Problem Hair - Long and Lots!

[popje]

Hi All

I have long (down to my waist), thick (asian) hair which I have a love/hate relationship with. I love it most of the time except when it comes to washing time and DIVING!!!

I am about to get into a dry suit for the first time for diving. At this stage I'm assuming I'll be using a wet hood. (I've been in a survival suit before but that's not technically dry coz the gloves were wet and besides, I wasn't diving.)

So my question is: Are there any gals out there with long hair diving dry and what do you do about it??? What's the best way to get in and out? And how do you fit it all comfortably under a hood. I've used a hood before but have never found a comfortable method. (I'm usually suffocating on the surface...)

Any tips would be appreciated!

[ScubaSam]

Hi Popje,

I am Asian and had long hair before cuting off 13" to donate to The Wigs for Kids charity. Having very long hair and diving was PITA but I grew it for that purpose.

I use to do one french braid down the middle or pull it back into one low ponytail. Easier to pull my head through the neck seal when my hair was in a ponytail than when the hair is loose. When I dive with my wrist seals and no gloves, it is easy to work the stray hairs on the naps of the neck out from under the neck seal. When I dive with my blue Smurf (cold water) glove system, I need my buddy's help to make sure all the stray hair is out from under my neck seal.

Important to make sure all the strays are not trapped under your neck seal otherwise you will have a leak. The tail end of the ponytail gets tucked under the wet hood and will be bulky at the nape.

I preferred braiding the hair because it was easier to pull it through the neck seal and put on the wet hood. My hair is now short to the nape of my neck and is easy to maintain. Don't miss the rinsing and conditioning of the long hair.

Good luck with your drysuit.

[drl]

When my hair was long I would French braid it for diving dry. You have to be careful to pull the braid through your neck seal and get any wisps out, since they will cause leakage in the neck seal. I would just let the braid hang out from under the bottom edge of the hood, since the hood is too snug to stuff it up underneath.
A little bit of spray-on conditioner before braiding helps make it easy to comb out after the dive.
Enjoy your dry diving.

Deborah

[kathydee]

I have a dive partner with hair to her waist whose been diving dry for years. She manages it well with two long braided pony tails.

[SoBay Jim]

I've got a friend who ties her hair in a pony tail high on the back of her head, then pulls it through a hole cut in the hood.

[DiverChix]

I wear a bandanna for both cold (usual diving water) and warm (not enough of this type of diving). I have long hair as well and wear a dry suit. My profile picture shows how I wear a bandanna on warm water dives, but I also do the same with under my dry suit hood. I only wear bamboo bandannas as they allow both warmth and coolness by the wicking it provides. I braid my hair and then the bandanna keeps my "flyaways" from bothering me during my dive and it also helps from the hair ripping out of my head from my mask!

[USVet96]

I wear a bandanna for both cold (usual diving water) and warm (not enough of this type of diving). I have long hair as well and wear a dry suit. My profile picture shows how I wear a bandanna on warm water dives, but I also do the same with under my dry suit hood. I only wear bamboo bandannas as they allow both warmth and coolness by the wicking it provides. I braid my hair and then the bandanna keeps my "flyaways" from bothering me during my dive and it also helps from the hair ripping out of my head from my mask!

What is this "bamboo bandanna" you speak of lol.

I'm a guy with longer hair. Not like "cascading, thick, flowing, ponytail long," but bangs to my chin kind of length, and it's a PITA lol. I usually use a wrag type thing but either it slips down, or it's so tight the knot hurts my head lol.

Thanks

[Dsix36]

Although I am not a female, I do have long hair that is down to my belt. I am not as fussy about it as the females seem to be. I pull it back into a ponytail and put several hairties on it at about 5 inch spacing or so. I don my drysuit and pull the neckseal over my head, then pull the neckseal away from the back of my neck and pull my ponytail through. I let my hair fall normally and pull my hood over it.

[melanie.]

For me 2 braids work better then one when wearing a hood. That way the braids sit on either side of my neck before I put my hood on. If I just have one down the back I find it pulls my hood too much on my throat. Hair just goes out the hood and down into wetsuit (or sit above a drysuit if I had one). Also, it helps to put several elastics down the braid as well. That keeps at least some strays in. Still looks like a mess when I take my hood off but at least it helps. If I am not wearing a hood then I just put my hair in a bun

[katepnatl]

As you can see this is my method of choice too. My hair is thick but fine and it comes out of one braid way too easy. And a pony tail is too lumpy (for me). Two braids - Pippi Longstocking-esque as they may be - are the only thing that come close to doing the trick for me. I try not to wear a hood if I can help it... So far I can get away with bare head down to the low 50's if my deco's not too long but the braids also work if I AM forced into a hood.

For me 2 braids work better then one when wearing a hood. That way the braids sit on either side of my neck before I put my hood on. If I just have one down the back I find it pulls my hood too much on my throat. Hair just goes out the hood and down into wetsuit (or sit above a drysuit if I had one). Also, it helps to put several elastics down the braid as well. That keeps at least some strays in. Still looks like a mess when I take my hood off but at least it helps. If I am not wearing a hood then I just put my hair in a bun