As a diver, I have a love-hate relationship with my hair. On land, I love my long luscious locks. I wear my hair all sorts of different ways; down, up, braided, wild and free…
But when it comes to diving, my hair turns into a tangled mess. That’s right, turns out my mane has a mind of its own. I can’t think of how many times I’ve ended up topside with a thick matted clump that has made me fear my hairbrush.
Post scuba dive hair – now that’s a scary thing. So how do you stay away from the tares, the tangles and the hours upon hours of post-dive hair brushing?
Well, I’m still working at figuring that one out, but for now here are my very best tips and tricks:
Short haired divers rejoice! You’ve got hair versus diving figured out.
For the rest of us well… If your hair is below chin level and your feeling bold, or maybe you just can’t handle post-dive maintenance, consider shortening your hair. This could be the saving grace you’ve been looking for to get rid of ratty hair.
Alternatively, opt for a bob cut – short in the back where the really bad tangles happen and longer in the front to keep the feminine look.
Is cutting your mermaid hair out of the question?? Don’t worry we don’t blame you. There are other solutions to your dive hair problem.
Add a splash of color to your dive ensemble with headbands.
Headbands are a fun and effective way to keep your hair out of your face while scuba diving. You can find them in thick and thin sized material and all the different colors of the rainbow. If you’re feeling creative, you can even make your own headbands.
Once you’ve found a headband that suits your fancy, the next step is figuring out how to wear it in a way that is compatible with your mask.
Lady divers are not always a fan of hoods, but as an avid cold water diver, I assure you – they work. Hoods are probably one of the most effective solutions to our dive hair problem.
Neoprene hoods keep your hair contained and tucked away for the duration of the dive. They are easy peasy and don’t require much pre-dive planning. Hoods come in a variety of different styles ranging from small beanies that attach around your chin to full fledge hoods that cover the head and neck.
Braids are excellent, and my preferred, way to keep your hair out of your face and out of your way during a dive.
There are so many different styles of braid options out there; single, double, french. Overall braids really hang on to that hair underwater. They work well on any length of hair and keeps the loose flyaways (like your bangs) tight and secure. What’s also good, is that generally speaking braided hair comes out hassle free afterwards.
The standard gooey rubber mask strap and hair don’t mix.
They rip, they tear and sometimes you even need to cut your hair to get said mask strap off.
Solution – a neoprene mask strap which slips over the standard rubber strap. Not only does a neoprene mask strap solve a major female catastrophy, the rubber strap grabbing and ripping out your hair, it also makes your mask fit more comfortably on the back of your head.
A good old fashion ponytail is probably the easiest way to keep your hair contained while scuba diving. With one or two elastics you just twist your hair onto the top of your head and away you go.
But that being said, ponytails will not always leave your hair untangled.
Instead of letting your ponytail fly free, try giving yourself a multi-banded ponytail, Princess Jasmine style. Tie off the main ponytail and then at separate intervals a few inches apart place another elastic.
Having long hair as a scuba diver is both a blessing and a curse. I love the mermaid feeling that it gives me when I leave it loose in the water, yet I hate the fact that it tangles in my first stage, regulators and mask.
As female scuba divers, it’s true scuba diving is not a fashion show, but we still all like to keep our hair out of our face and come out of the water NOT looking like Medusa’s twin sister.
Hey dive ladies for life, how do you keep your hair under control when diving? Message us below with your favourite dive hairstyles and solutions to this never-ending battle.
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Nice post! I think many girls got into this hair problem while diving. Thanks for sharing.