Keep Your Hair Out Of The Way and Looking Fab Outside

By Rachel Bowes

I was born with the curse of naturally curly hair. On one hand, yes, it does make me feel like a lion and that’s spectacular, but on the other hand it earned me the childhood nickname of “Cousin It.” I also absolutely love being outdoors – camping, hiking, fishing, off-roading: you name it.

I quickly grew tired of hiding my hair back in a ponytail or under a hat any time I ventured outside (ever tried dealing with hair after a day in a topless Jeep?), so I began searching for solutions to my hair’s Sasquatchitis.

Here is my guide to conquering trail hair.

Braids, Bandanas and Bobby Pins

More often than not, leaving my hair down when I’m on the trail means I’m constantly pushing it out of my face and wiping sweat off the back of my neck. Instead of putting it into a ponytail to keep it out of the way, I’ve learned to love the three B’s: braids, bandanas and bobby pins.

A quick Google search will reveal an endless supply of easy braid styles to hold your hair out of the way without the ‘librarian look’. A loose braid is usually best for outdoor adventuring, because it embraces the messy look and transforms what could be a disaster into a sexy style.

Bandanas are wonderful out in the sun, because they both protect your scalp from sunburn (yes, it’s possible and just as terrible as it sounds) and help keep you from dripping sweat in the heat. Whether you roll it and tie it like a headband or spread it over the top of your head, bandanas always look cute and will keep your mane in line.

My personal favorite is using bobby pins. I hide them in my layers while still getting my hair out of my face and under control. With bobby pins, my hair can be all but left down with just a few well-placed pins to prevent my curl’s rebellious afro-effect.

It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Spray

I don’t often tout brands in my publications, but this product is essentially bottled magic (in my honest opinion). The 2 oz. bottle option is easily portable, so it doesn’t take up space in the Jeep and it takes my daily frizz and turns it into something near-human.

Between the summer heat and humidity, my hair gets big fast. A couple spritzes of this and, even if my hair gets a little large, I’m still the one in charge. I can even, dare I suggest it, touch my hair throughout the day without suffering a hairsplosion.

Dry shampoo

Three days in the wild without running water will leave anyone with oily roots that make them look and feel dirty. If you have straight hair, the result may be suffering lanky locks. For me, the result of oily roots is triangle-head: flat at the top, big and curly at the bottom.

Dry shampoo is a cheap, easy solution which will help you clean up your scalp quickly and easily. Just spray it in, let it set for a few minutes and brush it out. Voila: clean trail hair.

Sleep on It

There are two types of bedhead in the world: the mythical sexy bedhead of Hollywood and the deranged bedhead of reality. Instead of trying to breathe life into limp hair or beat the wild thing on your head down with a brush every morning, style it before bed and pin it down.

Tightly braiding your hair before you crawl into your sleeping bag creates controllable waves for fellow curl-sufferers and adds wavy body to straighter hair. Another option is to separate your hair out into 1-inch segments, twirl them around your finger and pin them tight to your scalp. This one takes a while, but when you let it down in the morning you’ll have a head of bouncy, neat curls.

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Rachel Bowes is a copywriter with 4WD.

Category: Workouts