Body Combat kept giving me rockhopper penguin hair, so I put got2b Glued to the test

Body Combat was turning my hair into a rockhopper penguin

At the end of a punishing Body Combat class, someone produces a phone for the group photograph. We’re red-faced, sweaty and struggling to remember how to breathe, yet this is the ideal moment to capture ourselves for posterity. I don’t mind looking exhausted after a decent workout, but I’d prefer not to be photographed looking like a rockhopper penguin.

Despite arriving at the gym with my medium-length hair carefully twisted backwards, I regularly emerge with two magnificent blonde tufts sticking out from either side of my head. It’s not a flattering look, especially when everyone else seems to have mastered the art of keeping their hair in place. After years of accepting my post-workout resemblance to a seabird, I decided it was time to find a solution.

I wanted something that would keep my homemade twists and shorter flyaway hairs in place throughout a sweaty workout, without needing me to become a competent hairdresser first.

I’d reached 50 and still couldn’t French plait

There is an obvious solution to keeping your hair under control during boxing. It’s called a French plait, and despite reaching 50, holding down a professional career and mastering gym equipment that looked capable of killing me, I still can’t do one. I’ve watched the YouTube tutorials and understand the theory until my hands disappear behind my head and communication between my brain and fingers breaks down. Three sections become four, one vanishes and another acquires half the hair from the wrong side. Five minutes later, I’m holding something resembling a sailor’s knot.

Instead, I divide my medium-length hair into sections and twist them backwards. From the front, the result looks convincing, although I wouldn’t recommend inspecting the back. Unfortunately, Body Combat exposes every weakness in my amateur hairdressing. Sweat loosens the shorter hairs around my face, jumping shakes everything free and somewhere between the jabs and roundhouse kicks, the penguin makes its entrance. Hair grips haven’t helped, and pulling everything tighter gives me a headache.

Enter got2b Glued

I bought a tube of got2b Glued Ultra Styling Hair Gel, which cost £5.50 for 150ml at Boots when I checked. Boots lists up to 72 hours of hold, which seemed ideal considering I only needed it to survive Body Combat. Instead of trying it once and declaring victory, I decided to test it over a month of Body Combat and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes. There would be plenty of sweat, jumping and vigorous head movement to establish whether those rebellious little hairs could finally be persuaded to behave.

The first thing I noticed was that I didn’t need much. One small squidge worked through my twisted sections, with a little extra smoothed around my hairline, proved sufficient. The gel is clear, sticky and looks like glue. It spreads easily enough, although I have to wash my hands immediately afterwards. Picking up my phone or car keys with sticky fingers isn’t ideal, but when a product has the word Glued written across the packaging, I can hardly complain that nobody warned me.

The real test begins when I sweat

Within minutes of Body Combat starting, I’m warm. Shortly afterwards, I’m sweating and trying to remember which leg everybody else appears to be using. Normally, this is when my hairstyle begins its collapse. The shorter hairs become damp, the twists loosen and those familiar blonde tufts appear. With got2b Glued, however, they stayed put. Even after a demanding session, my twists stayed secure and the shorter hairs around my face were much better controlled.

I kept using the product throughout the month and achieved similar results. By the end of each class, I was still red-faced and desperate for water, but my hair looked closer to how it had when I arrived. When someone produced the phone for our group photograph, I could finally stand at the front without worrying about my penguin impression. For someone who spends so much time in the gym, that was a satisfying result.

Unfortunately, Glued means glued

There was a drawback. Undoing my twists after exercise didn’t magically restore my hair to its original condition. The gel remained firmly in place, leaving sections feeling set and difficult to rearrange. A proper wash sorted everything out, which wasn’t too inconvenient after a sweaty class. However, I wouldn’t choose it for a gentler workout if I planned to wear my hair loose afterwards or go somewhere looking presentable without washing it first.

I also sometimes noticed a little white, dandruff-like residue when I allowed my sweaty hair to dry with the product still in it. It wasn’t a major problem, but it’s worth mentioning because nobody wants to solve one hair problem only to acquire another. I suspect the sweat and product drying together played a part, although I can’t say for sure. Either way, I’ve learned that this is something I prefer to use when I know I’ll be washing my hair afterwards.

The Saffron Experiment scorecard

Excellent hold throughout demanding workouts, with a little product going a long way. It loses one point because I need to wash it out properly afterwards, and there’s sometimes a little white residue.

Would I buy got2b Glued again?

For workout hold, got2b Glued performed brilliantly. A squidge kept my homemade twists secure throughout demanding classes, and the tube should last me quite some time. For the specific problem that sent me looking for it, the product did exactly what I wanted.

Would I buy it again? Absolutely. I could spend another six months watching French-plaiting tutorials, getting increasingly annoyed with my fingers and wondering why everyone else makes it look so easy. Or I could spend £5.50 on a tube of hair gel, enjoy my Body Combat classes and leave the gym without resembling a rockhopper penguin. Personally, I think I’ve made the sensible choice.

I purchased got2b Glued myself. This review is not sponsored, and Schwarzkopf had no involvement in the experiment. The £5.50 price reflects what I paid when I bought the product and may have changed since.

Over to you: Have you found a hair product that survives a seriously sweaty workout, or do you accept whatever hairstyle emerges from the gym?

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