Skydive Hairstyle: How to Look Good and Feel Great in the Air

While a windblown look can be a desirable and fashion-forward hairstyle, the 120+ mph winds you’ll experience on your skydive rushing through your tresses might be overkill! 

If you want to have a comfortable and enjoyable experience, choosing the right skydiving hairstyle is just as crucial (if not more) as choosing what outfit to wear. With our nearly 50 years of experience, we know a thing or two about dressing the part and what hairstyles can withstand the tests of a skydive’s hurricane-like gale.

Skydiving Hair, We DO Care!

One of our main goals at Oklahoma Skydiving is ensuring that our guests are as comfortable as possible while still feeling confident on their skydiving adventure. Which means not only dressing the part but also choosing the right hairstyle. Trust us, you do NOT want to deal with the aftermath of loose locks turned to unruly knots!

Having the correct hairstyle for skydiving is not only important for comfort, but also for safety! Free flowing, long hair can be a huge distraction for your tandem instructor. On a tandem skydive, the student (you) will be directly in front of the tandem instructor, facing in the same direction. If your hair is free-flying, this means it will be blowing frantically directly in your instructor’s face which could impact their vision. 

Tandem students do not wear hard helmets in order to avoid accidentally hitting the face of the tandem instructor and injuring them or, worse, potentially knocking them out. Yikes! Instead, the students head and hair is either exposed or contained underneath a soft, frap hat (if available). You will be provided special skydiving goggles that will have a band that straps around your head, so keep that in mind as well when choosing how to wear your hair.

How to Look Good Skydiving

We get it. You want to look fly as you fly through the sky – especially if you opted for one of our video and stills packages (which you totally should). Looking good and feeling good are important for giving you the confidence you need to brace the wide open skies. When you’re comfortable on your skydive, you’re able to fully embrace the experience rather than being distracted by whatever is bugging you – be it your hair flapping in your face or your shoes slipping off your feet. Oops! 

Save yourself the embarrassment and come prepared! Deciding how to wear your hair and what to wear skydiving is the first step to having a successful and comfortable skydive. While you may want to pick something that looks good, the better questions are ‘does it feel good?’ and ‘is it secure?’. Because when you feel good, you look good! While safety and comfort should always be your top priority when skydiving, there’s no reason why you can’t also look good while doing it!

How to Wear Your Hair for Skydiving

When selecting a skydiving hairstyle, practicality is key. Consider hairstyles that can withstand the wind resistance of freefall and won’t obstruct your (or your instructor’s) vision. The idea is to keep your hair as tight to your scalp as possible and loose hairs contained. Depending on the length of your hair, we recommend braids, buns, and low ponytails if manageable. 

The same goes for long beards. On a tandem skydive, you’ll be in a belly-to-earth position, so you’ll want to braid or tie your beard up unless you plan on skydiving with beard hair in your face. You won’t want to miss the epic view of tiny buildings and wonderful waterways below! 

Here are some helpful tips for preparing your hair for skydiving:

1. If you use hair products, use them sparingly on jump day if possible to avoid it potentially running into your eyes.
2. For longer hair, consider braiding or twisting it into a tight low bun at the nape of your neck.
3. If you have super short hair, the wind may be a non-issue. If it’s long enough to whip around, though, consider braids or a tight, low bun or ponytail if possible.
4. Use as many elastic hair ties as you need to secure your chosen hairstyle in place.
5. Avoid using potentially hazardous metal pins and clips in case they get dislodged.
6. Hats, headbands, buffs and headscarves are generally a no-go but can be considered on a case-by-case basis (just ask your instructor).

Skydiving Hairstyle Tips

Here are some additional hairstyling tips for before and after your skydive:

• Unsure about your hairstyle choice? Ask your instructor! For tandem skydiving, you will be harnessed to a highly-trained professional who is an excellent source for information on all things skydiving. Our instructors want you to have the best time possible, so your comfort is their top priority. They can help guide you on how to approach skydiving hairstyles and what to expect.
• Bring your hair care kit for after you land. While you can’t take anything with you on the airplane, you may want to bring your hair care kit with you to the dropzone, whether that’s a brush, comb, or detangling spray, so you can tend to your tresses after your jump.
• Embrace the windblown look. Once back on the ground, a little windblown look to match the goggle marks on your face will suffice as proof of your awesome adventure. Wear it as a badge of honor! You’ll be so excited after your jump that it’s likely you won’t even mind. The most important thing is the big smile you’ll be wearing!

We want what you want on jump day – to have an epic day making memories you’ll cherish for the rest of your life! Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or concerns when it comes to preparing for your special day. We’re here to help! We can’t wait for you to jump with us. Blue skies.