diff --git a/src/arithmetic/curves.rs b/src/arithmetic/curves.rs
index 7243f34..4a633d9 100644
--- a/src/arithmetic/curves.rs
+++ b/src/arithmetic/curves.rs
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ pub trait Curve:
     ///     (g * x + &(h * r)).to_affine()
     /// }
     /// ```
-    fn hash_to_curve(domain_prefix: &str) -> Box<dyn Fn(&[u8]) -> Self + 'static>;
+    fn hash_to_curve<'a>(domain_prefix: &'a str) -> Box<dyn Fn(&[u8]) -> Self + 'a>;
 
     /// Returns whether or not this element is on the curve; should
     /// always be true unless an "unchecked" API was used.
diff --git a/src/pasta/curves.rs b/src/pasta/curves.rs
index b90e39d..f22a65b 100644
--- a/src/pasta/curves.rs
+++ b/src/pasta/curves.rs
@@ -677,20 +677,12 @@ macro_rules! new_curve_impl {
 
 macro_rules! impl_projective_curve_specific {
     ($name:ident, $name_affine:ident, $iso_affine:ident, $base:ident, special_a0_b5) => {
-        fn hash_to_curve(domain_prefix: &str) -> Box<dyn Fn(&[u8]) -> Self + 'static> {
+        fn hash_to_curve<'a>(domain_prefix: &'a str) -> Box<dyn Fn(&[u8]) -> Self + 'a> {
             use super::hashtocurve;
 
-            let domain_separation_tag: String = format!(
-                "{}-{}_{}_{}_RO_",
-                domain_prefix,
-                $name_affine::CURVE_ID,
-                "XMD:BLAKE2b",
-                "SSWU"
-            );
-
             Box::new(move |message| {
                 let mut us = [Field::zero(); 2];
-                hashtocurve::hash_to_field(message, domain_separation_tag.as_bytes(), &mut us);
+                hashtocurve::hash_to_field($name_affine::CURVE_ID, domain_prefix, message, &mut us);
                 let q0 = hashtocurve::map_to_curve_simple_swu::<$base, $name_affine, $iso_affine>(
                     &us[0],
                     $name::THETA,
@@ -702,7 +694,7 @@ macro_rules! impl_projective_curve_specific {
                     $name::Z,
                 );
                 let r = q0 + &q1;
-                assert!(bool::from(r.is_on_curve()));
+                debug_assert!(bool::from(r.is_on_curve()));
                 hashtocurve::iso_map::<$base, $name_affine, $iso_affine>(
                     &r,
                     &$name::ISOGENY_CONSTANTS,
@@ -766,7 +758,7 @@ macro_rules! impl_projective_curve_specific {
     };
     ($name:ident, $name_affine:ident, $iso_affine:ident, $base:ident, general) => {
         /// Unimplemented: hashing to this curve is not supported
-        fn hash_to_curve(_domain_prefix: &str) -> Box<dyn Fn(&[u8]) -> Self + 'static> {
+        fn hash_to_curve<'a>(_domain_prefix: &'a str) -> Box<dyn Fn(&[u8]) -> Self + 'a> {
             unimplemented!()
         }
 
diff --git a/src/pasta/hashtocurve.rs b/src/pasta/hashtocurve.rs
index dc1c165..2388c1e 100644
--- a/src/pasta/hashtocurve.rs
+++ b/src/pasta/hashtocurve.rs
@@ -1,66 +1,71 @@
 //! This module implements "simplified SWU" hashing to short Weierstrass curves
 //! with a = 0.
 
-use std::convert::TryInto;
 use subtle::ConstantTimeEq;
 
 use crate::arithmetic::{Curve, CurveAffine, FieldExt};
 
 /// Hashes over a message and writes the output to all of `buf`.
-pub fn hash_to_field<F: FieldExt>(message: &[u8], domain_separation_tag: &[u8], buf: &mut [F; 2]) {
-    use blake2b_simd::{Params as Blake2bParams, State as Blake2bState};
-    assert!(domain_separation_tag.len() < 256);
+pub fn hash_to_field<F: FieldExt>(
+    curve_id: &str,
+    domain_prefix: &str,
+    message: &[u8],
+    buf: &mut [F; 2],
+) {
+    assert!(domain_prefix.len() < 256);
+    assert!((22 + curve_id.len() + domain_prefix.len()) < 256);
 
     // Assume that the field size is 32 bytes and k is 256, where k is defined in
     // <https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-irtf-cfrg-hash-to-curve-10.html#name-security-considerations-3>.
     const CHUNKLEN: usize = 64;
 
-    let mut dst_prime: Vec<u8> = domain_separation_tag.into();
-    dst_prime.extend_from_slice(&[domain_separation_tag.len() as u8]);
-
     let personal = [0u8; 16];
-    let empty_hasher = Blake2bParams::new()
+    let empty_hasher = blake2b_simd::Params::new()
         .hash_length(CHUNKLEN)
         .personal(&personal)
         .to_state();
 
-    let xor = |left: &[u8; CHUNKLEN], right: &[u8; CHUNKLEN]| -> Vec<u8> {
-        left.iter()
-            .zip(right.iter())
-            .map(|(&l, &r)| l ^ r)
-            .collect()
-    };
+    let b_0 = empty_hasher
+        .clone()
+        .update(&[0; CHUNKLEN])
+        .update(message)
+        .update(&[0, 128, 0])
+        .update(domain_prefix.as_bytes())
+        .update(b"-")
+        .update(curve_id.as_bytes())
+        .update(b"_XMD:BLAKE2b_SSWU_RO_")
+        .update(&[(22 + curve_id.len() + domain_prefix.len()) as u8])
+        .finalize();
 
-    let finalize = |hasher: &Blake2bState| -> [u8; CHUNKLEN] {
-        hasher.finalize().as_bytes().try_into().unwrap()
-    };
+    let b_1 = empty_hasher
+        .clone()
+        .update(b_0.as_array())
+        .update(&[1])
+        .update(domain_prefix.as_bytes())
+        .update(b"-")
+        .update(curve_id.as_bytes())
+        .update(b"_XMD:BLAKE2b_SSWU_RO_")
+        .update(&[(22 + curve_id.len() + domain_prefix.len()) as u8])
+        .finalize();
 
-    let b_0 = finalize(
+    let b_2 = {
+        let mut empty_hasher = empty_hasher;
+        for (l, r) in b_0.as_array().iter().zip(b_1.as_array().iter()) {
+            empty_hasher.update(&[*l ^ *r]);
+        }
         empty_hasher
-            .clone()
-            .update(&[0; CHUNKLEN])
-            .update(message)
-            .update(&[0, 128, 0])
-            .update(&dst_prime),
-    );
-    let b_1 = finalize(
-        empty_hasher
-            .clone()
-            .update(&b_0)
-            .update(&[1])
-            .update(&dst_prime),
-    );
-    let mut empty_hasher = empty_hasher;
-    let b_2 = finalize(
-        empty_hasher
-            .update(&xor(&b_0, &b_1))
             .update(&[2])
-            .update(&dst_prime),
-    );
+            .update(domain_prefix.as_bytes())
+            .update(b"-")
+            .update(curve_id.as_bytes())
+            .update(b"_XMD:BLAKE2b_SSWU_RO_")
+            .update(&[(22 + curve_id.len() + domain_prefix.len()) as u8])
+            .finalize()
+    };
 
     for (big, buf) in [b_1, b_2].iter().zip(buf.iter_mut()) {
         let mut little = [0u8; CHUNKLEN];
-        little.copy_from_slice(big);
+        little.copy_from_slice(big.as_array());
         little.reverse();
         *buf = F::from_bytes_wide(&little);
     }