Standing on a mountain with your long locks blowing in the breeze. It sure looks glamorous on Instagram, but having long hair on the trail can be a serious pain if you don’t have a routine in place for managing it. Today I’d like to share a few tips for keeping your long hair in check while hiking and backpacking!
1. The Mighty Braid
Long hair mats up like crazy, especially toward the back of the neck. It's also heavy! It can also get snagged by branches or caught under your shoulder straps and even armpits as you hike. These are just a few of the problems French braiding my hair has solved. In my experience, braiding is way more practical for outdoor activity than pulling it back in a ponytail. Ponytails put a lot of pressure on my roots leaving my scalp feeling tender. I also find myself having to stop regularly to readjust and restyle it. When braided, my hair stays securely in place throughout the day.
Continually pulling a sweaty ponytail off the back of your neck is no fun. What's worse is getting it caught on a zipper or wrapped around the straps of your pack! With a braid all of that can be avoided. Braids keep your hair tightly wound together from root to tip. There's no way for it to get tangled up in itself or your pack. For this same reason, braids are also more effective at preventing mats.
Another reason to love braids is how versatile they are. There are so many combinations you can try. The classic French braid, a sideways / diagonal braid, pigtails, the list goes one! It's a style that does the job well and looks great too!
2. Brush it out
This might seem like a no brainer, but tip number two is brushing out all the tangles and restyling it. I do this every evening when I get to camp and every morning before hitting the trail again. I carry a travel size boar bristle brush in my toiletry kit. It not only helps work out the knots without damaging my hair, but it redistributes the natural oils too. The boar bristle brush is excellent for managing that greasy hair feeling I typically get by the 2nd or 3rd day of a trip.
You can find the brush set I use HERE.
3. Bandanas & Buffs
A bandana is an excellent tool for tying your hair back. Like I mentioned, my go-to style is a French braid. A really neat trick you can do with that style is using the bandana to tie your hair up in a braided bun. You can try this with a ponytail too, but it won't be as secure.
Start by tying the bandana around the end of the braid.
Then, roll the hair under itself to the base of your neck.
Last, bring the ends of the bandana around / behind your ears. Tie them in a knot on top of your head, and you're done!
For extra support, you can put in a couple bobbie pins around the bun.
Buffs or headbands are most helpful for holding back rebellious bangs. Braids are an incredible hairstyle, but they aren't perfect. During times when I have bangs, those shorter pieces of hair can come loose and hang in my face. Putting on a stylish headband or Buff pulls them out of the way for the rest of the hike, or at least until camp.
4. Multi-use toiletries
This is a tip I picked up from The First 40 Miles podcast. One of their "backpack hacks of the week" was to multi-use items in your toiletry kit. Lip balm or spray on sunscreen, for example, can also be used as a way of taming flyaway hairs. I've tried this tip on a couple of occasions. In my experience, spray on sunscreen doesn't work very well. It mostly left my hair feeling stringy and greasy. Lip balm, on the other hand, works much better. You'll want to use one with a waxy consistency though. Burt's Bees brand has been great for keeping the flyaway and baby hairs from my bangs at bay. A very similar product I've started carrying on all my trips is Musher's Secret. It's an all natural non-toxic paw wax for my dogs.
Baby powder is another multi-purpose item I occasionally keep in my toiletry kit. It's a good substitute for dry shampoo. If my hair is starting to feel particularly oily or greasy, I'll put a little near my roots and brush it in. This stuff goes a long way though! I typically won't use this trick more than once on a trip, otherwise the powder will start to show in my hair.
I hope you found these tips for hiking with long hair useful. Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a great rest of your day, and I can't wait to share more helpful tips, tricks, and info with you next time.