Mini braids are by far the very best thing for working out with afro textured hair. Every once in a while I like to work out like this:

But a fro ain’t practical. Even with mini braids, I have to secure the hair somehow so I don’t have braids flying in my eyes. Here are the styles that I find best for a variety of exercise routines…

1. Yoga Goddess (this works for Pilates too)

i need to work on my form

Namaste ladies, may your day be filled with delight. Yoga hairstyles have always been tricky to me. You need to keep the hair out of your face, but you can’t put it up due to inverted poses. Solution- the low ponytail or braid. Pull your hair all the way back (all the way, ALL the way back) so it’s just at the nape of your neck. Your hair should rest in the curve of your neck when you are lying on your back. (I realize I’m anal retentive about this but I don’t like anything impeding my quest for perfect yoga posture.) Secure the hair in a ponytail holder or loosely braid the hair and secure at the end with a small ponytail holder. Use a thin, stretchy headband or some bobby pins to tuck away short braids. You’ll be doing crow poses and peacocks like a bald-headed yogi in no time.

2. Cardio Queen

You love to kickbox, jump rope, and do burpees till you feel like dying, huh? Well here’s a way to style your braids while you sweat your heart out. Look through your “I love the 80s” attire and pull out that sweat band. Put the headband on and pull it down to your neck. Put your hair in a bun or a ponytail if you’re feeling sassy. Slide the sweatband up to your hairline. It’s functional and practical. *sings* 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 and get that body tight and…remember when Kanye used to be good, le sigh…

3. Running (okay, I can’t think of anything but you conquer running)

Running is pretty peaceful and somewhat low impact if you’re conditioned. Sometimes I love to feel the flap, flap, flap rhythm of hair against my neck. It’s like a trance, lol. For those days, I use a thin headband, double loop it, and slide it up about an inch or two from my hairline. My bangs stay out of my face and my scalp gets to fell the air as I run. When I don’t feel like having the hair on my neck, I tie my hair loosely in a topknot.

4. Strength Training 

Le Trusty Bun. A bun will keep all hair out of the way of equipment. Tuck in stray braids. Place the bun high on your head so your head can lie flat on the bench. Use bobby pins to secure the short braids that don’t quite make it into the bun. If using a weight machine with moving parts, make sure your hair is very securely out of the way of the equipment.

5. Swimming Sister 

Just let it all hang out. The water snatches everything (headbands, ponytail holders, bobby pins) out of my hair. Forward momentum keeps the hair out of my eyes and I’ll bet it works out that way for you too. Besides, there’s nothing like coming out of the water like Bo Derek.