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I've only recently developed my technique to the point that I can make a functional braid - it may not look pretty but it serves a purpose.
I had gone hiking a couple of weeks ago with just a ponytail. By the end of my hike (it was a long one), the ends of my hair were very tangled. Likewise, I found swimming in lake water with loose hair to be an invitation for many tangles.
I just got back today from a few days camping, hiking and swimming in the mountains. For most of this time, I kept my hair braided. What a difference! Even after a full day of hiking and then swimming afterwards, upon releasing my braid, I found very few tangles and my hair was in good condition.
On Mahoosuc Ridge..
A lake near the summit...
Kept hair braided while swimming here..
Functional but I have to work on keeping the three strands separated better.
Jason, It looks like you had a great time!
Your self braid looks very nice - practice will make it better.
I've learned to self-braid years ago the last time my hair was long. With my hair now long enough again to braid, the motor skill is still there, intact after all of the years.
Once learned, you should have it for life.
Congrats and great pictures!
- Oren
Thanks Oren.
It's true about learning the motor skill. I still have to think about it but I can tell my mind is already getting partially programmed on the steps to braid. Practice is the key for sure.
Dude, great work. I wish I had been able to do it at that length. My hair might be less damaged now. It's really great in the Summer heat, isn't it?
Thanks Steve. Yeah, especially with the heat tangles want to form and this is a great tool.
Okay! That does it. I am going to have to learn how to do this if it kills me! BTY: Your braid looks terrific to my eyes. Also the views. Reminds me very much of the scenery where I live. Thanks for sharing those photos. Spectacular long hair. Spectaculary scenery.
Go for it Justin! Believe me, I'm not a natural at it at all! It just takes a lot of practice. With gorgeous hair at your length, a braid would look fantastic!
Thanks for your comments.
Hello Jason.
That is some incredible scenery. What state? I am trying to guess, Montana or Idaho maybe?
As for your braid, it looks perfect in the photo at the bottom. You have great hair and it should only look better still as it gets longer.
That is one nice tie dye shirt. I like tie dye nearly as much as long hair.
Long hair forever.
Absalom
Thanks Absalom.
Actually the trail I hiked is right on the border of NH and Maine. The photo looking off into the distance is looking straight into Maine.
Jason,
Those are some incredible photos you're sharing with us there, --- "WOW!!!!" doesn't even begin to sum it up!!!
That looks more like the Appalacian Mountains in your pics than out West, and if I was to guess... Upstate NY, New Hampshire, or Maine, perhaps? When I was young I camped in the Smokey Mts. in Tenn. & No. Carolina, and it looks like that could be your location possibly also, --- no matter: it's just BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
You do a neater-looking braid than I was able to master at that length. As it gets longer, it can actually start to get easier & even faster (up to a certain point, at least - lol!). A friend who is now re-growing his hair out once taught me to turn my head up-side-down in order to finish a mid-back length or longer braid.
I apologize for not yet taking pics of how to self-braid; but I see you figured it out, anyway, --- so, CONGRATS (and looks GREAT)!!!!
- Ken
Hi Ken, thanks so much!
You know, I've seen pictures of the process and I think at a certain point one just has to learn by doing it.
Great guess about the Appalachian Trail. I was on a section of it going through Mahoosuc Notch. In fact, they label one mile of it the toughest of the AT because it's so rough - not steep but just rugged. There are parts where one has to remove your pack just to fit through!
The trail is right on the border of NH and Maine.
Beginning that tough section...
See the tiny hole the arrow points to?
Hi Jason,
those pictures are phantastic, your braids, the landscapes, and the tie-dyed T-shirt! I do love those, too.
I also braid my hair from time to time, and I find it very practical especially in the summer heat (above 30°C or in the high 80's °F during the day). My hair almost looks a bit longer when it's braided :-)
Well, here's a picture (which also helps to satisfy the hitherto unrequited curiosity of all those board users who have asked themselves "well, he does post from time to time, but is he really a long-hair? ;-) The quality of the picture and of my hair (it's terminal length) don't match yours, of course, but, as I say, considering my family history of MPB, and being roughly the same age as Georges, I'm more than satisified with what I have.
CU soon!
Hans-Uwe
Hi Hans-Uwe,
I think your braid looks fantastic! You've obviously mastered the technique. I think your hair looks to be in excellent condition and you seemed to have been totally spared the MPB genetics of your family.
Thanks for sharing these.
Jason
ADMIRABLE
I love having my hair in a braid. Your braids seem to have come out very well.
BTW, do you work for Cooley? The company i work for buys their
products.
Thanks. No, I just picked up that shirt somewhere along the line, I forget where...
Pretty is nice, but never to the point that something functional is abandoned. I used to make really ugly braids...missing or doubling crossovers, uneven strands, right angle kinks...but they did keep my hair somewhat out of trouble. Now, my braid is long enough that it gets in trouble, so I have to keep it up, typically, these days in a pony scrub...which only requires that you can make a very bad bun on a stalk to go in the pouch.
My current challenge is making buns that don't look like cow plops in a grassy field.
When I hiked in a ponytail, the last hour on the way back would be taken up with detangling.
Great that you have the braid under control, and fabulous scenery!
Hey Trolleypup, here is another way to protect against tangles without braiding. It works very well. I ride a bicycle at a fast and furious pace to stay fit, and that means high wind speeds. Tangles are kept to a minimum.
Absalom
That would work, except that I am usually hiking in brushy areas or with a pack with non-hair-safe zipper pulls. Probably more of the rubbing side to side motion when walking too.
Stunning picture! And a textbook example of a banded ponytail!
I've admired your pony scrubs and hope that my hair will eventually be long enough to need one too.
I've also enjoyed looking at your hiking pictures. I'm impressed by the amount of hiking terrain in the SF area.
Your hair is long enough that you could use one now, if you wanted the coverage and protection.
This is the upside of having a bunch of major earthquake faults running through the area