I allow myself a few indulgences: chocolate, thick-foam lattes, and this post, which is about low-maintenance hair for sailing.
Table of Contents
Low-Maintenance Hair for Sailing Is Not Hollywood
A former neighbour of mine who sailed the globe for nine years and circumnavigated tells me that her hair was salt-encrusted.
She also told me that the image of Nicole Kidman having her hair washed on deck at sea is the stuff of Hollywood.
I suppose the same could be said when Robert Redford washes Meryl Streep’s hair in the movie Out of Africa?
What a strange Hollywood fantasy motif.
Suspiciously, this fantasy looks a lot like my experience at the hair salon, except it might be Enid or Nathalie washing my hair instead of Hollywood actors.
My Expensive History With Hair Colour
I need a plan for low-maintenance hair for sailing. This is new to me. I am a thrifty person but I have also spent thousands of dollars on my hair. I used to treat the salon like it was a religion — visiting every 6 weeks to maintain my short hair and highlights.
Then, about 18 months ago I discovered that if I stopped going to the salon I could grow my hair, save money and colour my own hair. So, I trusted my hair to L’Oreal.
Simply put, I turned to box colouring. The results were pretty good, even if not completely what I expected. I was hoping to go blonde. But, red worked too.
I was headed on my way to becoming an elegant, long-haired redhead. And, soon I could live my fantasy of tossing my hair out of a motorcycle helmet like this lady demonstrates in this family-friendly Youtube video.
When Box Dye Stopped Being Low Maintenance
But soon, I found myself becoming a slave to box dye. My husband put a stop to it last summer when he saw me loading boxes of L’Oreal Brass Banisher into our otherwise minimalist camping gear. With great trepidation, my husband said that my hair was starting to look like I was doing it myself, and that I should go back to the salon to have my hair fixed. And, so I did when we visited Drumheller, Alberta.
Growing Out Thirty Years of Hair Dye
I am naturally quite dark, not even blonde anymore. But through inexperience or creativity, the colourist saw me as a blonde, and I was happy with the results even if she did use pure bleach to highlight my mane. In fact, I left the salon looking a lot like my colourist.
Seven Months Without Hair Colour
Back in Ottawa, the blonde highlights began to grow and my darker roots were revealed. That was about seven months ago, and I haven’t even had a trim since. Truly, I have come to adopt the appearance of an Alsatian or German Shepherd.
With this dog reference, I’m not being a stereotypical, self-deprecating Canadian. I really am mostly blonde but with clearly dark areas.
My Plan for Low-Maintenance Hair for Sailing
And, so the short story is I’m getting my hair cut short next week. I’m cutting it to remove all of the colour that has been applied. And, for the first time in 30 years I will be saying goodbye to the hair dye industry. I’m no longer buying into the lie that I will achieve maximum self-confidence because I’m buying what they are selling me in a bottle.
I’m going to let my hair be absolutely low maintenance. I’m not going to worry about maintaining my new short hairdo. I will cut my hair when I can.
I hope my wind-beaten face will radiate confidence, regardless of the colour of my hair. And, if it doesn’t work then I can always go back to the bottle for some liquid courage. (I just might not tell you about it.)
Related posts
Pin it
If you enjoyed my story about low-maintenance sailing hair, please save it to your own Pinterest board using the image below. Thanks for reading!
