Traveling with natural hair

Helloooooooooooooo!

It's good to be back from my break. I was away from Nigeria for almost 2 weeks, and just needed a break from EVERYTHING! It was nice not having to think/worry about work, keeping up with blog posts, "dieting" and all that. Anyways, since I write based on experience mostly, I thought I'd share some tips with y'all on how best to take care of your natural hair while traveling.

BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

1. While packing for your trip, if you're going to be gone for a while and will need to activate your hair care regimen, TRAVEL SIZE containers are your BFF! From your shampoo, to conditioner, to your spray bottle and oils/sealants, you can carry all your natural hair care products in a cute little bag. This saves you from having to look for products when you reach your destination. In addition, packing products that can serve double duty would be more helpful. For instance, you can choose to take a conditioner that you can use for co-washing (eliminates the need for shampoo), as well as deep conditioning.
   
   

   

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2. The day before you travel, I would recommend doing a Deep Conditioning or Hot Oil treatment to ensure that your hair is adequately moisturized and strengthened before embarking on your trip. Don't forget to detangle!
3. You may want to put your hair in a protective style and make sure that your ends are safely tucked in and hidden away. I hardly ever do twists (unless they're flat twists), but that's a safe option or putting your hair in a high bun after it's been stretched. Just make sure that the style is comfortable and will allow you to snooze on the plane, train or whatever mode of transportation you're using.
4. In lieu of a protective style, simply SCARF IT! Get one that's functional for sleeping purposes, as well as decorative to pretty up your hair or wear as a turban.
   

   

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WHILE IN TRANSIT

1. I was on a 12+ hour flight, and you know that during air travel, it gets very dry. This is why you should have gotten your hair deep conditioned prior to your trip. Since my spray bottle is travel sized anyways, I simply spritzed my hair once or twice during the flight to ensure that it was adequately moisturized.
2. Take out your handy dandy scarf and wrap it, as you would before going to sleep.
3. And make sure you stay hydrated. I know there's free wine and cocktails on international flights, but make sure you get in some water as well.

WHEN YOU REACH YOUR DESTINATION

1. RELAX (not your hair) and HAVE FUN (or not, if you're traveling for work). The point is that you shouldn't be spending too much time on your hair while you're away. Now is NOT the time to try out new hairstyles. The easiest things to do are putting your hair in twists or braids beforehand, leaving your afro out, or having a simple low-manipulation protective style handy.
   
   

   

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2. PROTECT YOUR HAIR! On my trip, for the first 3 days, I had a protective style updo (used it for wedding dress shopping, cos I wanted the hair to look a little dressed up). I went on a cruise to Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and the Bahamas. This entailed quite a bit of swimming, and hanging out on the beach in HOT HOT HOT climates. Of course, this meant having to wash my hair (to wash off the chlorine) and keep it moisturized (to combat the dry heat), so I co-washed a few times and left my hair in a 'fro/wash-n-go or wore a straw hat for the rest of the trip. BTW, I had to learn to embrace shrinkage.

I had 4 hats on :p

One of the Formal Nights on the cruise.

So the next time you're taking a trip, be sure to take these tips into consideration. Happy and Safe Travels to everyone :)

Berry Dakara.

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