Salt water not so good on long hair...

[Lexy]

Hey Gang - Any folks out there feelin' my pain? I have really long, naturally curly hair and salt water is giving me the "dive hair blues". My hair litterally shrinks when either braided or pony tailed. Net result = tangle hell + damage. Braiding makes the situation worse and multi-dive days are deeper hair hell.

So... since wacking off waist length hair is not an option, does anyone have any tips or tricks? How do you reduce/avoid the tangle battle?

((I decided to post this question in Basic Scuba rather than the women's area, since there has to be guys out there with long hair too.))

Cheers, -- Lexy

 

[BabyDuck]

mine's not as curly as yours, but here's some stuff to try. do you use leave-in conditioners? try either keihl's or one from the ethnic hair part of the aisle. the ethnic idea is from a very curly-haired beautician, and i use it every time i wash my hair. the other idea is to rope it instead of braiding it. divide in two hunks, twist both hunks clockwise, then twist them together counter-clockwise. that might me more controlled than a ponytail but with less crossing and tangle potential than a braid. i hope something helps.

 

[DiveMaven]

Do a search in the women's area....awhile back there was an entire thread about this and some really good ideas and products to try.

 

[mle_osu]

My hair is no where near as long and is straight, but gets very tangled when diving. I usually take Johnson and Johnson's detangler or a leave-in conditioner by thermasilk (and a brush - your case, a pik i guess) and it gets the job done for me.

Good luck!

 

[Firebrand]

Being that I'm a guy in the military with short hair (which also happens to be falling out way too soon) I can't really offer any help or advice. Good luck though. If you do find something, I can maybe use it to help convince my wife to start diving, but only if she is comfortable with the idea first.

 

[Allison Finch]

I also have waist length hair. I braid it and double it up with a big barrette on the back of my head. I also use a neoprene beanie to keep it under control. It really works. The beanie also adds a little insulation that is helpful after that fifth dive of the day.

 

[baitedstorm]

My hair is also very naturally curly and about mid-back (or better) length.. I DM on a boat so I know exactly what your talking about with the hair hell... Here's what I do.

Before the dive, I wet my hair with fresh water, then lather it up with conditioner (usually the cheap stuff) then I braid it, one on each side. I actually rinse my hair and repeat the above steps each time I get in and out of the water. (not cause I'm vain, but I'm growing my hair out for "Locks of Love" and they need my hair in the best condition possible.

Hope that helps, I too look forward to any other suggestions.

 

[Jason B]

not cause I'm vain, but I'm growing my hair out for "Locks of Love" and they need my hair in the best condition possible.

excellent!

Jason

 

[Ishie]

French braiding worked for me (I've cut my hair to shoulder length, but it was mid-back) because it keeps the hair more locked in place than regular braiding.

Ponytails are a disaster. I would end up having to cut the holder out, leaving a thick, snarled knot at the base of my neck.

I generally wait until I'm in the shower and then squirt conditioner/detangler in it until I can safely detangle. Combined with other things, that might work. I got some pretty horrid stuff out of my hair just by using a quarter of that 99 cent bottle of Suave.

Though it might look obnoxiously cutesy, pigtails might work as well since you'd be reducing the mass so it would be less likely to weight towards the end of the braids, plus the hair would be at your sides, so less likely to get crammed against the back of your BC and tank valve. Our instructor's girlfriend has pretty long hair and always dives in pigtails (twin braids?), french braid style on each side. Keeps things flat against her head, and she doesn't seem to get too much of the tangle woes.

 

[eyasha]

Although my hair is straight, I dealt with this problem a lot when I had long hair and was on the swim team. Wet your hair and put Joico Phinish Conditioner in before you get in. Roll your hair in a bun, and put on a swim cap. (If you really don't want to do the swim cap, I would still wet hair first and use the conditioner). This will keep the salt water from absorbing into your hair.

Yes, looks dorky but if you have a hood on, no one will be the wiser and it will save your hair. Plus, the salt water actaully is damaging on its own, not to mention the tears of getting pony tails out or hoods on/off. Another good product for after the swim is Malibu 2000 shampoo and conditioner, made specifically for chlorine and ocean water.

Side note - to wet your hair before or to rinse conditioner after dive, I saw a good idea at Laguna this weekend. This guy had an old costco size laundry detergent container filled with water, and used it for a shower by pressing the little spout. I will be borrowing that idea in the future!!

Good luck on saving that beautiful hair

eyasha_star@yahoo.com