As a former pre-professional dancer and decade-long ballet teacher, I’ve always been someone who worked out at a high level at least several days a week. I was constantly either taking or teaching a dance class, and I’d frequently do yoga, Pilates, stretching, and strength training exercises at home. Over the past year and a half, those fitness habits have gone down the drain. Between getting pregnant, moving, having a C-section, and taking care of a new baby, I prioritized anything and everything above working out. Now that all of my excuses have faded away, it’s time for me to get serious about getting my fitness level back on track. I’m tired of feeling tired!
Over the past weeks, my husband Ryan and I have both been eating healthier and working out more frequently. So far, Ryan’s doing a much better job than me, BUT I’m proud to say that despite my inconsistency, I’ve still managed to drop five pounds and feel way better than I did a month ago. This month, I’m determined to create a more consistent workout schedule and fine tune my healthy eating habits. When I put healthy food into my body and exercise regularly, I just feel better. And when I feel better, I can be a better mom, wife, friend, and daughter. Plus, I’m headed to Hawaii in a few weeks, so it wouldn’t hurt if I could fit into my bathing suit haha!
While I still don’t have my strength and/or stamina back completely, I still remember how to freshen up in a hurry after a workout. When I was younger, I was constantly hanging out with friends after spending five hours dancing or going on a date after a four-hour ballet rehearsal, so I kinda perfected the art of covering up sweat and stink as much as physically possible. Today I’m sharing my favorite gym bag beauty essentials to help you freshen up after a workout!
Gym Bag Beauty Essentials
When it comes to freshening up after a workout, I have two main priorities: get rid of the sweat and cover up any odor. Taking a post-workout shower is obviously ideal, but that’s not always possible. When you don’t have time to shower, this gym bag beauty kit will be your new best friend. It includes everything you need to go from sweaty to socially-acceptable in only a few minutes!
Gym Bag Hair Essentials
After working out, my hair is a disaster. I am not a sweaty person in my day-to-day life, but when it comes to working out, my sweat level is out of control. Lots of sweat means my hair looks (and smells) absolutely disgusting, so it is absolutely essential that I do something to fix this problem before venturing out into the world. When washing my hair isn’t an option, I always start by towel drying the sweat in my hair as much as possible. Any towel or paper towel will do the trick. If your gym’s bathroom has a blowdryer, you can also wet your roots with a little bit of water and then blow dry your hair to get extra volume.
Once my hair is fairly dry, I’ll brush my hair and apply a generous spritz of dry shampoo to my roots and allow it to work its magic while I change my outfit. After the dry shampoo has absorbed the excess oil, I’ll flip my head over and use my hands to fluff my hair and remove any excess product. Depending on how I’m feeling (and how my hair looks), I’ll whip my hair into some sort of style. No matter what I always I include a generous amount of hair elastics, headbands, hair clips, and bobby pins in my kit. That way, I will always have something I can do to make my hair look more presentable after a workout.
Post-Workout Body Care Must-Haves
While I’m waiting for my dry shampoo to soak up the oil in my hair, I move on to removing the sweat and smell from my body and changing my outfit. If I don’t have time to shower, I will always use a wet washcloth/towel, paper towel, or even a baby wipe to wipe the majority of the sweat off my body. After my makeshift washing is done, it’s time for the most important step of all: applying deodorant.
I think we can all agree that a good antiperspirant is absolutely essential during AND after a workout for personal and social reasons. Staying dry and comfortable is a huge priority for me, so I’ve tried allllll the products at the drugstore. Over the past few years, I’ve become a major fan of dry sprays. I’ve pretty much tested most of the dry sprays on the market at this point, and no matter how many new products I try, I always go back to the Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant. It’s perfect for applying after a long workout because it’s lightweight, refreshing, and effective. I just picked up the Sheer Cool scent last week, and it’s definitely a new favorite. It makes you smell fresh and clean, which is exactly what I need after working out. Plus, it doesn’t leave any white marks or yellow stains on your clothing like other antiperspirants.
While dry spray antiperspirants are fabulous after a workout, I use them when I’m running errands, working around my house, or hanging out with my baby girl too! Thanks to the dry spray format, I can add an extra spritz throughout the day to freshen up or add a bit of extra fragrance. I literally have one of these bottles in my bathroom, office, and diaper bag at almost all times because hey, a girl’s gotta stay fresh! I usually pick mine up at CVS because I’m a huge fan of CVS extrabucks (it’s basically like free gift cards/cash back on your purchase that can be used at CVS), and they seem to always have the best sales!
Speaking of great sales, through April 28th, AXE®, Dove or Degree® Dry Spray Antiperspirant products are Buy 1, Get 1 50% off with your CVS card, and you’ll earn $2 extrabucks® rewards when you buy any TWO (2) AXE, Dove or Degree® Antiperspirant products. It’s the perfect time to try out a Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant for yourself or pick one up for your significant other. It seems like Ryan is always running out of deodorant, so I grabbed several bottles of the Dove Dry Spray for Men in Cool Comfort to keep him stocked for the next few months.
Gym Bag Skincare Essentials
Once my face and body are sufficiently refreshed, it’s time to move onto my face. These days, I rarely wear makeup when I’m working out, so I simply wipe off my face and neck with a cleansing wipe and apply a little bit of lip balm. I usually keep a few makeup essentials in my purse, so if I do need to wear makeup to my next stop of the day, I’ll have something to apply. The final step in my post-workout hygiene routine never changes. After I’m dressed, refreshed, and ready to go, I always wash my hands or apply hand sanitizer. There’s all sorts of nasty stuff on yoga mats, floors, weights, and gym equipment, and I don’t want to carry it into my daily routine.
When I’m headed to the gym, I will always stash these post-workout beauty essentials in a zip bag inside my gym bag, but they’re also kept in a basket in my bathroom with all of my most-used products. 
Whether I just did a workout in our living room or simply need to freshen up after chasing my baby all day long, these products help me feel clean and refreshed in no time.
If you and/or your significant other need to stock up on antiperspirant, now is the time to go shopping! Through April 28th, AXE®, Dove or Degree® Dry Spray Antiperspirant products are Buy 1, Get 1 50% off with your CVS card, and you’ll earn $2 extrabucks® rewards when you buy any TWO (2) AXE, Dove or Degree® Antiperspirant products. CVS has all of the items featured in today’s post and more, so you’ll be ready to hit the gym with your workout beauty essentials in no time.
