You’ll travel far and wide to find someone who hasn’t dealt with their own hair monsters in one form or another. Whether you don’t have as much hair as you’d like or your tresses are more than you can handle most days, our hair journeys are personal and full of trials. Just ask Lara Dallman Weiss, unstoppable Team USA sailing pro. After a long and winding road of trying to tame her hair, Lara learned to love its unique qualities. 

Hair Ties for All Hair Types: Love the Hair You Have

Instead of fighting her hair’s natural inclinations, Lara made peace with her hair monsters. In fact, she wrote them a little love note to seal the deal:

“My Dearest Hair Monsters,

You are so beautiful in your own scary, messy, everchanging way. When I was little, I had tight blonde Shirley Temple curls, and it made people stop to take photos and even ask to touch my hair! Yes, you were adorable monsters. Then I went through a very awkward period when we didn’t always get along; I tried to tame you with an iron! What?! … and hairspray, and chemicals. But the second the weather became humid or rained you came back out in true form. As my passion and my life very clearly turned into sailing, I made the realization that we would need to get along and appreciate one another for who we truly are, that trying to change you isn’t the answer. I learned to laugh with you, sometimes waking up and surprising me with a lion’s mane, I even nicknamed you snack naps. You stick with me through the craziest weather changes, when we are out training in the open ocean and the wind tries to whip you around like crazy or the sun and salt water really put you to the test, you hold strong!”

We love to see it. Our TIY philosophy is all about embracing the hair you have. That’s why we designed our custom hair ties to work for all hair types, textures and volumes. When it’s time to get serious on the water, Lara is loyal to the 4-loop TIY hair tie. Her favorite color is TIY Indigo, because it reminds her of a stormy, windy day on the ocean—something Lara knows a thing or two about! 

Tokyo Olympics: Sailing For Gold 

Lara and teammate Nikkie Barnes will sail for gold as they represent Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, kicking off July 23, 2021. While there are 10 different types of boats that sail in the Olympics, Lara and Nikki will compete in the 470 Two-Person Dinghy. Training together as Skipper (Nikki) and Crew (Lara), this dynamic duo aims to become the best Women’s 470 team in the world. Here’s how Lara describes the challenging realm of professional sailing: 

“It's such a great sport and insanely physical, but at the same time we are basically playing a chess match with the different boats against the ever-changing weather conditions! So many people have no idea the sport is in the games!”

We’re ecstatic to root for Nikki and Lara as they take on the waves of Sagami Bay this summer. You can keep up with their Olympic sailing campaign here.

Custom Hair Ties: The Best Hair Ties for Athletes

TIY hair ties are soft, durable and fully customizable. We designed these babies to help pro athletes like Lara take on any challenge with those hair monsters in check. When you order TIY in your favorite color, you’ll receive an uncut strand of our high-quality elastomer-core hair ties. Simply cut your desired length and tie a one-, two- or four-loop hair tie, depending on the length and texture of your hair. 

Tie hair ties won’t stretch out or break, and they won’t let you down when you need them the most. Ditch your old hair ties and keep your head in the game — distraction-free — with TIY. Shop TIY BASIC or TIY PRO now! 

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