How do you ladies deal with long hair?

[canuckchick]

Yes. Conditioner is poison. Any chemicals will change the ph of the water, not to mention it's just poison. When we are diving we go in clean. No sunscreen, bug spray, deoderant etc. Peeing is also not a good thing, but that's a tough one. Recent studies have found that even water treatment plants do not remove medications that we pee out. Estrogen (birth control meds) and heart medications were a few of the meds found in drinking water in North America.. Maybe we can't stop peeing in the water, but we can certainly avoid wearing harmful chemicals.
When we dive in the parks in the Mayan Rivierra, Mexico, we are stopped and asked if we have any sunscreen etc.on. They sell a plant based sunscreen which they say is ok, but we avoid taking anything in the water taht can harm the coral and little critters.
Please be kind to the environment so our kids and grandkids can enjoy them as well. Hair will grow back, but soon it will be too late for the reefs.

 

[Texasdivechick]

I have longish, wavy, thick, but baby fine hair. It is indeed a nuisance to dive with it flowing free. I have tried all sorts of braids, pony tails, elastics, etc.... and the only thing that has worked for me is a hood. Beanies and do-rags just pop off my head within a minute of splashing. Because of my fine hair, every elastic band I've tried eventually works loose during the dive. I'm a warm water diver and I've never had any issues with becoming overheated during a dive because of using a hood. I bought my custom made princess hood from Chris at Terrapin Wetsuits. She can design hoods in any style you wish (Shrek, shark, dive flag, etc...). I thought I would be bothered by a chin strap but I barely notice it. Plus, if I know I'm going to be in high current or in a cluster******* of divers then I put my mask strap under my hood as a way to protect it from getting pulled off/kicked off. Instead of getting strange looks about me wearing a hood in the tropics or that most people have never seen a hood with a crown of jewels attached, I mostly get a ton of compliments and a few good natured laughs. My reason is simple: I would rather look like a total geek than deal with hair in my face during the dive. I don't feel as though diving is about fashion but rather function. If it works for you, then stay with it.
Oh, and please.... no slathering of conditioner or sunscreen before diving. If you're concerned about sunburn put on a rashguard and stay out of the sun while on the boat. There is plenty of evidence that sunscreen is a major contributer to the demise of coral reef. Conditioner left in the hair while diving has the same effect as sunscreen to the reef. Save the heavy conditioning for the end of the day. In between dives, just throw the tangled mess into a pony tail, tie on a do-rag, or throw a cap on.

 

[carrielsal]

I just bought a drysuit. My hair is almost to my waist. In a wetsuit I just push it inside and wear a hood. Now I need to figure out how to get it all under the drysuit hood.
Any suggestions?
Carrie

 

[SubMariner]

I don't know about conditioners, but sunscreen is definitely killing coral reefs.
Swimmers' Sunscreen Killing Off Coral

Unfortunately, without having a copy of the study itself, we are getting all the information 2nd hand. However, what did concern me was this bit "For example, the coral samples were exposed to sunscreen while in plastic bags to avoid contaminating the reefs." Unfortunately, that is not replicating how the reefs are exposed to these chemicals. Especially since the levels will be much higher and more concentrated when being administered this way. It's like saying "chemical x causes cancer in rats". However, when you look at the study more closely, you find that chemical x was fed to rats in concentrations far exceeding what a person would get in their entire lifetime and over a much shorter time period.

Now, I'm not advocating going out & trying it on a reef. However, if this is the way the study was conducted it is skewed/flawed.

 

[SubMariner]

I just bought a drysuit. My hair is almost to my waist. In a wetsuit I just push it inside and wear a hood. Now I need to figure out how to get it all under the drysuit hood.
Any suggestions?
Carrie

There are lycra swim caps you can get that might do the trick. When my hair was long (just past shoulder length) I would wear one of those to help me get my head through the neck seal without pulling out all my hair. But it all fit under the drysuit hood.

Bonne chance,

 

[carrielsal]

There are lycra swim caps you can get that might do the trick. When my hair was long (just past shoulder length) I would wear one of those to help me get my head through the neck seal without pulling out all my hair. But it all fit under the drysuit hood.

Bonne chance,

How did you actually get it under the hood? My hair is too long to just shove it under, and I really don't see a bun working.

Carrie

 

[SubMariner]

How did you actually get it under the hood? My hair is too long to just shove it under, and I really don't see a bun working.

Carrie

Sorry, but I've never had hair that long. If you can't get your hair in a tight enough bun to fit under the lycra cap (and eventually under the drysuit hood) I don't know what your alternative would be unless you need to resize the hood as well.

Is the hood actually a DRY hood that is attached to the suit, or simply a shorty drysuit hood that does not go over the neck seal?

 

[carrielsal]

A short drysuit hood that does not go over the neck seal. If it was attached it wouldn't be an issue, since I could just push my hair down into my suit.

Carrie

 

[Sas]

How did you actually get it under the hood? My hair is too long to just shove it under, and I really don't see a bun working.

Carrie

What kind of a hood are you using? I used to have hair down past my butt and I could fit it under a hood. Maybe the one you've tried is too small?

 

[carrielsal]

What kind of a hood are you using? I used to have hair down past my butt and I could fit it under a hood. Maybe the one you've tried is too small?

How are you getting it under your hood? Are you pinning it up first?