Your long hair can get in the way of a peaceful yoga session. If you are wondering what to do with your hair for yoga, we will share some beautiful styles to keep your hair out of the way of your asanas.
Yoga is a good exercise, which improves strength, balance, flexibility, helps with back pain relief, benefits heart health, and many more.
While doing yoga, apart from the asanas, you have to keep other things in mind as well. These include a good and calm place, yoga mat, yoga pants, yoga shorts and your hairstyle.
These ancillary things will help you do yoga very effectively, and you can get the best out of your yoga practice. You would be able to better concentrate on yoga practice and do all poses entirely without any errors.
Why Hair Style Matters During Yoga Or Exercise
It may sometimes happen that while doing yoga, if your hair are loosely tied they might come over your face, forehead or eyes.
This might obstruct your vision, hamper your concentration especially in case of balancing poses or twists and bends like the Forward Fold (Uttanasana), Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) or a Plank Pose (Phalakasana).
If you leave your hair open they might also mix with your sweat and stick to your skin, causing you to feel irritated.
If you are looking for manageable hairstyles that you can try while doing yoga, continue reading the article below.
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10 Best Hairstyles For Yoga That Go With All Hair Types?
We list below 10 effortless hair styles for your yoga sessions. These go with all hair types and are easy to make.
#1 Fishtail Braid
A fishtail braid is a great way to secure your hair while doing yoga or any other exercise.
For a fishtail, you have to make a ponytail, separate it from left and right, now move a small section from the left ponytail over right and similarly a small section from the right to the left side.
This style will hold your hair well and they will not fall on your face while practicing yoga. See the video below to learn how to make a fishtail braid.
#2 Double Braids
Double braids are easy to create and look clean too.
In a double braid style, hair is divided into two equal halves. Take one side first, and collect a small section and start braiding them.
Keep adding more hair to the braid as you go down. Repeat the same process on the other side.
You can follow the video below to see how to make beautiful double braids.
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#3 Two Braided Buns
Two braid buns or double braided buns are super cute and perfect for any exercise. They will secure your hair tightly and not one strand will fall on your face.
To make two braided buns, part your hair in two equal sections, and make two high ponytails. Now make a regular 3-strand braid out of each of the two ponytails. Lift each braid and twist it around, to make a bun. Secure the ends of your your braids using a booby pin.
You can follow the tutorial below to learn how to create double braided buns.
#4 Reverse French Braid
Reverse french braid is an elegant modification of the traditional french braid. In a reverse french braid, while doing yoga, your hair will be in its place and not interfere with your practice at all.
Instead of being inside like a regular french braid, it pops out giving you a nice chic look. It works best if you have medium-length hair.
To make a reverse french braid, take a small section of hair right at your hairline and divide it into three equal sections.
Start braiding your hair by crossing the right portion of hair under the middle portion of hair and then left portion under what is now the middle portion.
Now, start by adding almost 1/2 an inch thick new section of hair from the right side. Once you have added this section of hair, cross the entire right portion below the middle portion. Repeat the same process on the left hand side.
Continue working down till you have incorporated all of your hair on either the right or the left side.
You can also watch the video below to get a hang of how to make a reverse french braid.
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#5 Space Buns
Space buns are perfect for a session of hot yoga. Space buns keep your hair a little free, so I personally prefer this hairstyle.
If you have voluminous hair, this would be a great hair style for you. Also, it works well if your hair is dirty. Rather, it adds texture and allows your hair to stay in place if they haven’t been recently washed.
See the video below to learn how to make space buns.
#6 Topknot
Topknots are the cutest hairstyle. If you are exercising after shampooing, then go for this hairstyle.
This is best for people with short hair. A top knot will ensure that your hair will not come on your face especially while doing asanas like a downward facing dog.
Making a top knot is very simple. All you need to do is comb your hair backwards, away from your forehead and make a ponytail with the front section of your hair.
You can leave the hair on the sides down if their length is not long enough to tie them into the ponytail.
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#7 Perfect High Ponytail
High ponytail is an ideal hairstyle and never goes out of trend. It works well for both short as well as long hair.
A good ponytail will hold your hair back, and the most important thing about this is it requires less time and pins. Just a simple hairstyle, but it still looks fantastic.
A high ponytail looks best on hair that were washed the previous day. Before you start making your ponytail make sure you’ve combed your hair well and removed all knots.
To make a high ponytail simply gather all your hair at the back of your crown, nearly 3 inches above your neck and then secure them with a rubber band.
You might want to use a bit of serum of hair spray in case you have some stray hair that you’d like gather.
#8 Twisted Ponytails
If you want to try something new in ponytails, then try this. It’s simple and effective, and there is no hair damage while dressing your hair.
To make a twisted ponytail, tie your hair in a low ponytail, at your neck. Create a small hole, in the center, just above your hair tie.
Twist your ponytail up and push it through the hole you just created. Tighten the ponytail by pulling it up from both sides and you are done!
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#9 Bubble Ponytail
If you have more hair, go with bubble ponytails. A bubble ponytail will hold your hair backward and your hair won’t slip.
Making a bubble ponytail is quite simple and works best for long hair. To start with, simply tie your hair in a simple ponytail.
Then, use hair elastics to create smaller sections, around 1.5 inches apart, through out the length of your ponytail. These sections look like bubbles which gives this ponytail its name.
If you want to jazz up your look, you can watch the video below to learn how to make four different styles of bubble ponytail.
#10 Headbands or Scarves
You can wear a headband or scarf to keep your hair away from your forehead and eyes. Wearing a a hairband is quite simple and you can mix it up with any one of the above hairstyles.
Non-slip headbands are the best for all hair types. If you are someone who sweats a lot, you can also go for sweatbands. These will help in absorbing the sweat on your forehead and prevent it from dripping into your eyes.
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Answers To Some More Questions About Yoga And Hair
What hairstyle should I carry for a workout?
A firm, high-raised hairstyle is best for a workout. The idea is that your hair should not distract you while you exercise. They should also not get damaged by other conditions such as excessive sweating or hot temperature during hot yoga.
The easiest hairstyles include a ponytail or a bun. These styles need less time and effort, thus are perfect for early morning workout sessions.
Is it good to wear your hair down while practicing yoga?
Practicing yoga with your hair down, might not be a great idea, particularly if you would be practicing intense postures.
For one, your hair might get entangled or stretched due to movements. This might also cause unnecessary hair breakage.
Further, as you sweat your hair will stick to your body, which could be irritating or might become coarse as they come in touch with your sweat. If you have voluminous hair, practicing yoga with open hair could lead to headaches, due to the weight of the hair.
All of these could distract you as you perform yoga, thereby making your practice less than pleasant.
It is thus advised to tie up your hair, in a style most suitable for your needs and the amount of time you can spend on styling your hair.
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How do I protect my hair from hot yoga?
Probably everyone likes hot yoga. At the same time, while doing hot yoga, you need to take a few precautions to protect your hair. This is because one tends to sweat a lot during this practice.
To protect your hair, try to comb your hair tightly so that there aren’t ant loose strands that might fall over your face or eyes. However, make sure that you don’t tie them so tight that your head feels stretched and begins to hurt.
Another thing to try, could be to use a headband so the hair will not fall over your face.
What should I do with my hair when going out?
After yoga or any other exercise, you should take a shower with lukewarm to warm water. However, avoid washing your scalp with hot water. For your hair and scalp, use cold to lukewarm water.
You needn’t shampoo your hair after every practice session. It could lead to dryness in the scalp and make your hair dull.
Other than this, cover your hair with a cap or a scarf while traveling outside so that your hair does not attract a lot of dust.
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Wrap Up
If you do not have enough time to spend on a fancy hairstyle in the morning, you can simply make one of the many ponytails mentioned above or a quick bun.
Try to tie up your hair before your practice so that they don’t keep coming on your face or getting entangled when you do your yoga twists.
Irrespective of what hairstyle you choose, just ensure that your hair are securely held and that your complete focus is on perfecting those challenging poses like a Yoga Full Split or a Headstand, rather than managing your hair in between your practice.
Hope you enjoyed reading this article. Have a great yoga session!
