Please help me help my wife! Recommendations for hair care while diving

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My wife is getting very tired of her hair ending up knotted and damaged from diving. She's tried a few solutions - using multiple hair ties and putting her hair into a pony tail, braiding her hair, and she tried out a loose beanie that ended up being useless as bubbles would get in and lift it off her hair. She does use a neoprene mask strap cover and has for years, but at this point I don't think the problem is mask strap related - her hair just doesn't seem to like diving anymore.

Do any of our lady divers with long hair have recommendations that I could give her to help keep it from getting damaged every time we dive?

 

[drl]

When my hair was long I used to use Sun Bum coconut Argan oil (just comb a little through the hair) then French braid it. I also wore a light do-rag. My hair is very fine and tangled easily but this protected it pretty well, and the oil doesn’t rinse out in the sea.

 

[also_anon_dc]

I don't do anything special during a dive, just have my hair in a high ponytail and put the neoprene mask strap over the long hair to hold it down. It still gets really tangled though. What helps me is using detangler and leave-in conditioner after every dive and making sure to comb it out. When showering use conditioner and put on leave-in conditioner afterwards. I think experimenting and finding the right leave-in conditioner is the trick. It took me a few tries to find the right one.

 

[rmorgan]

What did you decide is best?

 

[also_anon_dc]

What did you decide is best?

If this question is for me, I use Aveda products. I use Brilliant Damage Control as a detangling spray and Nutriplenish leave-in conditioner. It might also be important to experiment with shampoo and conditioner too if your hair is dry or brittle even when you're not diving.

 

[rmorgan]

It was. Thank you.

 

[Rilelen]

I have long thick hair that tangles if you look at it twice. I find that braiding makes it worse - what works best for me is putting in Sea2Stream leave-in conditioner BEFORE the dive, then putting my hair in a low ponytail with a soft/thick hair tie. My mask has a neoprene cover over the strap, to keep it from ripping all my hair (totally clutch).

Then, after the dive, during the SI I immediately pour fresh water on my head, re-apply the leave-in conditioner, and brush it out with a Wet Brush. I do the same again after each dive and when done diving for the day.

I’ve never had any luck with braids, headbands, etc. Hoods also cause me hair pain. The routine above works, and keeps my hair from getting angry at me.

 

[Nemrod]

Post retirement and somewhat as a result of the pandemic and mostly a return to my youth and hippie nature, I let my hair grow and grow and grow. I swim three to five miles a week and have a different solution for that in dealing with my hair but for scuba diving I have come upon a scathingly brilliant solution. A neck gaiter. Find the longest (the longer the better) one you can find and then slip it over your head and down on to your neck and pull your hair out. Then bend over and let the hair hang down and gather it together and with one hand put a twist or two in the hair and then with the other hand pull the neck gaiter tube over the hair. Put a double fold in the base around your head and then take the remainder, twist it again or two and tuck it into the fold behind. Then put your beanie on over that. Hair stays nice and compact and does not get nearly so tangled up.


For swimming laps I tied the hair into a loose bunn and use a swim cap like this:


And I use Aqua Guard and a detangling conditioner and wet my hair before swimming:


My wife:



Me:



And one last thing, put a neoprene slap strap cover on your mask, I prefer psychedelic colors :


I have been observing others with long hair and a few days ago in Cozumel we dived with a couple a few times and the lady had long hair. She would braid it before each dive and then detangle and comb the braids out and redo them between and after the dive. Each time she did that I cringed as she would pull away a bunch of broken hair. I wanted to tell her to please stop doing that, worse than scratching fingernails on a chalkboard .

Peace out .

 

[girlwithbigtanks]

The less I do the better. I never comb out right away. Low pony tail while diving. Deal with it in the shower. Goes in a salty messy knot for days sometimes. I do splurge on expensive shampoos and conditioner (currently surface). I don’t wash my hair daily because I’m lazy. The K02 hoods don’t rip hair. Worst hair ever was 2 dives in h2s. I gave up combing and went to bed with a bag on my head. I trilboted chunks out in the morning because it was cutting into dive time. I really should have short hair.

 

[ToldToo]

My wife has very long , very curly thick hair that she can't get a wide comb through at the best of times. We dive between 3 & 4 times a week and she puts it in a "top knot" using a wide hair tie. Once out she uses a spray bottle of water/hair conditioner mix and leaves it in, allowing her to de-tangle her hair and condition it at the same time. A simple solution but works well for her