Hair Styling without Tools
The problem is that I live on a sailboat. I also spend a lot of time in the ocean. This means that styling tools are difficult to use, and I am in and out of the water a lot sometimes. I am willing to try any haircut or style that will be wash and wear and attractive on me. That includes perms/body waves. I don't mind using any styling products (gels, etc.) necessary. Anyway, I don't know if I should just give up and shave my head! Please help if you can.
Given your description of your needs and lifestyle I would imagine that you would be best served by a shorter, layered style. You can also combine this with a perm service for medium to large curls and added body, but you will need to be particularly careful to protect the hair from the stresses of seawater. The use of swimmer's shampoo and conditioner is a good idea.
There are also styling techniques that will spare you from having to use styling tools. These include the finger waving and pin curls, which can be created with a comb and a bob pins. You can find instruction on these techniques here.
As for specific looks, I'm afraid I can't really offer specifics, but we do offer access to an imaging source to let you try out styles and see how you would like them. It can give you some good ideas for a direction in which to go. You can find the link to it, here.
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See also:
Photos of short hairstyles
Perms and perming
Can I swim in a lake with newly permed hair?
Is there a product you can recommend for a swimmer with long hair?