Traveling with your natural hair is only as complicated as you want it to be. Of course, if you are ill-prepared, your hair can be a source of frustration during your trip.
But put your worried mind to rest, sis. That’s not going to happen because you will be prepared for this trip and every trip afterward. Whether it’s a two-day family visit or a two-month vacation, the preparation for being natural on the road is all essentially the same; relatively simple and easy!
Below are 5 tips to creating the perfect natural hair travel kit.
Grab The Essentials
Every hair routine is built on the basics: hydration, moisturizer, sealant, and protection. When traveling, that is all you need to cover. Simpler is always better when you want to keep a light load and still be able to properly care for your hair.
A satin or silk wrap/bonnet, an effective moisturizer, and a tried and true favorite sealant of yours should all be in your bag. If you plan on being away from home for over two weeks, throw in travel size bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
My natural hair go-to travel products consist of: tea tree oil*, coconut oil*, Jane Carter Solution Curl Defining Cream, Redken Clean Spice 2-In-1 Conditioning Shampoo, a spray bottle for water, and my go-to black bonnet.
If you don’t feel like gathering a set of products, your best bet is to purchase a pre-made travel or “all in one” kit with everything you need inside like DevaCurl Trial and Travel Kit or Shea Moisture Coconut* and Hibiscus* Curl and Shine Kit.
Leak-Proof Everything!
Traveling with liquids and creams of any kind can be such a big deal! I can’t tell you how many times I opened my luggage and found my whole tube of lotion squeezed out onto my clothing. It can be messy, inconvenient, and sometimes costly.
To avoid a situation like that with your hair products, leak-proof everything! Drop each product into one big, plastic storage bag or put them in their own individual plastic storage bags. For extra protection, you can splurge a little bit and vacuum pack everything!
I personally think the best option is placing all products in their own plastic storage bags, and then storing all of them together in a durable travel/cosmetic bag that’ll fit inside my luggage.
Feevas Natural Hair Studios says
who else really loves natural hair braids ?
ladee neenah says
My everyday hair routine is really simple so its pretty easy to travel with. I tend to buy sample sizes of products before I commit to a full size so i just reuse those same containers which usually come in a carrying case or I just throw them into a ziplock storage bag. I keep my accessories to a minimum and I finger detangle anyway so all I need are are my satin bonnet, a shower cap, some elastics, four or five Goody Ouchless flex barrettes and three or four butterfly clips and I could go through my entire wash day routine minus the deep conditioning. I use the same oils/butters on my skin that I do on my hair so that makes it easier as well. I also usually wear simple easy to maintain hairstyles like two strand twists or braids that can be maintained easily and can morph into different styles with a minimal effort.