Ok, I know its girly...but lets talk HAIR

I wouldn't worry about whether it seems "prima donnish".  Really, anyone who criticizes what you are doing during the transition couldn't be very serious about their own race, since the serious people will be in and out of the transition area too quickly to even notice.  

But I do wonder if there isn't an alternative that could take less time and energy for you.  Perhaps if you braided your hair or put it up some other way so that matting wasn't an issue.  Also, you could try putting conditioner in before the swim and leaving it there.  Your hair wouldn't dry pretty, but it might at least keep it from tangling out of control.

I'd figure something else out.  Maybe braid it?

I mean, once your hair is under the helmet, no one is going to see it.

Here's what I do.  Low ponytail (which gets most of my hair but not the shorter pieces around my face.  I twist the ponytail on my head, and put the swim cap on over it.

T1 - Take off swim cap, hair is all over the place, I tilt my head back, push all the hair back and put my bike helmet on top.  Voila, hair is hidden.

T2 - Take off bike helmet, repeat procedure with run cap.  Hair is still not visible.  I like to move the ponytail somewhere during the run, and put it through the hole in the back of the cap, but that's just me.  This strategy didn't work so well at my last tri when I was busy putting ice in my cap to keep my head cool.

My hair was awful by the end - but no one saw it anyway, so who cares.  Then I dealt with it later.

I have to braid my hair.  But I have really really long hair and it gets in my face if I don't.

By the end of the race, I basically have one long dreadlock.  It's annoying, but I don't care.

Conditioner before the swim cap goes on is great, and that's what I do during training.  And, yes, I do take some conditioner with me to the race.  I use it for helping me get my wetsuit on and off, instead of Body Glide or Pam.  It works wonders.  And I smell like flowers all day. 

YEEESSSS!

Of course you are free to do it if will help you race more comfortable, but come on, everyone's hair will be all messed up, people will be all sweaty and 99% will be wearing spandex or revealing outfits and some will be racing with pee on their socks/shoes! I am sure you can live without brushing your hair for a few hrs

My helmet has a handy opening high in the back that I can pull my braid through so I don't fuss with my hair at all from the moment I tie the braid off before the swim to the time I jump in the shower.

http://www.giro.com/usa/cyc_pneumo.html

i second (3rd, 4th?) the braids/pigtails method.  like madkat, i end up with a wierd braided dreadlock (well, two actually) by the end, but it fits under my helmet okay and doesn't bother me during the run.  and i have a LOT of hair (mid-back, thick).

why not try a few new styles and see what works best?  if you can't find anything to work, then brush as you planned.

Bluejack - 2006-07-17 4:36 PM All the women need to have the long pony tail that swishes around so I can follow them on the run.

Apparently he doesn't get that it's no so swishy and cute when it's a wet mess... we save that for the run-only races. 

I vote for the braid.  I mid-back length hair, and I went with the double french braid.  It's not my cutest look, but it was funtional and not completely unsightly.

We're Guuurrrrls.  We're totally allowed to worry about our hair.