It's been 4 years since I decided to ditch the creamy crack and embrace my natural texture and I can say it was definitely one of the best decisions ever! I absolutely love this mane and am mad that I didn’t transition earlier. But with all of these kinks and coils came a challenge I had not really considered - international travel. Although I did not travel much with a relaxer, I never had to make plans based around my hair. All I did was shampoo, condition, and blow dry my hair - all options that are readily available in any hotel room. I was never really concerned about the weather, swimming, availability of hair products, etc. because my hair was straight. Worse case scenario, I’d pull my hair back into a ponytail and keep it moving.
Fast forward to 2020, I now have tons of thoughts and questions to consider while planning. Are my favorite wash day brands available in another country? Do I need to check a bag mainly to fit my hair products and tools (otherwise I am the carry-on queen)? Did I remember to include getting my hair done into this trip’s budget? What day should I wash my hair to ensure perfect timing? What style will last the length of the trip? What’s my backup hairstyle if the weather doesn’t cooperate? And the list goes on.
If you're a curly headed queen planning your next vacation, here are my top tips to survive what could otherwise be a major struggle!
1. Protective Styling
Protective styling is the key and in my opinion, the most important tip on this list! If possible, I always avoid traveling with my natural hair out. My go to are braids and twists because they look good, require little manipulation, and are water/weather friendly. And they can last for weeks, which helped me survive part of the 2.5 months I spent teaching abroad. A pro-tip I learned from my roommate: Be careful with wigs! If you are going to a location that is going to be hot, a wig can become a death trap. She was walking around completely miserable and by the end of the trip, her wig was no more.
2. In Flight Preparation
Having an inflight hair plan is important, especially for long flights. I don't know about you, but the easiest way for me to survive long flights is to sleep as much as possible. There are a few great travel options to ensure your hair will make it to your final destination. First, leave your hair in twists or braids for the duration of your flight. These styles are comfortable to sleep in and won’t suffer much damage while on the plane. Once you get to your final destination, you can undo your hair and rock that bomb twist out or braid out for the rest of your trip. Second, bring a bonnet or hair scarf to wear on the plane. Don’t worry about how you look, nobody is paying attention anyway lol. Lastly, if you want your hair off your shoulders, make sure to wear it in a loose, high ponytail/puff/bun. There is no need to put stress on your edges during a long flight and keeping your hair up high allows you to comfortably lay back without a bun being in the way.
3. This is Not the Time to Experiment!
In the words of the beloved High School Musical cast, “No, no, no! Stick to the stuff you know...” Trying new styles or products right before a trip can lead to major regret if it doesn’t come out right. Travel should not involve stressing out about failed hairstyles, excess build up and flakes, and having to unnecessarily redo your hair when you should be out exploring. Trust me, stick to your tried and true.
4. Find Styles that will Last
If you have a go to hairstyle that will last the duration of the trip, I’d recommend doing that. My go to style is a twist out because I can make it last for a full week. My routine is to wash my hair no more than a week before my trip and wear my hair in twists until I get to my destination. At night, I put my hair into 3 or 4 ponytails down the middle of my head (mohawk style so I can sleep comfortably) under my bonnet. If my hair is getting a bit dry, I bring a travel size spray bottle with water, oil, and leave-in conditioner to give my hair a very light spritz.
5. Pack and Plan Appropriately
I am the carry-on queen so my strategy is always to need as few hair products as possible. Typically I pack my travel size spray bottle with water, oil, and leave-in conditioner, a brush, a wide tooth comb, ponytail holders or scrunchies, a few bobby pins, and my bonnet in my carry-on and this lasts me for most of my vacations. I typically do not have to plan a full hair session into my trips. However, depending on your hair, especially for longer trips, make sure to think about what you will need ahead of time. If you will need to do a full wash day, you will probably have to check a bag to fit everything you need (shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, styling products, detangling tools, blow dryer or diffuser, microfiber towels or t-shirts to dry your hair, and any styling tools). Make sure to also put wash day into your itinerary so that you don’t end up stuck when you should be out exploring. Pro tip: Plan water activities towards the end of your trip so that you won’t have to figure out what to do with your hair for the rest of your vacation.
6. Check the Weather
Make sure to check the weather before you leave and plan your hairstyles accordingly. If it's going to be hot, humid, or raining, I would recommend wearing some variation of braids, twists, ponytails, buns, or a puff because you do not really have to worry about your style getting messed up during your vacation.
7. Style Alternatives are Essential
No matter how much you plan, natural hair has a mind of its own. Have a list of easy backup options in case something goes wrong. Along with some of the options I mentioned previously (high puffs are my favorite), hats and hair wraps are wonderful backup looks! A failed style can be quickly wrapped into a cute head wrap look and nobody would know the difference. Or you can pull your hair into a ponytail and throw a hat on and voila, good as new!
8. Embrace the Frizz
Last but certainly not least, embrace the frizz! Natural hair will get frizzy, it’s inevitable. So instead of doing the most to avoid it, learn to love it in all its glory. Pick it out and rock that gorgeous afro, flaunt that voluminous pony, and let your high puff stand tall! Wasn’t Megan singing about natural hair when she said “Body-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody?” LOL!
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