Jun-2018
Tips on what to do with your hair for scuba diving
What to do with your hair as a diver
Remember the first time you went snorkeling or scuba diving and you had your long hair tied up in a bun or in a simple pony tail? Sure you remember the stress you got after, trying to fix your hair again. Trying to make it look good again. You surely pulled out a hair or ten while doing so. It’s a frequent topic among female divers and male divers with longer hair. How do you keep those locks out of the way? What do we have to do to keep our hair healthy when we dive? Here are my answers and my point of view on it.
But first, watch this diving clip of the Maldives!
How to prepare your wild hair for diving
Messy hair after a dive.
First of all, you need to prepare your hair for a dive. Don’t just go diving without taking care of your hair before.You can put oil or conditioner in your hair (at least in the ends) and braid it. This will help the hair to stay protected while being in the water. It can get protected like this as well from the sun, if you look for products with sun protection in them. Very important though is that you check that the creams and oils are biodegradable. We don’t want the sea to absorb any damaging chemicals.
While some people suggest you wear a swimming cap to keep the hair from getting the salty after effect, it is not that suitable with every diving mask. A hood might work for those who get cold easily underwater, however it will not keep your hair completely dry. Whether you’d like to use a hood or not, you still need to prepare your hair for the dive.
Coconut oil is your friend
I suggest you coat your hair with coconut oil, especially in the ends. Wet your hair with fresh water first and then put the coconut oil. Coconut oil is biodegradable as it is a natural product, so no harm for the ocean. The corals and fishes stay healthy 🙂 It also gives your hair a protective layer and keep it’s moisturized during the dive. It does wear off, but that takes quite some time!
If you can’t find any coconut oil you can also use conditioner or hair-mask, like the Leave-In-Hair Conditioner from Stream2Sea. Put the conditioner or hair mask in your hair and comb it in. Once it’s all combed in you can style your hair before going scuba diving.
Diving with a hoodie 🙂
Ways to wear your hair while scuba diving
Don’t want any knots in your hair or end up with a bird nest? Try one of these hairstyles:
- High or low bun
- Braided hair (one, two or french braid)
PS. Something else you can do to protect your bangs or short locks is to wear a beanie or a hairband.
Diving with a hair band to protect short locks.
How to tame your hair after diving
Thom and I after a dive.
Normally when I braid my hair and use coconut oil before the braiding it prevents from turning my hair into seaweed. However, some days I’m a bit lazy and I just put up a messy bun with too little coconut oil. When this happens I can tame my hair with some fresh water, followed by a hair mask that I let soak in for like 5 minutes. Don’t forget to close the running water while you let the mask soak in. After you’ve washed the mask out, you can use a large tooth comb to detangle your hair. When you’re hair is still a bit humid it’s a good idea to put some oil in the ends so they stay moisturized.
What do you do to keep your hair from damaging during scuba diving? Do you have special tricks to protect you hair?
Maybe you’re also interested in reading about working as a dive instructor in the Maldives.
About Renate Rigters
Ever since I left my home country I felt at home at any other place I went to. I enjoy getting to know more cultures by talking to strangers and hearing their philosophy about life. Speaking with gestures when you can not find a shared language, finding places only the locals go to and learn about their customs and values. Hanging out with local people makes me happy. The experience of every new place is a step out of your comfort zone where I like to wander around until it feels like a second home.
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To protect your hair by a natural way you can use a sesame oil- it provides also a natural UV protection (it equals the factor 4, not strong, but it is natural! also good for the skin). To help to recover your hair after a salty bath the aloe is perfect!
Hi Natalija, thank you so much for your contribution! Seasame oil sounds great! I shall give it a try 🙂 Cheers! Renate
I just want to thank you for sharing this amazing post……
Thanks Amed!