is a “big” issue, especially for Black women. For many, our hair is considered our “crowning glory” and we head to the salon in droves to get our hair styled and maintained. And what some don’t realize is the sweat that comes from a good workout can undo those efforts.
 
“It costs me $80 to get my hair pressed, and it only lasts until I sweat it even with a headband or a ponytail,” wrote a Gawker.com commenter in response to a story about this topic. “When I get my hair [done], it means I’m not working out for 4-5 days. I do not have money to throw away like that.”
 
The overly-simplistic solutions are ‘Well, do your own hair!’ or “Wear it natural!”

The former doesn’t take into account the time investment in doing and re-doing our hair or the damage that will be done from all the heat and re-heating. The latter doesn’t recognize that a fluffy twist out deflates during a thirty-minute run, a Zumba class, or a Pilates session. For most, there’s also no such thing as washing your hair at the gym post-work out, blowing it dry in the locker room and being on your merry way at your prime — unless you have a couple hours to spare. And neither “solution” acknowledges that most Black women don’t wash their hair daily and funky-hair for a week is not an option.
 
Unless we’re all rocking Caesars, or locs and an exceptional scarf that keeps the frizzies at bay, we have a very real maintenance problem. So how do we fix it?
 
Sacrifice.
 
If we have to choose between our health and our hair, there’s only one sensible choice. I believe in looking good like it’s a second religion, but there are times — about four days a week — that I forgo keeping my hair done-done so I can hit the gym. My hair may not be at its best every day, but I find solace in knowing my health is on its way there.
 
Looking good extends to our hair and our bodies. We can’t forget about one to totally focus on the other. And we can’t be all the way fly, even with our hair done, if we’re unhealthy.
 
Demetria L. Lucas is the Relationships Editor at ESSENCE and the author of “A Belle in Brooklyn: The Go-to Girl for Advice on Living Your Best Single Life” (Atria) in stores now. She has recently been nominated for an African American Literary Award. Vote for her now on literaryawardshow.com.
 

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now