PushUP24: Shower Tips for Runners

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Vagisil. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hello! Today I’m working with Vagisil to share some tips on keeping your body healthy and balanced after workouts or runs. If you are addicted to working out or running you are probably getting sweaty several times a week. That’s good!!

But, I know some of you who run after school or work take more than one shower a day and that can cause skin issues or other problems. So, let’s chat about some shower tips for runners…

1. Gym Run Hair:

This is the biggest complaint for most runners – “My hair gets super sweaty and I have to wash it everyday!”

But we have all been told again and again that we’re not supposed to wash our hair everyday because if you do it’s a huge disappointment to your family and 2nd grade teacher and the sky will fall and everyone will know it was because YOU WASH YOUR HAIR EVERYDAY. Way to go.

How to avoid washing your hair everyday:

– Put it up in a way that stays put and doesn’t collect extra sweat from your shoulders. This depends on your hair so try a few different ways until you find what works for you. Pin back any hair that will get stuck to your face or neck.

– Leave some room on your head for sweat to get out. Don’t make a super tight pony tail or bun that’s glued to your head. Use a strong rubberband to hold your hair but push it and pull the base of the ponytail a little to loosen it off your head.

– Once you’re done running take it down and dab any extra sweat off. Then, put it in a cap while you shower.

– Out of the shower dry any remaining wet areas again. Let it dry fully and uses dry shampoo. Style as usual.

I realize this might not work for 12 miles in Florida in June but this can work for shorter runs and more often in the winter. But if you are a 100% ‘wash your hair everyday’ girl try it once with these tips and see if it works. Now that I’ve figured out what works for my hair it’s so much easier to skip a few days a week.

2. Use a mild body wash – and a special wash for sensitive areas.

If you are running, sweating, slathering on sunblock and body glide, chafing and showering all the time you might want to consider a body wash that is easy on your skin and doesn’t irritate it or dry it out.

The skin around your feminine area is the most sensitive on your body which is why Vagisil is a good idea to use if you tend to have sensitive skin.

Wearing non-breathable underwear or tight clothing (ahem, running shorts) can promote the unwanted buildup of moisture that can mess up pH balance in the Vagina – the #1 cause of yeast infections, BV, and other irritation. Vagisil is specially formulated to be pH balanced and gentle to keep that area of your body healthy.

Aside from that, wearing non-breathable underwear or tight clothing (ahem, running shorts) can promote the unwanted buildup of moisture that can disturb the pH balance in the Vagina – the #1 cause of yeast infections, BV, and other irritation. But honestly, ANYTHING can throw off your pH balance, such as running, working out, pregnancy, your period…even sex! That’s why it can be a good idea to use thepH balance wash while you’re in the shower on top of any other specialized shower products you use to bring balance to your life.

Vagisil pH wash is the ONLY wash with Lactoprebiotic that is clinically proven to help women maintain a healthy pH to feel confident and clean all day. It is designed to cleanse, protect and maintain the health of your most intimate area. The skin around your feminine area is the most sensitive and delicate part of your body and actually has the special sweat glands that are different from those found in most other regions of your body. I had no idea!

Tip: If you have chafe burns on other parts of your body you might want to consider washing them out with an unscented soap to cut down on stinging. Keeping the shower on the colder side can help soothe cuts too, but I’m not brave enough for that!

3. Check your feet:

Now that they’re nice and clean (post shower) check your feet for blisters, chafing and in-grown or bruised toenails.

It’s important to keep your toenails trimmed and even to help avoid them constantly bumping the front of your running shoes and eventually turning black and even possibly falling off!

If you squeeze your toe around the nail and it hurts on one side that might be the sign of an ingrown nail starting to dig into your skin. Make sure it’s trimmed and not growing into your skin. You can soak it and try to loosen the nail and encourage it to grown straight or do what I do and see a professional.

If you always get a blister in one certain area consider changing up your socks or shoes. Don’t pick at it, but relieve the pressure if necessary and then let it heal.

Don’t scrub your feet down to the bone either – some calluses or rough patches might be protecting your feet from getting blisters and making the skin too soft and bare can give you problems. This is why it’s important to KNOW YOUR BODY.

Do a quick head to toe check once or twice a week and check for any reoccurring chafing, redness or skin irritations.