hoods and hair!

[wackodacko]

Hi everyone! im new to diving and will be equip shopping this weekend.. (driving 3 hours to get to an online store! hehe!) anyway, i was wondering for those of you with long hair.. do you wear it in a ponytail inside your hood, or do you just let it loose? ive been having hair-pulling problems with my mask strap in the pool, but since i will be wearing a hood now, it will be outside the hood and i dont need that neoprene cover? What do you think? my head hurts from my hair getting pulled out.. hope it doesnt feel like that inside a hood!! =-)

 

[Spectre]

Since your new to diving I'm going to assume your diving wet. In that case, you'll definately want your hair inside the hood/wetsuit. I have a 2 piece, and I put my hood on before pulling up my farmer john, so I can tuck it in there before I pull on my jacket. That makes it fairly easy to make sure the hood is completely tucked in your wetsuit.

If your hood isn't completely tucked in whilst diving in New England, you'll know it pretty quick, as it will feel like someone is slicing your back with icicles! :cold: Before I started putting my hood on first, I was trying to tuck it in after... which inevitably caused me to have to tuck more when I felt where the gap was once in the water!

 

[art.chick]

Altough I should put it in a ponytail, I just let it hang. Once i pull the hood on, it's stuck down in back. The only problem is when some gets pulled out toward the front & gets into my mask.

 

[scuba-sass]

And no, I don't mean that horrible concoction with bright yellow daisies all over it that Great Aunt Edna used to wear!

I found some great Lycra caps here . I have some quite voluminous locks, and these hold them all in beautifully. I wear them when diving with just skins in the tropics, to keep my hair out of my face, and also when diving here in New England with wetsuit and hood. Once you get everything under the Lycra cap, you don't have that struggle of tucking those last stray hairs under your hood, to get a good seal on your mask.

Happy Diving,

Scuba-sass

 

[Scuba Princess]

I have the long hair issue also. I had no problem in the beginning in the pool, because you don't wear a hood. But once in the ocean, I had all kinds of problems keeping it in the hood, especially if we were doing our surface interval and I just wanted to pull the hood back. Once you do that, forget getting it all back in their just by slipping it back up! I found that if I get my hair wet and then put it in a low ponytail it stays down very well, even if I slip my hood off. But my hair is all one length all the way around (i.e. no bangs, it all just hangs there). I actually thought about cutting my hair off the other day because it was such a pain, but then I'd look really silly with no hair !

 

[Spectre]

Originally posted by Scuba Princess
Once you do that, forget getting it all back in their just by slipping it back up! I found that if I get my hair wet and then put it in a low ponytail it stays down very well, even if I slip my hood off.

I tried slipping my hood off... once. It was a complete mess as it pulled everything out of the low ponytail and I had issues with hair in my mask seal the whole dive. I either leave my hood on if it's cold enough, or I take it completely off. When I get ready to get back in the water I take my jacket off [or at least get my arms out] and completely re-don my hood as I do prior to dive one.

I've tried wetting it, but it still doesn't help if I have to pull my hood _forward_. It's ok if I'm pulling my hood back onto my head.

 

[Dee]

Since it could be a solution to the topic here, maybe this won't count as crass advertising. If any Mod disagrees, do your thing!

That said...If ya'll will check my website in my signature you'll see a possible solution to your long hair. It's a skull cap that ties on to fit your head. Ladies, if you'll braid your hair and wrap it in a bun in the back of you head...not too high or too low...Position the front just above your eyebrows, folding the flap down over your bun first, then tieing the band underneath it.

I have several diving ladies who wear them as well as men with long hair. It can be worn under a hood with no problems. Beast wears them all the time (that's what started this venture) and he's never had one come off underwater or lost one yet.

Just a suggestion.

 

[Spectre]

I figured I'd leave you the opening to tote your Dee Rags!

[Actually I was planning on mentioning it, but I forgot when I got around to posting... as I keep forgetting to 'get me some-a dem!'.]

 

[MSilvia]

I had long hair/hood problems when I did my AOW years back, and decided to cut my hair to fit. Worst haircut I ever got, and to make matters worse, it was the day before we had the pictures taken for our C-cards!

 

[Scuba Princess]

I think slipping off your hood depends on the type of hood you have. I have friends who can't do it even with short hair because of the hood itself. Since the inside of my Henderson Gold is slick, it works well for me. That way I don't have to re-don anything after a SIT.