How to Wear Your Hair for Running a Marathon

My hair is straight, thick, and heavy. When I run, it always droops down and sticks to the sweat on my neck—even when I use the strongest elastic. That’s why when it came to deciding what to do with my hair for my first-ever marathon, I felt stumped.

“Why don’t you wear it in two braids?” celebrity hair stylist Justine Marjan suggested when I brought up my dilemma to her at a recent ghd event. “That would be so cute!” I agreed, then realized it would also be practical. With my hair tightly french braided against my scalp, I wouldn’t have to worry about constantly adjusting a ponytail. Hair would be kept off my face and neck—and I’d easily be able to wear a visor around the braids to add extra sun protection. All I needed to figure out was how to make sure the braids didn’t unravel or become frizzy with flyaways with all the sweat and bouncing around.

You’d think I’d reach for a strong hold hairspray, but instead I opted for Ouai’s Leave-In Conditioner. I’ve long been a fan of this formula because of how sleek and shiny it makes my hair look. I usually use it the day after sleeping on a blowout to refresh the styling, for smoothing down baby hairs and frizz, or when I want to go for a wet, slicked look. I figured if I were going to style my hair for the race, I may as well do it with a product that nourishes my thirsty strands. The delicious-smelling spray-on conditioner includes hydrating ingredients like Vitamin E, tamarind seed extract, and a blend of amino acids to strengthen hair.

Ouai Leave-In Conditioner

sephora.com
$26.00

I made sure to style my hair the night before the marathon so I could just get up and go at 4AM(!) in the morning. I divided my hair into two sections and sprayed the Leave-In Conditioner all over my hair until it was a bit damp. This made it easy to maneuver the sections of my hair and get a tight, slick finish. I secured both braids with a clear elastic, then made sure to sleep on a silk pillowcase so the style would be preserved overnight.

I didn’t have to think at all about my hair until I got home and unraveled them. Because I opted for leave-in conditioner as opposed to gel, mousse, or spray, my hair felt unbelievably soft and touchable when I let it down. No crunch. No stickiness. No heaviness. On the course, my hair stayed comfortably put and out of the way throughout all 26.2 miles. It doesn’t hurt that they did, indeed, look cute in all the pictures too.

Kristina Rodulfo