St. Patrick's Day Hair in the Summer

I just got some interesting news. I don't know why I didn't know this before, and it makes complete sense like I should have figured this out on my own or something, but ahh well.

I have to be so careful with my hair in the summer. I bleach my hair blonde. I've been doing it so long that no one can even remember my real hair color - except hubby from that one time when I tried to dye my hair red and it didn't work but that is a whole other story.

Aside from bleaching/dying it, it goes through the wringer everyday. The wringer being "blow dryer and curling iron." Although, in the summer, these don't get done near as much.

I'll never forget the first summer my hair turned green from the chlorine in the pool. I thought maybe it was just a reflection from the walls in the bathroom when I discovered it. I was wrong. It was BAD. I went into extreme panic mode and yelled for hubby. I spent the next day with it up under a baseball hat frantically scouring Walgreens to find something to help and praying it wasn't going to cost and arm and a leg and half my hair.

I actually found a good shampoo. The unfortunate part is that it is a seasonal product and therefore, once it was no longer summer, they didn't carry it. So I had thrown out the bottle without remembering the name. In subsequent years, I have used a kid's shampoo by L'Oreal called Swim and Sport Shampoo - but the orange smell is really not my kind of thing and I don't think it lathers well. And honestly, I am not a 100% sure as to how well it works because after that first year, I avoid getting my hair wet so much in the pool if at all possible.

But I met up with a lady who does hair. She offered two suggestions. Cleansing Cream Shampoo by Redkin. The other was to GET MY HAIR WET WITH TAP WATER BEFORE I GET IN THE POOL. Giant DUH for me. This makes so much sense. She explained that by getting your hair wet first, the hairs have already absorbed water so they don't absorb the chlorine water!

So with all the pool sessions and swimming I do, this is my new plan of attack - so I don't look like a leprechaun or witch in the middle of summer!

Scuba Diving Hair

So who else but a girl would talk about hair when it comes to diving?? But this article isn't just for girls and women. Guys, keep reading too.

I have long hair. It is often a problem when it comes to diving. It has been tangled around the hoses, the tank valve, the snorkel and about every piece of velcro used anywhere on diving gear. But I so LOVE looking as much mermaid-like as I can underwater!!! Often though, reality takes control and I put it in a braid/ponytail, which curbs much of the problems and diminishes the mermaid look completely. I look more like a seal. No, not a Navy seal either.

Once out, the braid/ponytail is a much better choice again, as getting a comb or pick through the tangled masses of dirty, mucky, algaed wet hair can be a humongous chore that I often try to hide in a ball hat rather than deal with. And if I came out of the ocean, well even though my hair is straight as a board, it becomes this giant frizz ball.

Bangs - now here is a definite problem. Underwater they are ok unless you are trying to put a mask back on. I have also seen this problem occur with guys too. I have no answers or suggestions - guys might look pretty silly if they bobby pin their bangs back before heading into the water and putting their mask on.

Most men scuba divers I known opt for the easy way out. A shave of the head. Bald or military short. But this "hairdo" can bring on its own set of problems, with sunburn being the worst. Many men are turning to the skull caps and this had saved many a heads from sunburn and pain. From what I have heard, they also keep your head a smidge warmer while diving.

I guess if we went back to the old diving helmets, none of this would be an issue. We would be more worried about neck pain and not being able to see very easily. But I don't think that is the way of the sport.

Someone needs to invent something cute and divey like to keep everyones bangs out of their face and eyes, whether in water or on shore. I'll buy one!