Hair Care when diving

[tracydr]

Any kind of oil is good. I use a spray by Redken that also has sunscreen in it. Morrocan oil is a great conditioner, too.
I always wear a sun hat between dives for my skin and hair. Don't like to use sunscreen before diving with my drysuit as I'm not sure it's good for the seals.
Any advice for keeping all those stragglers out from under the drysuit neck seal? I have so many little short hairs at the base of my neck, it's hard to keep them away from the seal.

 

[minnesnowta]

I got one of those strap things that goes over your mask strap. You could probably make one pretty easily if you have access to a sewing machine. It really helps with not tangling/shredding my hair.

Also i brought leave-in conditioner on the boat and just slicked it through my hair when I got up. I have short hair though.

 

[cruiser]

Sun and salt water really tears up your hair to the point it almost feels crunchy. Invest in some high $$$ salon therapy shampoo and conditioner. After your last dive of the day, shampoo well and apply the conditioner. If your hair absorbs all the conditioner, apply some more. Leave it on a few minutes so it penetrates, then rinse. Your hair will thank you.

 

[morejanus]

I have long fine hair that tangles easily. When I was working as a guide and in the water 5 days/week, I got quite creative - anything to avoid a hair cut. I ended up using a lot of the suggestions made so far (wet first, beanie with chin strap that looked very dorky, replaced the plastic mask strap with a neoprene one, etc ). But one thing that helped a lot with the "fly aways" was a "hair glove" (aka hair condom There are neoprene ones for the water - do a google search. They're reasonably inexpensive and you can make a fashion statement or not as you wish. I think they originally came from the motorcycle world.

So you create a pony tail with a thick elastic (below the mask strap) that is supplied but you can also use your own. Then on the inside of the hair glove is a little "hook" that hooks over the elastic in your hair. Then you wrap the glove around your pony tail and snap the snaps down the length of the hair glove. My hair is so thin it never stayed in a braid and I found this worked pretty well. Occasionally, the hook will come off the elastic and the glove will start to slide off, but generally it doesn't.

Lot's of women I took diving ended up buying these and liked them. The guys .... not so much

 

[SeahorseDeb]

This thread has been very useful to me, in that while I am a drysuit diver (ya taking it off, I lose about 100 hairs along with a slight scream), I too have issues with saltwater. I take my own bottle of water and rinse after the dive, then spray on conditioner. I also thought about going to my local outdoors store that is very Eco-friendly so I can purchase a leave in conditioner that I can spray in on my s/I. It's fine hair too. What we don't do to accommodate our love of scuba!!!! We want out hair and scuba too!!

 

[morecowbells]

I was relieved to come across this thread because I have struggled many times keeping my hair out of my face and mask while diving and preventing it from looking like Don King after each dive. I tried one of the do-rags but it caused my mask strap to slip off during a dive. I'm sure that my incident could be remedied with a different piece of head cover, but my paranoia has made me obsess about my strap slipping again, plus I tend to get fidgety when my ears are covered up.

My hair is shoulder length. I can't do the ponytail because my bangs slip out plus it ends up getting bumped and pulled by the strap. What works for me is to wet down my hair, spray an oil conditioner(especially on the ends) and wear my hair in low piggy tails either braided or I use an additional band and fold each tail into a knot or nub with another elastic band. This keeps my bangs and layers securely tied back while avoiding the mask strap/ponytail battle. An added benefit of braiding or wearing the nub is the conditioner tends to not get washed out by the salt water as fast. Sure it is a fugly look, but it helps protect my color and keeps my hair in better condition and contained.

For the surface interval I slip on a baseball cap and avoid mirrors at all costs. I admittedly am a hair product junkie. The Kiehls line, especially the Deeply Restorative Smoothing Hair Oil spray makes a HUGE difference for me. As with any conditioner, be careful to avoid over use. Not only to protect the reef, but once that film gets onto our mask, it is a major PITA to deal with during a dive.

 

[Magnolia3]

If your hair gets soo gross after diving then you advice of any hair specialist doctors. Ak clinic is the best clinic for solve your hair problems.

Define "gross"...and your problem a littel better.. I quit washing my hair every day and it has done far better. Also when I wash it I only soap once. After being in salt water I just rinse the heck out of my hair and don't soap. That is if I have not put a lot of olive oil in it before diving or swimming.. then I might use a mild castile soap to wash once..

Kinda need a better description to what you find as gross.. thanks

 

[LaMissJude]

French maid or a maid with half of my hair (on top) then a pony tail, then maid until the end (don't know if it's very clear) it needs to be very tight to avoid to much small hair "dancing" around my head.
Conditioner every time I shampoo (every day when I dive) + coconut oil (or any type of oil).
When I dive everyday, my hair don't have the time to look greasy

My hair is a bit longer than my shoulder, thin but I have a lot of them. Of course, with the sun, I became blonder than I am naturally, but I like it
It is naturally very dry, so I don't hesitate to be generous with conditioner and oil. And I cut the split ends 2 /3 times a year.

It is not as good as it was before I dive all the time, but pretty fine considering what I'm doing to them ^_^

 

[mermoose]

I keep a wide tooth comb and a "shine" type conditioner in my dive locker and apply it then comb through or finger through and leave it. Preferably after a fresh water rinse, but I have been known to use it on salty hair if I have no choice. Let the wind dry it and it works fine. I usually dive live a boards so I am talking plenty of saltwater and have used this method for 11 years. I shampoo at the end of the day and condition with a good rinse. Other than still having lighter hair at the end of the trip my hair is just as healthy as when I started the trip. good luck.

 

[jamjam]

Hair oil. Just enough to cover the hair - doesn't have to be coated in it. For actual dives, Ill use something light like Neutrogena sesame oil. Lightweight, no smell, and easily available. Just rub some in before jumping in. Then once a week, oil your hair with olive oil. Make sure roots are completely massaged and then the full length of the hair. Ends are important if you get splits and messy ends. If possible wrap a damp, hot towel around your hair to lock in the moisture. Leave on for as long as you want to look like a wet cat I usually just sleep overnight and wash it out the next day. Works WONDERS!! And cheap and easy.

---------- Post added January 2nd, 2013 at 07:32 AM ----------

I forgot to mention - I have long hair. Around halfway down my back. So seawater can destroy it easily. The oil works, though