Playa Hair: Tips, tricks, and general accouterments

[QueerlyUnderstated]

We all have That Thing that we really want to make easier for ourselves on the playa; my thing is my hair. Last year my hair reached a new level of knotted hell and this year I aim to make it a bit easier for me.

How, you ask?

Through the use of odalisque-style turbans and head wraps! I’m pretty pumped about this because a) it’s on theme for the year b) it doesn’t have to be expensive and c) I get a bit more control (lol yeah right) over what’s going on with my hair to knot and hair to dust ratios.

During the renaissance, there was a HUGE fashion trend for both men and women to use different styles of wraps, textiles, and jewels/pearls worn on the turbans themselves. While there are some pretty great paintings of different wraps (links below), it’s sometimes hard to figure out how to actually get them to stay on your head and not all look the same. For this reason, I would strongly suggest that anyone considering the turban route as well check out some of the really badass tutorials online done by hijabis (women who wear hijabs) that will walk you through different styles of head wrap (including one on how to do Princess Leia hair with fabric!)

http://aneafiles.webs.com/glossary.html
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/73 ... 13550c.jpg
http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/ ... turban.jpg


What about the rest of y’all? What do you do to keep your hair in check and head looking amazing?

[Ratty]

I gut a furry stuffed animal and make it fit my head. Stylish and functional. NO. It's not hot. The wind blows through the fabric. I take it off a couple times a week and visit Astral Headwash. Under the animal I sometimes put my hair in a stocking. Hair is a problem out there and I'd rather not have to deal with it. WOW. I have to say I've never seen that photo of me before. Surprising what you find.

[AntiM]

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Scarves, hats, wigs, lots of them, plus a tight little bun bun.

[lucky420]

my hair is curly,thick, unruly, wild...

I let it do what it wants on the playa. I rinse playa out of it maybe 2-3 times in the 13 days that I'm there.

I never ever ever attempt to brush or comb it...ouch ouch ouch

I love my playa hair

[Papa Bear]

I take it off a couple times a week and visit Astral Headwash.

I take it one step further and camp with Astral Headwash.

Not, of course, that that's very helpful in terms of a general tip. But do come say hello the next time you drop in.

[cranberries]

I have long, thick, wavy hair. I wore it in two braids the whole time, I unbraided it every morning and gently combed out the dust. I would either rinse it (during my quick shower) and apply a little moroccan oil to the lower 1/3 or just rebraid again and carry on. I sometimes wore a scarf around the top half of my head (similar to what other ladies have posted) but not always. It was fine and back to normal within a week post-burn .

[Ratty]

Papa bear, I love your camp. I try and be a shampooer during my wait in line. (I'm very good at the head massage part.) It's the only time I would consider combing out the tangles. "HAIR IS MOOP". You guys are the best.

[Papa Bear]

Actually, Ratty, we think folks like you who come in and volunteer as head washers are the best. Without you, we'd have a far more difficult time offering our gift.

[lalanalla]

I have long pink hair and I've tried all the things. Last year I wore two braided pigtails all week. Every morning I took them out and brushed with a natural bristle brush and re-braided. My hair was virtually dust free hair all week. It was amazing. Get a natural bristle brush! Your hair will feel like hair!!!

[cranberries]

I have long pink hair and I've tried all the things. Last year I wore two braided pigtails all week. Every morning I took them out and brushed with a natural bristle brush and re-braided. My hair was virtually dust free hair all week. It was amazing. Get a natural bristle brush! Your hair will feel like hair!!!

my hair is way too thick and wavy to brush (I use a wide-toothed comb) but I second this re: pigtails, unbraid every morning, handle with the tool of your choice, re-braid. Made a huge difference for me .

[ZigZag]

Has anyone used any of that dry shampoo on their hair at BM? Supposedly you spray it on, work it through, shake it out then brush. No water, no muss. With playa dust though, I'm wondering if it'd all turn into a sticky mess.

[Papa Bear]

I've never heard of dry shampoo, but I'd imagine playa dust would be a major test for it. You could try it out at home by sticking your head in a bucket of talcum powder and really working it through your hair first, but I don't think even that would quite simulate the way playa dust clings to everything.

Speaking of brushing hair, a gentle reminder for everyone - you know how, when you brush out long hair, you often get some strands of loose hair that come out in the process ? Those are MOOP, so please be sure to catch them and stow them appropriately so you can transport them off-playa when you leave.

[misfit]

>>>> you know how, when you brush out long hair, you often get some strands of loose hair that come out in the process ? Those are MOOP, so please be sure to catch them and stow them appropriately so you can transport them off-playa when you leave.<<<<

really.?. clumps of hair,,, sure... strands of loose hair.??????. excessive.........

[Papa Bear]

really.?. clumps of hair,,, sure... strands of loose hair.??????. excessive.........

Yes, really. Just as bits of glitter, sawdust, loose threads, feather fragments, and various other small and lightweight items are MOOP. It may not seem like much, but in a city of 70,000 people, it adds up. We clean up quite a bit of the stuff just at our camp, and the number of people we serve is a small fraction of the total population.

Sure, people are going to lose a few hairs just walking around - that's unavoidable. But it's not unusual to see someone brush long hair, notice a few strands collect in his/her hand, and then just let them float off into the breeze/onto the playa.

It's not at all hard to just stick the hairs in your MOOP bag instead... and everyone has a MOOP bag, right?

[sadie]

Has anyone used any of that dry shampoo on their hair at BM? Supposedly you spray it on, work it through, shake it out then brush. No water, no muss. With playa dust though, I'm wondering if it'd all turn into a sticky mess.

I have used that stuff the last couple of years. I would not say that my hair was necessarily clean after, but my scalp felt a lot better.
My hair is pretty gross by the end of the week, but it makes me oddly happy. I wear a dew rag every day for tangle control. It's not the best solution, but is better than nothing.

[ZigZag]

I have used that stuff the last couple of years. I would not say that my hair was necessarily clean after, but my scalp felt a lot better.
My hair is pretty gross by the end of the week, but it makes me oddly happy. I wear a dew rag every day for tangle control. It's not the best solution, but is better than nothing.

I have used it a few times when I have been at the gym a lot but don't have time to wash it (my hair is pretty long) and you are spot-on, not real clean but it feels better. I just don't want the playa dust to ruin my hair, its taken a long time to grow it out.

Turbans, buffs, dew rags, hats. I guess I'll just braid it up, tuck it under, and be gentle.

Thanks for the input.

[Papa Bear]

ZigZag and others, if and when you get fed up and want it washed, Astral Headwash is open from 12-4 Monday through Friday, and is usually located around 4:30 and E.

I do advise showing up closer to noon, since we're first-come first-served and close our list once it becomes obvious we'll be washing hair past close (additionally, the list fills up considerably faster later in the week).

[Ann_Vader]

I have super curly shoulder length hair, of the most interesting color I can get away with at my conservative job.

Normally I just braid it into two braids at a burn, and brush and rebraid with some leave in conditioner as part of my morning toilette. I wear a hat, or a thin scarf or bandana over the whole thing to keep it a little less messy.

This is fine for 6 days of sweaty Transfomus without a shower, but possibly not the dusty desert for 13 days

My stylist is a long time burner and she suggested that we do box braids and wrapping with fabric. She had two important pieces of advice though - 1) do it the Saturday before I leave for Reno so I get used to the whole tight braid headache thing that one gets with braids. 2) Sunscreen on my scalp...

I'm still not sure if I'm going to go for the whole box braid wrapping thing, or just what I normally do when camping or burning. My camp has a shower, so I will be able to have somewhat clean hair for very brief moments. But if I leave my hair to its own devices, it'll dread up into a snarly mess in a day.

But it'll be fun to roll into work for one day with really outrageous hair before I disappear for a couple of weeks.

[gaminwench]

I do colorful braided extensions.
Love it.

[Mohairs]

I do colorful braided extensions.
Love it.

Your colorful braids are super gorgeous.

I couldn't go last year, but I'm still trying to go this year.
This is the first year I'll have long hair. Yikes.
Was thinking basic ponytails and hats.
In years past, I've always brushed my hair out thoroughly every morning and night. It will be fun to see what my hair does this year. It's thick and straight.

[Ratty]

Ann vader put astral headwash on your MustDo list. They will refresh you massage and wash away the dust. They rock!

[Papa Bear]

Thanks for the shout-out, Ratty.

I should point out a change to what I said a few posts up - we're moving to a different location this year, though we are still in the same sector. You can find us at 4:45 & D.

[Ann_Vader]

Thanks for the shout-out, Ratty.

I should point out a change to what I said a few posts up - we're moving to a different location this year, though we are still in the same sector. You can find us at 4:45 & D.

Ha! We are at 4:45 and F!

So astral head wash is our neighbor

Oh, I have a hair appt for major braids and wrapping

[Ratty]

Oops. (I'll just revise this so nobody knows how stupid I was for a second.) Hi everybody. *Waves and smiles like nothing happened*.

[fire inception]

Last year I just rolled with it. I have long hair to my mid-back. Braided it in a simple singular back braid, brushed it out, re-braided before bed, and did that for maybe 3 days until I could no longer brush it. It turned into this tangled, wavy, beachy, sexy, voluminous mess that I did not have to mess with the rest of the time. It's hair. It get's damaged, but you can always get a trim to freshen the ends afterward. Just plan on it in fact, it will make you feel better. And also, bring along a nice, slick, heavy duty conditioner to help detangle when you are back off of the playa for your first shower, and be patient when you finally brush it out.

[silversqurl]

I did 2 braids that stayed in the entire burn last year. Water would not even penetrate them, rather they turned into playa concrete after I tried to wash them at camp. After the burn , I spent an hour in the shower at a hotel and I was able to get one out. Another hour in the shower and I finally worked the second one loose. I slept with conditioner only in my hair and was good as new after the following morning's shower. The hotel drain, however, was partially clogged from all that mess. This year we are bringing my old Airstream trailer but will have no water on board. So, yeah, this year I will be finding your oasis of headwash luxury !

[C.f.M.]

I love dry shampoo for burns, this is the brand I've been using.

The big trick is to make sure you brush it through, so it can absorb the oil. And not to use too much, because it can build up like dandruff. I tried the spray kind, for brunettes, and did not like it at all.

After a particularly difficult post-event hair horror, I braid mine and don't touch it. I also keep it covered with a plain scarf or hat. I only take it down if I'm going to wash it.

A friend of mine swears by putting mousse in, first, but I don't use product.

I don't use conditioner, either, but have a tube packed for the post-playa detangling tragedy.

[Oldguy]

Shoulder length hair was put up in tight ponytail. Then I wore a big hat. Combed out before bed with large comb. Brush up into ponytail next morning... no problems.

[gaminwench]

Hair loss post-braids is normal.

Remove, comb out, wash. yumm.

[Skuzzy61]

Hair loss post-braids is normal.

Remove, comb out, wash. yumm.

Did not get to meet you at the burn. Maybe next time.

I solved my hair woes by cutting it all off before we left. Not a burr, but pretty darn close. No one would see my head anyway as it was covered the entire time I was outside the RV.

The Wife already keeps her hair short and it was back to normal a few days after we got back. I do have one pic of her with Playa colored hair, after the white out the night the man burned.