Question for All You "Long-Haired Bikers"

[Faith]

Those of you with long hair who ride motorcycles, what is the most comfortable way to wear your hair when riding? I will be doing the riding portion of my motorcycle safety course this weekend and I need a comfortable style that I won't have to fiddle with all day. My hair is somewhat thick and tailbone length and I am required to wear a helmet, so it has to fit under that. I'm not very good at braiding my own hair; I can do it if I have to but it doesn't look very good! However I wear it tomorrow, I'd like it to look good, but comfort and security are my priorities. Any suggestions?

[k_hepburn]

I find braiding gets a lot easier if you start off by tying your hair into a ponytail at the base of the neck first. I like the look, too, a bit like Angelina Jolie in Beowulf (without the "I'm a monster" lizard tail end).

Greetings

katharine

[Irishred]

Well, a french or double french were my best things under a helmet when DH rode. If I needed to do it quick a regular braid worked but I would take it out if we were going somewhere specific. The worst thing is the on/off of the helmet ALWAYS pulls the easy to fly-away hair our of the most secure up do.

Thinking about it, this was talked about in another thread a while ago. Kinda of anyway. There is a headwrap thing that works great under a helmet. Unless it is sold at a store near you you wouldn't have it for tomorrow. A do-rag(?) or bandana/satiny scarf that fits under your helmet comfortably and a braid like Katherine suggested might work.

Have fun on your safety course.

[Miss Murphy]

Well, a french or double french were my best things under a helmet when DH rode. If I needed to do it quick a regular braid worked but I would take it out if we were going somewhere specific. The worst thing is the on/off of the helmet ALWAYS pulls the easy to fly-away hair our of the most secure up do.

Thinking about it, this was talked about in another thread a while ago. Kinda of anyway. There is a headwrap thing that works great under a helmet. Unless it is sold at a store near you you wouldn't have it for tomorrow. A do-rag(?) or bandana/satiny scarf that fits under your helmet comfortably and a braid like Katherine suggested might work.

Have fun on your safety course.

I think you mean a Buff (http://www.buff.es/)

[kitana]

When hubby and I go riding, I always do either a french braid, or a ponytail then braid that. I also always wear a bandana over it, and sometimes leather ponytail cuffs (they are 4-6" long and snap over the braid).

[BittSweetCherry]

AWESOME. I booked my pre-learner's riding course about two minutes before finding this thread. It's a sign. A siiiiign!

Helmet hair I'm not so worried about, but I was wondering: is simply having an unprotected/uncovered braid hanging down your back while at city cruising speeds enough for shorter hairs to tangle, or is a tight braid pretty good at keeping everything neat?

[Alun]

I haven't ridden a motorcycle for a long while, but I used to tie my hair back and then tie a scarf around my neck to keep my hair inside my jacket. In summer I would use a thin scarf (faux silk, think Snoopy and the Red Baron) and a thin jacket. I wouldn't ride without another layer over my shirt anyway, for safety.

[Periwinkle]

You probably wouldn't be able to get one for tomorrow, but I've heard of people using those beaded pony wrap things.

[Rebelkat]

Personally, I just braid it and tuck the braid into my jacket so that it can't come loose. It's always worked for me. :shrug:

[Nynaeve]

You probably wouldn't be able to get one for tomorrow, but I've heard of people using those beaded pony wrap things.

They're long leather cords folded in half with beads holding the two bits together. They go down the length of the hair. Some people call them "braiders."

It's almost like having a ribbon braided into your hair but thinner, and it keeps your hair together.

I've thought about making them. Wish I had had the correct type of beads to make one for my DBF before I fly off to see him. Oh well. :shrug:

You can probably get one for like $10-$20 online, btw.

There's also another type of leather ponytailer thing that's like a strap that covers the ponytail down several inches, but I don't like most of those very much for some reason. :shrug:

[Stagecoach]

I always just braid my hair and tuck the braid down my shirt... that keeps everything nicely contained. (Well it did till my hair got so long it now pokes out the bottom!)

[Faith]

Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone! I ended up just putting it in a low pony and braiding it for the first day which worked pretty well, then the second day I just went with the low ponytail. Reason being, we never rode over 20 mph so there wasn't much chance for it to tangle, lol! I really do appreciate everyone's ideas, though as I plan to ride everyday (at higher speeds) as soon as I get my bike.

[Denise]

Tights are cheap and make a great 'do rag for longhairs. If you can't/don't want to braid, make a ponytail at the nape, then put more elastics down the length to keep it bundled together. Toss your ponytail down one leg of the tights, then put the "panty" portion on your head, with the front and back seams on the sides of your head, and with the empty leg above the one containing your hair; take the empty leg and wrap it around the base of the filled one, then just tuck the very end under. Easy, quick, protective, and pretty comfortable.