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How To Take Care Of Natural Hair On Vacation

Written by Millennial In debt on August 4, 2017

In T-minus 7 days I'll be on a plane heading to Italy (ahhhh I'm so excited... I promise I'm not bragging) and as I go through my checklist of things to do and bring in order to prepare my hair isn't at the forefront of my thoughts. Why? Because I'm actually currently in the process of installing some crochet box braids (which I may or may not be filming for ya'll I don't know). Braids have been my go to style this summer. I started out with box braids, then had some Beyonce swoop braids (because I absolutely refuse to acknowledge Coco's foolishness) and now I'm ending the summer with another set of crochet box braids.

But... sometimes we end up not protective styling on vacation for several different reasons. In that case our natural hair is definitely absolutely a cause for concern (or at least some thought).

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take care of natural hair on vacation

How To Take Care Of Natural Hair On Vacation

1. Packing: First things first duh right! You can't take care of natural hair on vacation if you don't have the proper tools. And we know that some areas of the world don't cater to natural hair as well as they should so you need to come prepared. If you stay ready you ain't gotta get ready that's my motto! Make sure you have the basic necessities (and if you're flying make sure they are all travel size friendly). That means bringing product (how much depends on how long you're traveling for and if you plan on washing your hair while away), combs/brushes, hair accessories, and a hair scarf/bonnet/ or silk pillowcase. Don't get caught slipping!

2. Follow similar routine: When we go on vacation our whole life tends to turn upside down (I know mine does). We eat differently, we sleep a little later, workout a little less so it's no shock that our hair care routine also suffers. Best advice (in the voice of Bryson Tiller): DON'T!  You'll regret treating your hair like a second class citizen when you get back to reality. Instead try to follow a tame version of your hair care routine (which should already be pretty tame in all honesty). This at the very least means tying your hair up at night and keeping your hair moisturized by using L.O.C method.

3. Use minimal product: When you're on vacation you don't want to pack 800 hair products. You also don't want to spend most of your vacation doing your hair, or digging through product buildup/residue when you get home. Instead use a minimalistic approach to you hair care routine (like mentioned above). When I travel (with or without a protective style) I bring a leave in conditioner (preferably in spray/spritz form), a styling gel (this can double as my styler or my edge control), hair scarf for night time, hair ties/hair accessories to pin my hair up or change up the style a little bit.

Depending on my protective style I'll bring along a wide tooth comb and a rat tail comb for styling/detangling purposes as well. Now if you plan on washing your hair you may want to consider bringing along a co-wash instead of a separate shampoo and conditioner. This way you're getting away with two things: a shorter wash day, less product you have to carry.

4. TIE YOUR HAIR UP AT NIGHT: By the way I wrote this in all CAPS you know that I'm serious about this one. Even if you are protective styling you still need to keep those strands protected. Bringing a satin pillow case, head scarf or bonnet is a must! You'll also wake up with your hair refreshed and ready to tackle the next day of vacation with you!

Is anyone going away soon? What is your must have key product or natural hair staple that has  to come along with you? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below!

Hey there! I'm Melissa, co-founder of Trials n Tresses, natural hair and beauty lover, binge tv watcher and lover of life. When I am not creating content for TNT, I'm busy teaching the future of society.
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2 Comments

  1. Thanks Melissa. Agree with you on this - with a bit of preparation, haircare on vacation or generally when you are travelling should be manageable. In terms of my staple product, it must be my small travel size hair dryer. 🙂 -Nicky

  2. Great tips that needed to be considered during traveling and thanks for providing it. As you have said that while sleeping we have to tie our hair up but I have read somewhere that the hair must be left open while sleeping so that they can feel fresh because during the day we usually tie our hair with different hairstyles. Please correct me if I have read wrong.

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