Let’s face it, scuba diving and hair is not a perfect pair. If you want to avoid the dreaded tangled hair after a dive, keep reading for the best way to avoid a rat’s nest mess that leaves you debating cutting all your hair. This hair saving strategy will work for scuba + free diving.
After scuba and free diving around the world: Bermuda to The Red Sea to the wall of sharks in French Polynesia.
The ultimate strategy to avoid tangles: Braids
I recommend starting with two French Braids and see how well that works. For me, two braids is easy to do solo and it works. However, my dive buddy has thick, course, curly hair which requires four braids. If you are like me and you cannot French Braid to save your life, regular braids work perfectly fine. Take extra time to make sure it is tight.
Pre + Post Dive Hair
How:
- Prior to diving, comb the ends of your hair with fresh water.
- Add coconut oil if you wish.
- Tightly braid each section. The tighter the better.
- After diving, rinse hair with fresh water. Even if you leave the braids in.
- For cute beach waves, keep the braids until they dry halfway. Then let the braids out to air dry. If you wish, you can put a small amount of coconut oil on the ends of your hair.
For extra protection from the salt water, add coconut oil.
Coconut oil is the most recommended oil for all hair types and is widely available at an affordable price. Not only is it great for your hair, but it also has many other health and beauty benefits. Totally recommend searching Pinterest for hundreds of coconut oil uses.
How much oil will you need? A very small amount. Start with a few drops on the tips of your fingers and comb through the ends of your hair.
Additional oils you can try:
- Almond Oil — Best for dandruff
- Argan Oil — Best for dry or frizzy hair
- Macadamia Oil — Best for extremely dry and damaged hair
Extra tips
- Practice.
- Time yourself. Seriously, you do not want to miss or hold the entire boat up because you were braiding your hair. Personally, I give myself 30 minutes before the first dive. It only takes me 20 minutes but if for some reason I am having a bad hair day, there is a ten minute cushion and I leave the braids in for the entire day of diving.
- Stop into the dive shop the day prior to diving. There might be someone available who happens to know how to French Braid. Wouldn’t that be a great add on service?!
- Depending on the location, for a small cost there might be people on the beaches who will braid your hair.
- When gearing up, I tuck my braids inside my rash guard and zip it fully. This greatly helps in preventing hair from getting snagged on gear or wrapped around a snorkel when free diving.
