Tuesday Topics: Protecting my hair and skin during Summer running

I like Summer.  But, I like it when it isn’t 90 degrees.  I also dislike the humidity.  I prefer 70s weather.  At my age, the hot weather affects me a lot more.  Sometimes I prefer running in the Summer than in the Winter.  

During the Summer I protect my hair and skin to reduce the risk of damage.  Some of these things I also do in the Winter.

• I run early in the day.  The earlier the better.  The sun isn’t as strong during the wee hours of the day.  I like to be out by 6am and sometimes even at that time it is already too hot.

• I use sun protection.  I admit that I didn’t always use sun protection.  I was lazy about it.  Now I won’t go out without it.  I use a spray bottle for my legs and arms and a stick for my face.  

• I wear moisture wicking clothes.  I sweat a lot when I run.  I want to be comfortable and not feel wet.  Moisture wicking clothes keep moisture away from the skin and dry quickly.  This also helps with not chafing.  Chafing is the worst!

• I wear a hat.  As you can see from the photo above, I didn’t always wear a hat.  Now I make sure to always wear one on my runs.  

• I use a deep conditioner on my hair.  I don’t do this all of the time, but once or twice a week I put deep conditioner or leave-in conditioner on my hair.  I don’t wash my hair everyday and doing this feels like I am still washing it and removing the sweat from my hair.