My very FIRST thought when I start planning out my summer vacations is exactly how the hell am I going to manage my curly crown? Should I just rock my wash n go? Or is protective styling the way to go? On top of this you still have to consider what natural hair products you’ll have to pack.
For my over-packers I know it's stressful trying to avoid those additional pounds of hair products in your luggage. If you only get 1 free bag those extra pounds can literally make or break you LOL.
Another thing you have to consider is will this style allow me to still care for my royal tresses while leaving me with the least amount of styling effort. Because let's be real no one wants to spend unnecessary time on vacation fooling with their hair. Here’s a few tips to assist you in traveling fearlessly with natural hair.
Tip #1 Gather your hair products for your trip ahead of time
Gathering your hair products ahead of time will save you a lot of time and hassle in the long run. Especially if you need to replenish any of your favorite products before your trip. First you have to decide whether you will be carrying travel sized containers or products in your carry-on or maybe you’re a little heavier on your leave-in conditioner and you want to just bring the entire bottle. I’m definitely guilty of this LOL No point in even being in denial.
If you’re looking to cut back on your baggage weight, travel sized containers or products are your best bet. If you are however bringing full sized products to be checked with your bags remember to one wrap them in plastic and two stick them safely in between your clothes. The plastic keeps any product from getting on your clothes if god forbid the container happens to open in your bag. I had hair oil in my luggage when I traveled to NOLA last year and that plastic bag was the only thing saving me from having a bag full of oily clothes by the time I reached my destination. You could also buy containers with spill proof tops for traveling purposes. I like to put my products in between my clothes because in the rare occasion that they’re throwing my luggage around hopefully the clothes will cushion any blows. This could however just be wishful thinking BUT I’ve never had an issue even if my luggage came back a little banged up.
Tip #2 Check the Weather
Checking the weather prior to your vacation can literally determine how you decide to wear your hair. Rainy or humid weather you might want to wear a protective style versus combating the elements with your wash n go or twist out. The weather will also dictate what specific products you actually want to carry with you. If you’re traveling somewhere with a dry climate or cold weather maybe you want to pack stronger moisturizers, oils, and refresher sprays to keep your fro popping at all times. Sticky climates require backup plans such as head wraps in order to avoid succumbing to the frizz.
Tip #3 Don’t forget your Silk pillowcase or Satin bonnet
This may seem obvious but you would be surprised how easy it is to forget. Out of my last 5 vacations I’ve forgotten to bring something to wrap my hair with before bed on at least 3 of them. It sucks trying to lay on your arm all night trying to avoid smashing your curls or trying to prevent the cotton from the pillows completely stripping your hair of moisture. Basically this is NOT a good time so don’t get caught slipping and forget yours. Dry and frizzy hair on a vacation is definitely a NO NO.
Tip #4 Stick with what you know
By no means is this the time for you to experiment. I know we get so excited sometimes that we begin exploring a million different hairstyles, but the one thing to remember is if you’ve never had the style before you have no clue what to expect. You could’ve accidentally ended up with a vacation hair style that requires more maintenance than usual, your hair comes out horribly, or you're not sure of how to properly maintain your hair for the duration of your trip.
If you want to try something dramatically different I highly suggest you doing your research prior to your trip and taking a test run with the style if possible. This goes for products as well! Not knowing how your hair will react to certain products in different climates is not an ideal situation. So definitely test run any new products you may be thinking of introducing into your natural hair routine.
Tip #5 Flight Hair Treatment
Have you ever been on your way to the airport and your twist out isn’t quite dry yet? Or your fro is so popping you cringe at the thought of smashing it while nodding off on the airplane? The way you wear your hair while in transit to your destination is just as important as how you wear your hair for the duration of the trip. Twist Outs, bantu knots, and braids are great styles to wear while flying. You can add a scarf as well for a super comfy look or to even spice up your look. If I’m looking to spice it up I usually just add a really cute head scarf that I can accessorize with. So I don’t have to worry about my hair and I still get to be cute! Sounds like a win win to me. If you wanna freshen up your hair after your flight just pop a little moisturizer and a comb in your purse.