How do you ladies deal with long hair?

[Scuba Nurse]

When diving wet and not diving with a hood (pretty rare for me) I will pull my hair into a bun or braid it and wear a rally rag (a lot of dive shops sell them). That really helps.
My biggest challenge is that I use a bio seal because my dry suit always leaks without (have a very thin neck). Any strand of hair sticks to that thing like glue. One of our dive buddies has this hysterical pic of my husband trying to pick my hair out of my bio seal. Even if I do have my hair pulled up the little ones get stuck to it. OUch! If anyone has a suggestion for that let me know!

 

[redrover]

Frankly, hair management was the most difficult skill for me to master.

Mine is 6 - 8" lopped off when I begin to sit on it and here in the tropics has a personality all it's own in addition to growing faster than weeds. Although fine, there is a ton of it, it absoutely refuses to be contained and tangles like a thing alive. I am not moving and I don't see it move either, yet for 10 years now, is has never been free of tangles.
Point is I feel your pain on all you've said and marvel at the flowing locks and simple pony tails people; they must be in another universe or something to be able to do that.

What I do, what works the best for me:
The very best is two French braids down the back but I cannot do that myself.

Since my niece doesn't visit often enough:
Tight as can, French braid with only small sections from the very tip top of forehead. Biggest challenge is the bottom can tie itself into a knot near to impossible to untie so I'm careful to separate the 3 main sections every 2 twines. I finger comb in the tiny new section and twist them round as I twine them in the braid as tight as I can bear. My arms are about to die by the time I'm done with a gazillion very small sections twined together. If it is a tad too tight, it's good to go.

Hit it all up w/spray on conditioner just until dripping, lot of attention to back of neck area and the ends.

Next is a (no metal) fat elastic, just at the nape and rather too lose and too low for my taste. Too tight and too loose, too high and too low, and braid just shoves mask off.

Next hook on the Hair Glove, the foot long kind (not seeing that on the site. Got them at my LDS) and snap it together. Again, put that up too high and shoves mask right off. Too low and shoves mask off.

The coup de gra was a hood. Mine is very very light wt, not neoprene or too thin and slippery like a DoRag. I can't keep a DoRag on my head for more than a minute dry, no clue how the other people do (that swear by them.)

I too dislike a chin strap, anytime, and this is a balaclava hood. Does nothing to improve my appearance however I don't look where I don't want to see.

I'm in Hawaii and have not felt hot, actually completely forget about it. That says a lot, I am easily annoyed. Did feel real silly for quite a while but the success wins hands down.

With the hood mask still slides, worse if I get my tank a bit too high and very little when in the right spot for trim and nothing like it slid all around without the hood (and every strap out there.) Somewhere around 40 min usually one reach back and slide mask strap back down a inch or two.

All of this is after some trial and error finding out exactly how the strap (the rubber or whatever that came with the mask) and hood and hair move with each other and finding the sweet spot where the hood has to start at to stay at. Including how to don to get it there, contain the wisps and not interfere with the mask I have a small head, maybe not so much a problem with normal people.You would think it was life support how carefully I put on my hood. Actually the first trial was it, just had to figure out what I did again.

As exhausting as this seems it's not so bad once past the never ending braid part.
And has been working well enough it has been over two years now with out further experiments attempting to improve.

Oh, putting on the Hair Glove the first time was an ordeal and I mean all that effort and finally had to give up (and sweating like a pig.)
The first snap at the thickest hair is a doosey yet I suspect for a partner is no big deal. After the first one the only challenge is training fingers to find the correct snap match. Unless just knowing it's 1 snap off wouldn't drive you nuts like it does me.

 

[CheddarChick]

I'm with Redrover...I can't keep a dew rag on to save my life...I found with a pony tail it was always too high, pulls the mask, off too low, pulls the mask off...Ahhhhhhh..I found that if I do braided pig tails it works the best for me. When I get out I use a watered down conditioner that I rub into each braid before I rinse my gear. Then when I am done, the braids come right out as I rinse off...I never used the conditioner before I dove, I wonder if there is a conditioner that is safe for the reef????

 

[Mayor]

My wife asked me to do a search for our upcoming trip. The Under Armor cap might work for her but the logo is an issue also. How about using a sharpie to fill in the logo.

 

[luckydays]

Since my posting this thread, I have found a Speedo Lycra Sim cap that seems to stay on but I have not used it in the water. Speedo Lycra Swim Cap My local swimming store carried them so I got it for about $8-10. I am going to try it in Florida in a few weeks and let you guys know how it worked.

It is Lycra and not silicone or latex so I will not have the breakage. Here is a pic (yes I bought the pink one).

I can braid my own hair in two french braids and that works for the most part but it is the wispy hairs that make me crazy. or the way the braids come out under my beanie and then they are ratted at the ends and a pain to get untangled. I am going to try this swim cap by itself and see if it works. If not, I will keep my beanie in my pocket and use a combo of the two.

Oh and I looked at the under armour one and even with the logo, the cap would not work. It did not have enough elastic to keep it attached to the head without slipping off.

 

[Louie]

I'm with Redrover...I can't keep a dew rag on to save my life...I found with a pony tail it was always too high, pulls the mask, off too low, pulls the mask off...Ahhhhhhh..I found that if I do braided pig tails it works the best for me. When I get out I use a watered down conditioner that I rub into each braid before I rinse my gear. Then when I am done, the braids come right out as I rinse off...I never used the conditioner before I dove, I wonder if there is a conditioner that is safe for the reef????

When I saw this, I thought I'd do a bit of asking around and research - timely as Earthday is next week - and saw this:
Biodegradable Sunscreen, Natural Moisturizers, Natural Tanning Oils, Natural Bath Body Spa Skin Care Products, Natural Dog Shampoos
They appear to be a manufacturer of reef-friendly sun and toiletry products.

I'm glad there is a niche for this type of marketing and do hope that the demand for marine-friendly products grow.

 

[redrover]

I'm a complete wisp, hair is very fine.
Just prior to dive I don hood and mask as one complete task.
Face wisps accomplished by taking a face shot off the hot water hose at the back of the boat. Barring that a couple of handfuls of water to slick back bangs and wisps.
Grasping hood from the back bring front to face at eyes, pull smoothly back across face to position anchoring the wisps away from face. If pull back too far do not just slide it back forward, start over including water slick back. Starting with the wisps controlled is the key.

I think the Balaklava was the biggest key. It does secure the hair covering on but not constricting or chafing as a strap. The back or neck portion pretty much holds the braid behind me and not a nuisance floating around. And without sharp edges at hair, not rubbing out and then tangling and breaking the escapees.

It is the very tight and twisted twining from the very beginning that reduces braid escapees. And why two French braids work the best.
Oh also for a dry French braid I prefer it tight at the nape of my neck. For diving I loosen it there just enough the braid does not push up mask strap.

My hair is over 2' and undamaged, damaged and/or slow growing hair is going to be far more broken and uneven lengths. I see a lot of pretty darn scraggly hair that looks to me like they would be better off with trimming even if trying to grow it out. Some hair is just not the kind or healthy enough to grow long.

I've used 1 or 2 thin as rubber band elastic head bands wrapped down the length. The hair glove does a better job and far easier to get back off when wet. I tried the thin knit type but wet they stretch and just fall down.

If I haven't whacked some hair off recently the braid tail is long or pointed (damaged hair) below bottom elastic. I tie off the end the just before it begins to bush out. If I really need to cut some off I've used a couple of elastics down the last 6" or so after having a tail I just gave up and cut off above the elastic unable to get it off. Or just trim off the last inch or so. (I cut my own so it never starts as a very precise professional, expensive job.)
I use some almost corrugated elastics sold as never slide off, Goody I think. The smoother are a dilemma, very secure are very hard to unpick and get off wet but I've come near to losing them otherwise. In any case do secure the braid tail down to near the bitter end.

Light contact and correctly positioned hood and Hair Glove reduce the rubbing out wisps and tangling them. Conditioner reduces frizzy ness to comb out again.
I carefully reverse the braid separating each individual chunk down the full length. Having finger combed them in they are less mixed in as I pull it back apart. If is tangled in, hit with a shot of conditioner or no tangle stuff, start combing from the bottom up thru the tangle then continue pulling braid apart.
Then begin combing all the chunks out from the bottom and never brush wet hair. Just go slow with no tangle stuff and it really combs out quickly. (And nothing like the original good enough dry hair management tricks.)

LuckyDays if two French braids work (geeze for the life of me I cannot, way to long and the ends get busy braiding up from the bottom) they might be too thin for the hair glove. I believe they do custom, perhaps diameter as well.

 

[ava]

I found a beanie recently without a chin strap. It fits great and doesn't slide around. I bought it at Conch Republic Divers' shop back in November '08. You may want to contact them and find out where they bought them from or if you can order one.

 

[Scubi Do]

Ladies..
I too do the battle of the locks with each dive... I have very thick long curly hair, I have tried many different ways to tame it to no avail
so found this disscusson interesting ... I'm with you Louie ( you gave me a great laugh ). I have been so frustrated in a dive recently I left my hair out to float where it wanted ... I had to hunt small fish away from my mop of hair as they wanted to move in to the weed!!! As the weather cools here in Aus, I now am wearing a hood which helps to control the uncontrolable I also have 2 braids down each side of my head helps to keep hair tucked in.
After a dive I look like the monster from the deep ( which my hubby would prpbably say I am) & deal with the knots at home.

 

[DiverChix]

I have waist length hair, and have been diving with long hair for over 20 years. Diving in CA, the hood takes care of it, but in warm water, several options work for me. I have used a very thin speedo cap, they do make them with snaps. What works the best for me is braiding my hair, either one long braid or two, and then putting it in a bun on the lower portion of my neck. This keeps tight with a few small hair clips (claw style) and doesn't get in the way of my mask or hit the back of my tank (getting wrapped around the tank valve is the pits).