Save Your ‘Do: Nicole Ari Parker’s GymWrap

Oh, my fellow curly haired sisters...my sista girls who fear the sweat that ruins the 'do. I feel your pain. I have tight curly hair that I like straightening from time to time, but I work out almost every day—which means I either have to keep blow drying and straightening every night or I have to forgo the gym. Just writing that makes my butt twitch. I know it happens though...a lot, actually. The Surgeon General DID say that women have to stop using their hair as an excuse not to exercise. The SG apparently doesn't have a fro like moi. A lot of my gal pals with weaves, perms—basically any hair style that is allergic to sweat—complain to me about the dilemma of working out and the hairy consequences. A lot of us gals can't wash our hair every day unless we don't mind dry, brittle coifs, so we forgo the runs and push-ups. Because of this stress, I was more than happy to try out actress Nicole Ari Parker's GymWrap. She was on the right path. Her headband boasts a revolutionary (patent-pending) Edge Control Technology that minimizes the sweat absorption into one's hair through a unique blend of material that allows heat to escape while letting cool air in. Basically, it promises to wick much like our workout clothes do. My first reaction: Are you kidding me?! Had this angelic woman actually created a contraption that could end the hair/workout excuses for good?! I was more than happy to test one out. So one day, I straightened my hair, and then I put on the headband. I felt like a bad arse for sure. First, I couldn't get the darn thing to stay on my head. I decided to take a cardio weight class to ensure I'd sweat. I had to stop jump-roping three times to retie the darn thing. One perk of the headband, no matter how tight you tie it, it will not hurt your noggin. After the class, I raced to the locker room to see if it had worked.   Don't know if you can tell or not but that's mad curly rat's nest on my head. It didn't work! Oh, the agony! I swear I'm not a sweaty beast. It takes me awhile to even work up a sweat, but even with my wussy sweat glands I was still able to sweat out my hair. You don't know how sad I was. At the very most, it keeps the sweat off of your forehead and it's mad comfortable to wear, but don't think you can visit the salon and then head straight to the gym. It retails for $24.95 ($29.95 for the Full Triangle version) which isn't bad if you're looking for a comfortable sweat band. Can you tell I'm bummed though? I promise on my fit bottom that I WILL find a product that actually keeps my 'do in tact. Promise! Does your hair keep you from working out? Found anything that helps? Let's discuss! —Tish