Traveling Natural Hair

Going away for the holidays?  Here are a few suggestions to keep packing and styling to a minimum so  that you can focus on good times with friends and family!

Shampoo the night before with a clarifying shampoo to remove any product build up if you have not shampooed in awhile.  (I use Neutrogena Anti-Residue Formula )

Next, carefully detangle and apply your favorite leave in conditioner.

For me, when I go out of town, I do not want to spend any more time than necessary on my hair!  Usually I will stick to wash and gos when traveling, however, since it is winter and I don’t think it’s a good idea to do wash and gos during the colder months, I have to put in a little work. 

What to pack!

Coconut oil

Oyin's Handmade Whipped Pudding

Oyin’s Burnt Sugar Pomade

Flower/decorative bobby pins

Satin scarf or bonnet

Two strand twists

Two strand twists are great because you can wear them no matter the length of your hair and most importantly, you can get a week of hairstyles out of them!  Depending on the length of your hair, create  15-20 two strand twists in your hair.  They should be somewhat neat since you will be leaving them in for the first few days of your trip.  Try using Oyin's Handmade Whipped Pudding as your moisturizing styler  (Oyin product review coming soon) - use about a dime size per twist.  LESS IS DEFINITELY BETTER when applying styling products.  You do not want to overload on product because it will leave your hair dull looking and limp.  Once you are done with each twist, apply Oyin’s Burnt Sugar Pomade up and down each twist at the end of each twist.  This will act as a sealant and give your twist the shine you need and OMG! it smells so good!  Let the twists air dry or sit under a dryer.   I have zero patience so no dryer for me!  Plus you can finish up last minute packing at this point. J

These should last 2 -3 days if you wrap them in a satin scarf at night.  You can throw an accessory on the side to give it a little something something or even pin them up using decorative bobby pins.

Day 4 -7

Time to take the twists down

Apply coconut oil prior to taking down each twist – I usually pour the oil into my hand so that is on my fingertips while taking the twists down.  Separate the twists where you want to see the most volume.  I don’t separate all of them because it creates a lot of frizz.  Fluff a little and go! 

All done with minimal products!  Less time on hair, more time to enjoy the Holiday! 

What travel tips can you share?