Got any proven ways to protect your hair or treatments that really work when you’re ultra-damaging your locks daily?

- Shelina

I know what you mean. I had long hair for years and suffered from the same problem after a long ride. Regardless of gender, those of us who let it grow long will often find a matted mess instead of a ponytail after a day on the road. There are some ways to avoid this.

I used to tuck my ponytail inside the collar of my jacket. Sometimes this worked, but rubbing around between layers of clothing caused its own problems. Half the time my hair popped out of the jacket anyway, leaving me right back where I started. Braiding works well for some, though I can see from your Instagram photo that it doesn't work for you.

 

Another option is Hair Gloves. These wrap around your braid or ponytail and keep it contained while you're on the road. They also look pretty cool, with many different styles available that are as manly or girly as you'd like. If I hadn't lopped my locks, this would be the option I'd try.

Shelina has some great advice for us, as well.

Don’t ever put your hair up inside your helmet, or have your ponytail holder inside your helmet. Your helmet should fit snug around your head. Anywhere there’s lumps or bumps is just asking for a head injury. You may as well be riding around with a rock inside your lid. Trust me, you’ll feel that spot when you crash (did it on a dirtbike once and won’t make that mistake again).

She's right. Helmets are not designed to take extra hair into account. This could have disastrous effects in the event of a crash or at least uncomfortable ones as Shelina discovered. It's better to let it hang out. Fortunately, there are other ways to contain it.

As for dealing with a tangled post-ride mess, I'm no hair expert, but probably the best treatment I've used is Original Mane 'n Tail conditioner. Yes, it was designed for horses. So what? We ride iron horses, so why not share the same treatment? This is probably the most slippery stuff I've ever put in my hair, which makes tangles come out a whole lot easier and with less pain when you run a brush or comb through them.

It's entirely possible that there are even better ideas than these out there. What do you think? What are your top tricks for keeping your windblown long hair in shape?

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