How do you wear your long hair for caving?

[hannahb]

I wear my long hair in a plait and put it down the inside of my undersuit. A friend this weekend said this never works for her - her hair comes out of the plait, gets stuck to the velcro of her suit, and so on.

So, how do you wear your long hair that reliably keeps it out of the way?

Thanks

 

[PeteHall]

So, how do you wear your long hair that reliably keeps it out of the way?

Glad you added that word, as I was about to say "short"

I put my (7 year old) daughter's hair in a Buff, then tucked into her oversuit, as I've seen other people do that. She's never complained about it and it generally stays put for the duration of a trip. I guess with an adult-sized head, the Buff won't have so much slack to tuck in...

 

[Samouse1]

Withe my Vertex cradle helmet it's possible to have it in a bun all tucked away. Obviously with a foam insert that isn't necessarily possible, but I have in the past also had a plait or loose in a buff. I've never tucked it into my oversuit, but then again mine isn't super long, so there's not really a danger of it getting caught in my descender when plaited

 

[hannahb]

@deffonotmaria sounds like a bun and a buff would help

 

[langcliffe]

I don't have very long hair now, but it is moderately long (my daughter trims it every six months), and I pull a doubled buff completely down below the hair line, and then pull the top of the buff up to the top of my head. That way any hair gets dragged with it, and doesn't dangle.

 

[georgenorth]

Before I cut off my flowing locks, I found that mud and oil made an affordable and effective alternative to hair gel.

 

[Babyhagrid]

Get a mullet, the long hair stays out the way at the back . And the short hair at the front and sides can't get stuck in descender.

 

[Slug]

I don't have very long hair now, but it is moderately long (my daughter trims it every six months), and I pull a doubled buff completely down below the hair line, and then pull the top of the buff up to the top of my head. That way any hair gets dragged with it, and doesn't dangle.

After I left the air force I didn't cut my hair for about 5 years....then one day it got fed into my petzl stop whilst descending Lancaster Hole.....not bad enough to need cutting out, but it did send a message. I had it trimmed a few days later.
Also on that trip was Scoff, who told me that he'd once had his beard caught in his rack, ad that DID need cutting off.....I've since gone bald.....so it doesn't matter anymore...

 

[Lara_]

I hate mud in my hair (it always seems to itch!) so I like to plait it and tuck it in a buff under my helmet - my hair’s not extremely long but it never seems to escape and always stays clean

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Not so much to worry about now. I had a beard and moustache in my diving days. Never affected the mask seal.

 

[deffonotmaria]

@deffonotmaria sounds like a bun and a buff would help

I think my hair just refuses to stay in a hair bobble
Yesterday, it managed to creep out my base layer, 2 fleeces and a buff. I’m thinking a buzz cut might be needed at this point

 

[Ian Ball]

A question I've asked a few times and it does seem a a bit personal. I go for a pony tail that fits nicely through the helmet cradle and under a balcaclva. My hair is so thin nowadays that is possible. Balaclava works for the beard too.

 

[Logismos]

My girlfriend (with very long hair) does something along these lines:

(Pic from google)

As far as I know, she braids it and then pins it to her head in a way that stays out of the way of her helmet.

 

[Ian Ball]

That is expert

 

[hannahb]

My girlfriend (with very long hair) does something along these lines:
View attachment 22045
(Pic from google)

As far as I know, she braids it and then pins it to her head in a way that stays out of the way of her helmet.

This is amazing. I don't think my helmet would fit if I did this.

 

[Crustyface]

For the vast majority of trips I just lean forward so my ponytail flops over the top, and then I put my helmet on so it sits between the cradle and the shell. The ends of the hair can get very dry and dusty so sometimes I put a second hairtie lower down to hold it together like a kind of brush - after a muddy trip it stays sticking upwards and looks very silly indeed. If I know I'm having a shower straight after caving (SWCC and RRCPC) then I might slap a gratuitous handful of conditioner on the tips and leave it in for the duration of the trip.

Best of all is if I can persuade a friend to give me some french plaits on both sides. Those always stay put through frequent de-helmeting under the muddiest of conditions.

P.S. shoutout to Phil Timko who wraps his magnificent beard around his neck and ties it back behind his head. I wish I could do that.

 

[Tim Pickering]

After I left the air force I didn't cut my hair for about 5 years....then one day it got fed into my petzl stop whilst descending Lancaster Hole.....not bad enough to need cutting out, but it did send a message. I had it trimmed a few days later.
Also on that trip was Scoff, who told me that he'd once had his beard caught in his rack, ad that DID need cutting off.....I've since gone bald.....so it doesn't matter anymore...

There was this lad that lived up at Nine Ladies back in the day, who got one of his dreads caught in a figure-of-eight during a fast descent. It ripped clean off his head and boy did he shreik! He posted it to his mother, for some strange reason.

 

[rsch]

In a plait, which may or may not stay inside a buff. Hair bobble on the end of the plait occasionally goes mssing, but a second bobble at the base of the plait fits nicely in the helmet cradle and holds the helmet a stable position.

 

[Pitlamp]

No.2 all over, in and out quick. No problem!

I also once had hair ingested into a descender and would rather not repeat that little adventure.

 

[hannahb]

Could a moderator add the word "long" before "hair" in the thread title please?