Traveling with natural hair can be stressful and challenging at times, there are so many factors that go into ensuring that your curls and kinks are always vacation ready. As a curly girl, I face a whole lot of battles when prepping for an upcoming trip — I have to decide which products I’m going to pack, what style will last longest, how will I reach my destination without getting my entire hair care kit all over my clothing, will these products make my luggage extra heavy and so much more. Over the years, and with lots of trial and error, I’ve been able to get my life and vacation hair together and I’m here to help you do the same! Here are some of my favourite tips for travelling with natural hair.
What Kind of Vacation Is This?
In order to properly pack products and figure out what hair styles best suit your upcoming vacation, you will first have to know what kind of vacation you’re going on. Are you going on a tropical vacation? Maybe a romantic baecation? What about a winter getaway? If you’re going on a Caribbean vacation, you have to pack products that will help with humidity and frizz, you will have to pack lots of shampoo, conditioner and styling products because you will be doing a lot of swimming. On the flip side, your products will drastically vary if you are going on a winter getaway as you will need fewer products. If you’re going on a two-week Euro or African adventure, maybe a protective style may be a better option. Taking your itinerary into consideration is the first major step in helping you to master your vaca hair.
Pack Your Go-To Products
Traveling is not the time to try new products. We all have our favourites and sticking to them is a priority when on vacation. I made the mistake of carrying new products with me on a 10-day trip to Africa and was devastated because my hair was not having it. As it was my first time to Africa, I needed products that kept my hair moisturized because of the heat and I simply did not pack my go-to’s and could not find them anywhere. Once you’ve decided what your must-have’s are, pack only the basics. The fastest way to ensure that you are overweight is to try to pack your entire hair cabinet. My advice is to keep your products to a minimum, three products are enough to do the job. Shampoo, conditioner and creme curl, or conditioner, creme curl and a gel. Don’t forget to pack hair pins, hair ties and of course your satin cloth.
Travel-Size Products
If you want to end up with overweight luggage, go ahead, pack that full-sized bottle of Deva Curl. Duck those extra travel fees and travel smart by purchasing travel size bottles and fill them up with your favourite products. You can grab empty bottles from Amazon, the pharmacy or your local beauty supply store. You can also buy your favourite products readily available in travel sizes. My pro tip for travelling with hair products is to always ensure they are sealed tightly. Have you ever opened up your bag to see ALL of your products spilled on your clean clothing? It’s devastating! I usually tape the top to ensure that no spillage occurs and then I pack my products in a zip-lock bag, just in case the tape doesn’t do the trick.
Protective Styling
One of the best things about traveling with natural hair is not having to deal with natural hair on your vacation at all! I am a big fan of braiding, twisting or tieing down your hair. It’s refreshing to not have to fix your hair or worry about forgetting products or not packing enough. I recently fell in love with French braids and I can’t get enough. They’re super cute and last a few days once you tie them down properly. Another protective fav of mine are twists, I usually twist my hair, leave in for a few days then twist it out for a new look. It’s all about experimenting; try different styles and see what works best for you.
And that’s it! That’s how I am able to effortlessly rock my natural hair while on vacation! Do you curly & naturally fly girls have any tips? I would love to hear them. Drop me a comment below!
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