Hair after the gym: five everyday habits that damage your hair

Most hair damage is not dramatic. It is small, repeated and accidental, and it builds up between your workout and the rest of your day.

One: the tight ponytail on wet hair

Wet hair stretches. If you pull it tight, it stays stretched and then breaks where the hair band sits. If you need to tie it, tie it loosely and low, with a fabric band instead of an elastic one.

Two: the rushed blow-dry

Drying fast means more heat, and heat on very wet hair makes steam push its way out through the outer layer of the hair. Use a towel first until your hair is damp, then dry it. It takes less time overall.

Three: letting sweat dry in your hair

Sweat contains salt, and salt dries out hair. If you do not rinse it out, it stays on your hair all day. A rinse is better than nothing, and a rinse plus a leave-in treatment is even better.

Four: the towel

Rubbing wet hair with a normal towel roughens it when it is most fragile. Squeeze your hair instead of rubbing it, and use a microfibre towel if you have one.

Five: rubbing all day

Collars, bag straps, headphones. You cannot avoid them, but smooth hair handles rubbing much better than rough hair. That is why it helps to apply a leave-in treatment in the morning rather than the evening.

The thirty-second version

Rinse your hair, squeeze it until it is damp, spread one 1 ml capsule through the lengths and ends, dry it, and go. It takes about as long as finding your shoes. Ellips Hair Vitamin is a cosmetic leave-in treatment: it conditions and smooths hair, and helps protect it from damage caused by heat and brushing.