I'll be honest, there was a part of wondering if I should just shave it. Spending four months in
India is a new challenge for anyone, even someone with their own hair. It's a different world, and you need to take various precautions and do lots of preparation before going. Also the fact that I'm backpacking and couchsurfing, as well as doing some volunteer work means that I will be moving around, often not knowing when my next chance to remove/attach will be.
Well, I'm halfway through my trip, and it has been no problem so far! The weather is very hot, but I just wear a good hat to keep my head cool. And when it comes to supplies, I have a very bare minimum with me so carrying the stuff isn't a problem. I attach every 10 days on average, and could go longer with tape. When using tape I'll just wash it on my head. In one case, I had to do a removal a clean and attach with people all around me
This was my most challenging attach because here in
India people are often packed into the houses, and I was staying with a friend who had his parents over. He was asleep, and I removed+cleaned in the bathroom quickly. Then I did a slide in his room, wearing my hat, let the piece dry and then attached in the bathroom again later on (people were trying to get in, but I just had to keep the door shut hehe, it didn't take long anyhow).
So far I've been doing the following activites:
- Hiking the mountains
- Rafting down the rapids -> We got totally soaked and it was windy too
- Swimming (pools and sea)
- Silent meditation retreat (12 days)
- Holi festival -> anyone from
India know about Holi! People throw paint all over each other and this includes the hair and hairline! Then we jump into a pool of water and get soaked to cool us down in the sun and remove the paint. I forgot about my hair and got stuck right in... life is short! Took a bit of shampoo and the paint came out of my hair, but some of it is still visible on the base. But who cares, nobody sees the base... right?
- Lots of yoga classes involving all sorts of postures where the head is in different positions on the floor
- Sleeping with the mosquitos
- Lots of sun and very hot humid conditions in the south of
India
And none of this has been a problem really. I've been using some i-glue and some walker *something*grip (can't remember the name). Started using tape recently because running out of my walker glue. But if I run out, no problem I have plenty of tape and i-glue.
Enjoy your hair. Travel anywhere you want, go on camping trips, go into windy and wet conditions. Go white water rafting. There was a period where I was afraid of doing long-term
travelling when I was first wearing, but after a while you realise anything is possible with these hair systems. Don't let the hair wear you, it's just a glorified cap at the end up the day
Oh, also lost my conditioner but ended up getting some Himalayan one and it seems to do the job fine!
Have fun with your hair and stop thinking about it.