TRAVELLING WITH NATURAL HAIR

I hope all is well with you guys! In the spirit of summer, I decided to do another summer-related post (following my post on ‘Protecting your hair this summer’ a few weeks ago). We all know how stressful travelling with natural hair can be. How many products do I pack? How do I stop said products from spilling everywhere? What styles should I do? How will my hair hold up with the sun, sea, chlorine, salt, humidity etc? So I’m here to give you some tips!

• Try to protective style for the vacation or, at least, for the flight – the best and most convenient way to travel with natural hair is simply to use a protective style. Whether it’s cornrows, box braids, a weave etc, it’ll save you a lot of time and effort. For example, last Christmas, I went to Argentina with my family and for the 14 hour flight (YES 14 HOURS), I had my cousin do 4 cornrows on me just for the flight. That plane air is extremely drying for your hair (and for your skin) so it’s important to keep it moisturised and outta the way! No one wants to arrive on vacay with a bird’s nest.

Four cornrows with the ends tucked up for my flight to Argentina

• Try to pack ‘multitasking’ products – by this, I mean try to pack products that you can use for more than one thing so you don’t fill up half your suitcase with hair products. I know the struggle, trust me! I used to travel with half my suitcase taken up by various wash bags but not anymore. For example, I use shea butter and jojoba oil on my skin, so instead of packing separate sealants for my hair, I just take those!
• Decant products into smaller bottles and tubs – you can buy cheap small spray bottles, bottles and tubs from most beauty supply stores. Simply pour some of your essential products into smaller bottles to create more space.

I got both of these at Boots – I don’t remember how much they cost but they were cheap

• Think about carrying a satin scarf or beanie for the plane – for long flights, it’s good to protect your hair but I definitely do not advocate walking around the plane with your leopard print satin bonnet on the plane. Get a satin-lined beanie or a cute scarf and tie it around your hair or behind your head when leaning back. I also pack my satin pillowcase when I go on holiday as most holiday destinations don’t have them.
• Take measures to stop products spilling – there is nothing more annoying than getting to your holiday destination (or home) and finding that your leave in has spilled everywhere! Not only have you lost half your leave in but your clothes/shoes have probably been stained or ruined. To prevent this, I either use sticky tape to tape down the lids of my products or I wrap each product individually in cling film or a plastic bag.
• Don’t try any fancy new products or styles just before your holiday – your once-in-a-lifetime trip to New Zealand is probably not the best time to try that DIY roller set with those brand new products. When going on holiday, stick to what you know!

Congratulations!! I will contact each of you to ask for your delivery addresses.

And if you didn’t win this time, DON’T WORRY!! There’ll be more to come!