spritz sunscreen is a little too dispersive for me. i prefer the old old school tube so you can rub it along the parts. unless you have thin hair in general, in which case spritz sunscreen is a good idea, so you can hit your whole scalp. a hat, or a do-rag, is never a bad idea during the brightest hours of the day IMO.

speaking of hats, make sure you have your hair done in whatever style you're wearing for the playa before shopping for headgear. my braids (I used embroidery thread to augment my own hair's braids) added a hat size and then some. i used lots of white thread to show up under black lights.

for anyone prone to hair loss, be aware that adding a lot of weight to your braids/etc will tug your hair out at a faster rate. either way, when you take your braids out, you will see a ton of lost hair, but much of that is the hair you would normally lose every day, that can't fall out because it's been trapped by the braids.

and if you've never had your hair in braids, it will itch your scalp at some point, either because it's tight in the beginning (until it grows a bit and then it will loosen) or because you're not washing it as much, or both. i liked to have a light oil to rub along my scalp when it itched to soothe it. i found one from aveeda that was tingly...i think it had peppermint in it? anyway, just something to consider.

yup, love that trick too. just try not to shower during the middle of a dust storm.