mike

One of the big concerns I hear especially from female cyclists who want to commute to work, is that they are concerned about helmet hair; sweaty, mashed down, misshapen - you know.

Well, I was talking to a senior friend of mine who said that in the old days, girls used to fluff up their hair with baby powder or talc powder.

Apparently, you put this on your hair after you get to your destination. It dries up the oils and moisture and makes your hair fluffy. She said that you would not see the powder after it was applied.

Now this is one that I have not yet tried, but it sounds reasonable. My friend swears by it.

Has anyone tried this yet?

Jean Beetham Smith 

Yes, I tried that in high school. I think a lot depends on the texture of your hair. For me it made my hair rather heavy and flat. I haven't tried it for helmet head since I can do a quick shampoo in the dog tub, yes with dog shampoo, before everyone else gets in. Tub is in too public an area to bathe in though. Just one of the many advantages of being a vet tech!

Cambronne

Ahhh... how I long for helmet hair. Mashed flat, curled up at the ends, matted across the forehead...

In order to have helmet hair, one must first HAVE hair.

No, instead, I have helmet HEAD... that is, I walk around until mid morning with strap and pad marks on my shiny suntanned head.

The upside is that I look much younger with my helmet ON.

mike

Pete Clark wrote to me and advised that Baby Powder may be better and, perhaps, even safer that talc. I'm not sure what the differenct is beteen the two. Maybe Baby Powder has corn starch rather than talc.

Anyway, Pete is usually accurate with his information, so better chose a non-talc product.

LightBoy

According to the label on my Target Brand baby powder, it is "Pure Cornstarch." This is slightly misleading, as the back label gets a little more specific and adds "Tricalcium Phosphate (whatever that is) and Fragrace [sic]". I think they're trying to spell fragrance, since "fragrace" is not found in any dictionary I own.