Staying in good shape is a must, but it can be more than frustrating when your gym routine starts to interfere with your beauty routine. If one thing ruins the other, what's the point?

More specifically, few things are more irritating than getting a great professional blowout and then having your hair literally melt on top of your head while you exercise afterward.

A lot of women have a tendency to skip their workout all together because they get tired of ruining their styled hair as a direct result of participating in it. That's just not necessary.

You can take good care of your overall health and still actively participate in good hair care practice without sacrificing your style. You just have to learn how to go about it the right way.

Below are several tips to help you maintain your fitness plan and still sport your great hair!

1. Don’t Use More Hair Products Than You Need To

A lot of people have a tendency to use a ton of products in their hair, even immediately after a professional blowout. The truth of the matter is that you really don't have to do this and if you plan on working out, this should be the last thing you consider doing.

The more products that you put in your hair, the more opportunities you are giving it for everything to turn into a murky mess of goo when you sweat.

Your best option is to use only the products that are absolutely necessary in order to maintain the health of your hair.

Furthermore, you should keep any products that you use away from the roots of your hair, applying them only from the mid-shaft down toward the ends of your hair.

After you apply the product, make sure to comb your hair out thoroughly. That way, your hair can absorb what it needs without leaving a lot of extra residue.

This will help you maintain healthy hair that looks great when you are pushing it at the gym.

2. Braid Your Hair Loosely

Next, you will want to braid your hair loosely. This is an effective technique for maintaining a blowout both while you are exercising and sleeping.

The idea is to keep as much of the hair as possible away from the scalp while maintaining some type of loose shape that can then be easily combed through when you wake up or when you finish with your exercise routine.

The braids work especially well in both cases. The best way to do it is to part your hair down the middle and then braid each side, almost as if you were creating pigtails.

If you can't handle that look, you can always take the braids and pull them back into an updo.

As far as sleeping goes, it really shouldn't matter because you will be asleep the whole time and you will take your hair out of the braids as soon as you wake up anyway.

3. Use Headbands and Elastic Hair Ties

When you put your hair up in braids, be sure to use elastic hair ties that won't damage your hair. Refrain from using anything that has metal in it, opting instead for the hair ties that are made into a singular piece of elastic.

These are much gentler on your hair and can help you prevent breaking some of the strands off as a direct result of putting a hair tie with a metal band around it into your hair.

The headband should be used when you are exercising because it helps keep a lot of the sweat away from your hair and it keeps hair out of your face while you are working out without forcing you to use some type of product in order to achieve that result.

In addition, don't forget to include a shower cap in your gym bag so you can shower without getting your hair wet after your workout is finished.

4. Don’t Be Afraid Of Dry Shampoo

If you want to maintain a professional blowout and stay fit at the same time, dry shampoo should become your new best friend. Don't be afraid to use it after every workout.

In fact, it is virtually essential. Since you can't wash your hair, touch up the areas that are sweaty with dry shampoo and then use a blow dryer and comb to get your hair back to its original state.

This will also whisk away any sweat and associated odor that might have accumulated on your scalp. Before you know it, dry shampoo can easily become such an important tool in your gym bag that you'll using it when you aren't working out between styling sessions.

It is a great way to keep your hair looking great and to keep it fresh without being forced to wash it on a daily basis.

5. Care For Your Hair After Your Workout

As you can see, you can still practice your gym routine without making a mess out of your hair, even when you just got a professional blowout the day before. Knowing that you don't have to sacrifice fitness or style in order to achieve your desired results should empower you.

Go get the blowout you have been wanting without feeling like you have to keep yourself inside a climate-controlled building and refrain from participating in any type of physical activity for the next several days.

That simply isn't practical, so having the ability to quickly restyle your hair and maintain that look over the course of several days is obviously very important.

By using the techniques listed here, you can do exactly that. The best part is that you can do it all without spending a lot of extra time dealing with your hair.

It only takes a few minutes to pull your hair back into a loose braid and it doesn't take any longer to apply a little dry shampoo and use a hair dryer for just a few minutes.

Ultimately, it gives you the chance to achieve a good level of physical fitness and look great while you are doing it, something that anyone can relate to and would like to be able to do.