Whew! I have had a lot going on in the last couple of weeks. Mainly because I was on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic for about five days with a group from my church. It was an awesome experience, but it also posed a challenge for my hair.
Typically I get a relaxer touch-up before I go on a trip and I'm going to be away for more than a couple of days. Mainly because it makes it easier for me to take care of my hair. Since I am stretching my hair relaxer for a minimum of 13 weeks and I was just shy of eight weeks during the timing of the trip, I opted to not get a touch-up. This meant I had to figure out the best way to maintain my hair in a humid and hot environment where there wasn't any hot or warm water and I was sharing two showers with eight other females.
(This post includes some affiliate links. Should you click an affiliate link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!)
Here's what I did to care for my hair during the trip:
I only anticipated having to shampoo my hair once during the whole trip but knowing that I would sweat a bit and possibly go in the ocean at least once I decided to pack the SheaMoisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo.
The other products I packed included the Thermafuse HeatSmart Condition, Pantene Pro-V Moisture Mist Detangler, and Eden BodyWorks Jojoba Monoi Deep Conditioner in small containers/bottles. I figured I could use them during either a full wash or a co-wash.
As a result, I felt I needed some type of cleansing but didn't feel like I needed to deep clean my hair. For this co-wash, I braided my hair into four braids, applied the deep conditioner, and left it on for about 15 minutes before stepping into the shower.
Since there wasn't an air conditioner in the house we stayed in, I was able to leverage the warm air to help the conditioner really penetrate the air shaft. After rinsing the deep conditioner I air dried while stretching my roots. This resulted in nice soft hair with some volume. Loved it!
This was my first international trip since starting my hair care regimen and overall I'm happy with how my hair held up. I will definitely be copying this regimen for future trips.
Related read: Wash Day: 7 1/2 Weeks Post 4/19 Relaxer Touch Up
Typically I get a relaxer touch-up before I go on a trip and I'm going to be away for more than a couple of days. Mainly because it makes it easier for me to take care of my hair. Since I am stretching my hair relaxer for a minimum of 13 weeks and I was just shy of eight weeks during the timing of the trip, I opted to not get a touch-up. This meant I had to figure out the best way to maintain my hair in a humid and hot environment where there wasn't any hot or warm water and I was sharing two showers with eight other females.
(This post includes some affiliate links. Should you click an affiliate link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!)
Here's what I did to care for my hair during the trip:
1. Pre-washed my hair
I washed my hair a couple of days before I left using shampoo. This allowed me to make sure my hair was moisturized and my new growth was detangled and properly stretched from the start of the trip.2. Packed only the essentials
I packed the Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-in Conditioner and Theramfuse HeatSmart Dry Oil to use for daily moisturizing and sealing.I only anticipated having to shampoo my hair once during the whole trip but knowing that I would sweat a bit and possibly go in the ocean at least once I decided to pack the SheaMoisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo.
The other products I packed included the Thermafuse HeatSmart Condition, Pantene Pro-V Moisture Mist Detangler, and Eden BodyWorks Jojoba Monoi Deep Conditioner in small containers/bottles. I figured I could use them during either a full wash or a co-wash.
3. Moisturized and sealed every night
For this, I used the Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-in Conditioner and Theramfuse HeatSmart Dry Oil every other night and then cross-wrapped my hair. This helped to keep my hair soft, relieved any dryness experienced during the day, and helped to keep my new growth from getting poofy.4. Scalp massages
I did a scalp massage one night with tea tree oil. This helped my new growth stay moisturized which in turn helped to eliminate tangles.
5. Co-washed
After spending a day at the beach I opted to co-wash with Eden BodyWorks Jojoba Monoi Deep Conditioner instead of using shampoo. On our last full day in the Dominican Republic, we went to the beach. I didn't swim in the water, but sitting on the shoreline did get my nape and ends wet and I had the sun beating on my hair because I didn't wear a hat (yes shame on me).As a result, I felt I needed some type of cleansing but didn't feel like I needed to deep clean my hair. For this co-wash, I braided my hair into four braids, applied the deep conditioner, and left it on for about 15 minutes before stepping into the shower.
Since there wasn't an air conditioner in the house we stayed in, I was able to leverage the warm air to help the conditioner really penetrate the air shaft. After rinsing the deep conditioner I air dried while stretching my roots. This resulted in nice soft hair with some volume. Loved it!
6. Only wore low manipulation styles
I wore my hair in a bun pretty much the entire trip except when I was air drying after my co-wash. This helped to protect my hair and keep it moisturized, particularly my ends.This was my first international trip since starting my hair care regimen and overall I'm happy with how my hair held up. I will definitely be copying this regimen for future trips.
How do you care for your hair when traveling during the summer?
4 Comments
Yay for awesome traveling hair! Thanks for sharing your tips chica!
ReplyDeleteKLP | SavingOurStrands
You're welcome KLP! Glad to share.
DeleteI pack a lot of products because you never know what you won't be able to find where you are going.
ReplyDeleteI actually have purchased a few travel bottles that seal really well and I decant most of my products into these containers.
I like that idea about the travel bottles. I've searched for some and haven't been able to find any that don't start to leak after a few uses.
DeleteWhich hair products do you take with you when you travel?
Spam comments and comments with links promoting other sites will be deleted by the moderator.