Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of those links, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you which helps me keep this little blog afloat. As always, thanks for your support!
Keeping your hair looking good while traveling can be a challenge. Between the dehydration caused by airplanes, exposure to sun and chlorine, and an increased use of heat travel can really do a number on your hair. Thats why it’s important to adopt a travel hair care routine. Here are a few travel hair care tips to help you do just that!
Table of Contents
1: Think Ahead
One of the best ways to make sure your hair looks great all trip long is to be proactive and prepare your hair before you leave. First, step up your moisturizing game a few weeks before you leave. You should also treat your hair with a protein deep conditioning treatment followed by a moisturizing and nourishing deep conditioner treatment before you set out on your trip. This added boost will give your hair more strength and moisture in order to prepare for your vacation.
Another great thing to do if you have the time is get a trim! Having a fresh cut before you leave will make maintenance during your trip that much easier! By taking these steps and having your hair be in its best possible condition before you leave will make sure it can handle any styling or over exposure to things like the sun during the trip.
You’ll also want to make sure you come prepared with products that can tame and mend your hair during your trip! During your vacation, apply hair oils, masks, and serums that will prevent frizz, increase moisture, and repair damage.
Pro Tip: want to bring some of these products with you but don’t want to lug around all these full sized products in your luggage? Get a travel sized container and mix up a few of these products so you can apply keep your luggage light and still get the benefits of the products!
My favorite products to use during travel:
2. Keep your hair moisturized during long-haul flights
Air travel not only effects your skin it can also your damage your hair. The cold, dry, recirculated air in the plane cabin draws out all the moisture from your hair making it look dull and dry the second you land. While drinking water does aid in keeping your hair hydrated it’s not enough. If you have a long-haul flight, keep a bottle of Rejuveniqe Oil handy to give hair a boost of moisture. Apply a small amount on your hair, then wrap it with a silk scarf or pull it into a bun. This will help keep your hair hydrated and nourished during your flight.
Pro Tip: On the way home sometimes I’ll even apply my favorite damage repair hair mask along with my oil to really give my hair a boost!
Want more inflight beauty tips? Check out my 10 In-flight Essentials for Your Travel Beauty Routine.
3. Don’t Over Wash
When you’re traveling, the last thing you want to do is spend a bunch of time fixing your hair. You’ve got to make the most of your time! Plus, there’s really no need to wash your hair every single day. Your scalp has natural oils that maintain your hair’s pH level. Washing it every day actually does more harm than good because it can strip your hair of those natural oils which leads to breakage and makes it more prone to damage from the sun, saltwater or chlorine. Because of this, dry shampoo is your new travel bff!
If your hair starts to look a little oily just give it a quick spritz of The Champ Conditioning Dry Shampoo to make it look fresh and clean it and give it body. This by far my favorite dry shampoo because not only does it keep my hair looking good but it promotes hair growth as well!
4. Find Some Stylish Yet Practical Hairstyles
Just like you don’t want to be washing your hair daily, you don’t want to have to style it daily. Not only is using heat on your hair every day a bad idea but windy days at the beach, hiking in the mountains, or even exploring a new city aren’t the best for keeping your hairstyle intact. Also, it takes up time that’s supposed to be spent out exploring whatever new place you’re visiting. But of course you want to look cute for travel photos so before you go on your trip, find some cute but easy travel hairstyles.
One of my favorite travel hairstyles is a nice beachy wave! This is a quick, easy, and heat free option! Just find your self a good wave spray or air dry cream! Just spritz your hair, give it a quick scrunch and go! Or if you have a bit more time let it sit in a braid for a while for a more distinct wave! Even if your hair feels or looks “dirty” wave spray will help give it effortless texture and volume and make it look like you just came from the beach.
Updos are another great heat free option! Ponytails, braids, and topknots, are all perfect travel hairstyles because then you don’t have to worry about your hair getting in the way as you navigate unfamiliar streets. They also keep you cool in hot, humid weather, and they don’t easily get messed up (plus they can camouflage unfortunate airport hair!).
Worst case scenario, always pack a hat! Some days my hair just doesn’t want to behave and other days, well, I just don’t care. I’d much rather be out exploring than fixing my hair. That’s why I always travel with a a couple cute hats and head scarves!
5. Pack Plenty of Hair Accessories
Speaking of hats, throw some headbands, headscarf, hair clips, elastics, bobby pins and a hat into your suitcase—they could come in handy on your trip. Hair accessories help prevent damage, extend styles and also give your hair a day off from styling and heat treatment. Which can help you have an easy and stress-free travel day. Hair a little frizzy? Throw on a hat! A straw hat not only looks chic but can help keep the sun off your hair, and it’ll look great with any summer outfit. Don’t have time to style your hair today, wearing a headband or wrapping your hair in a pretty scarf is both effortless and stylish.
6. Protect Your Hair From The Elements
Just like sun, chlorine, and salt water can wreck your skin, the same can be said for your hair. And just like you pack sunscreen for you skin there are ways to protect your hair! If you’re going some place sunny, a hat or hair scarf is a great place to start but if you’re vacationing by the ocean or will be going for frequent dips in the pool the best thing to do is add a product to your travel hair care routine that can protect your hair from the sun, chlorine, and salt water.
Before going out into the sun I always use my favorite leave in conditioner and the color locking protective spray. The restore leave in conditioner is lightweight nutrient-rich. It helps to tame frizz, add moisture, and seals your cuticles to lock out any chlorine or salt water. Plus, it contains crodasorb which helps protect against UV rays, and keep strands protected and strong so its basically sunscreen for your hair! The color locking protective spray is a leave-in UV protection mist that helps prevent damage and dehydration, extends your hair color, protects against UV rays and oxidative stressors, and controls frizz!
Pro Tip: Avoid dying your hair before your next vacay. Sun, salt, and chlorine can also make your hair color become duller and fade so, if you’re tempted to change your hair color, wait until you’re back from your vacay.
7. Don’t Forget Your Silk Pillow Case
Whether you are staying in a 5 star hotel or a hostel, a silk pillowcase is a must for your travel hair care. When we travel, we’re exposed to circulated plane air and climate changes that can dry our hair out so it’s especially important to sleep on a material that doesn’t rob your hair of moisture. I never realized what a difference this made until I forgot to bring my silk pillow case with me on a trip one time but hotel pillow cases make my face dry and irritated and my hair frizzy.
A silk pillowcase is really a must have for both home and travel! It’s offers a TON of benefits for both your hair and skin! It can help prevent wrinkles and split ends, and reduces frizz (bonus in high humidity areas). Cotton is super absorbent and can easily strip your hair of it’s natural oils. Plus the friction of the cotton pillowcase can cause split ends or breakage. Since silk isn’t as absorbent as cotton, it won’t dry out your hair and can preserve your style for a few extra days.
If your hair tends to get tangled overnight, chances are your cotton pillowcase is causing your hair to tug, leading to damage and breakage. Using on a silk pillow case greatly reduces friction as you sleep which can help prevent your hair from getting caught on the pillow case, and reduce breakage and frizz.
The silk fabric also helps your hair to breathe and doesn’t hold heat, so it can help prevent oil build up. Bonus points for not having to style or wash your hair as much when traveling (it is annoying at the best of times!) Plus pillowcases can also be rolled up and folded into a carry-on and take up less space than a wallet so theres no excuse not to bring it!
8. Adapt Your Travel Hair Care Routine Post-Vacation
Just like your skin might need a little r&r after your trip your hair will need some too! Frequent washes, exposure to sun, salt and chlorine as well as tropical temperatures will have likely resulted in dehydration, dryness, faded color and a sensitive scalp. Add some masks for sun-damaged hair, oils, and leave-in conditioners into your post travel hair care routine to help revive your hair.
And there you go! Those are my 8 best travel hair care tips! I hope they helped and as always thanks for stopping by! Let me know in the comments if theres anything i missed!
Leave a Reply