It might be easier to be bald
Used to be, back in the old days, my hair was a pain when I exercised because it was short. Too short to pull back. It got in my face and my eyes, and the wind whipped it around while I was running, and was all around annoying. Then it was long enough to put in a ponytail and everything was fine. For years, I had no problem with my ponytail. But for years, I never ran for more than an hour and usually not much more than 40 minutes. Lately, as my runs get longer, I’m out longer, I’m sweating more (and for longer), and my hair is getting grosser. My long ponytail gets soaked with sweat and matted and tangled to the point where I can’t get a comb through it. After 11 miles on Saturday, I had to wash my hair twice, the second time with shampoo that was also a conditioner, before I could get the tangles out. Not cool. So I’m searching for a solution. I need another hairstyle for exercise. (I’m not quite ready to cut my hair.) This morning, I pulled it into a ponytail, braided the ponytail, and twisted it into a bun. The bun wasn’t all that secure, but I only went two miles, so it lasted okay. And this evening before my strength class, I pulled it back into a regular braid. Messy, but it was out of the way. Of course, the strength class doesn’t really present a hair problem. The issue now (that can probably be resolved with practice) is that I suck at braiding my own hair. It’s behind my head and I can’t see it, so it’s messy and uneven and HARD. My arms get tired. Are there any tricks to this? Is there something obvious I’m missing (I hope) that makes it easier to braid your own hair or is it just a matter of practicing until it’s easy? When I try to pull it over one shoulder to finish the braid, the whole thing gets lopsided. Why do I suck at hair?