How to take of long, curly hair while traveling, or how to avoid unwanted dreadlocks and killer tangles?
How to take of long, curly hair while traveling, or how to avoid unwanted dreadlocks and killer tangles?
I am a caucasian woman and have long, very curly hair. I am going to travel Africa for 12 months and am very scared of the realities of
hair hell!!
In the States I use tons of conditioner and lots of hair product. I often keep it up, but even then, the back starts to tangle up and in 2 days it's terrible. For sports I have two cute braids, and this will last for several days.
What have others done- cut it off, corn rows, dreads, simple braids, use lots of oil??
Alright ladies(long haired curly gents too), let's share our secrets to beauty on the road!
Reply to this Hey Darlene, so amazing to here that you have great hair.
Well, Africa is a great place to be if you need someone to maintain your hair. Women there are very skillful and you can braid, bead and style your hair really cheap.
I stayed for a month and a half and each week this lady would come over to our house and give us fancy hairdo's in an hour...it was amazing.
And if you're going to be traveling than just get someone to braid all your hair - the African way - and it lasts for weeks, you can even wash it as is. Also, it looks lovely.
Hope you have a wonderful time.
Reply to this Hello Darlene 😊
I also have long curly hair. It is currenty down to my bum. It travels everwhere with me.
I let it grow hippy style, and never go to the hair dresser. I brush it before getting in the shower. Because if I brush it and then dont wash it, it is fuzzy rather than curly. After brushing, I wash it in the shower with ordinary shampoo. After towel drying, I dont comb or brush. I just put some sun cream in my hair. This works especialy well if I do it before going to bed. I wake up with nice shiney waves and just tie them in a pony tail at the back, or a braid.
....use lots of oil??
Dont use oil, unless it is a special one for hair. Oil is difficult to wash out of hair and it might give you acne when it gets on your face and neck. Use suncream. It is not too greasy and it washes out easily with shampoo and if you dont use too much of it then it wont give you hair an oily look.
Mel
Reply to this Pity I dont have a clearer picture of my hair. But here it is.
Reply to this Thanks Mel,
lovely pic, that must be your daughter? my daughter also has curl hair, but she prefers to "straighten" it 😊
I do the same thing when I am at home or traveling where there are showers, never comb curly hair 😊 I have never tried sun cream though, what type are you talking about?
I was curious about what to do when traveling overland without showers for a time or two. Do you braid it every night? keep it down?
And Tayna, thanks for you advise, I will definitely try the braids while I am there....
cheers,
Reply to this ...lovely pic, that must be your daughter?
Yes it is. 😊 She also had bum lenght hair, until a month ago. She insisted that I cut it to her shoulders. A pity, but I suppose it makes it easier to look after.
Any sun cream will do. The one you usually put on your skin. The ones that have factor 10 or less are the best, because they are easier to apply to the hair. And it prevents the need to take a bottle of hair product travelling.
I dont braid my hair at night. I just leave it loose. I suppose some would find it uncomfortable because everytime I turn over, I have to pick my hair up and put it behind me.......
Mel
Reply to this i LOVE that this thread is here... i leave for africa in 4 weeks time and as girly as i know it sounds i'm worried about my hair. I have an opposite problem...i have (very) short, very curly hair and i straighten it every day with the skinny straighteners usually for men (thats the sort of length i'm talking about). if i don't straighten it, it gets HUGE and fro-tastic (i'm mixed race, my mum as a 'fro so i'm not exaggerating!)...
i know this is a ridiculous thing to worry about, i'm going to have an amazing time and should just get on with it but... i want to be able to look back at the pics in years to come and not think, 'what the hell is that mess on my head!'
Reply to this What about leaving it curley and using a wet look hair product, Rachel. It would be less trouble than straigtening it, wouldnt it?
Wet look stuff or hair oil worked really well on my hair when it was short. When it was short it was much more curly. Pretty much stuck out of my head in all directions. When it got long it got heavier and stopped sticking out.
Reply to this i know this is a ridiculous thing to worry about, i'm going to have an amazing time and should just get on with it but...
It think it is only natural to want to look good. I dont carry a lot of clothes and cosmetics with me when I travel, but I still like to look good, in an uncomplicated way.
Reply to this Hats are also great. I put mine in a pony tail and can then swoop it up under a hat when needed.
Braids like Tanya spoke of are great. But my hair is so fine and smooth that they have to pull too hard to get it to stay, hence they give me headaches. If you have course hair you will be fine with it. But simple braids will work in a pinch.
Reply to this thanks for the suggestions! 😊
i really dislike it curly (hence the extreme straightening!) but think i'll just have to deal with it. i'm not taking my straighteners; we're camping from when we leave cape town untill when we arrive in kenya 7 weeks later so no point.. i'll learn to love it!! haha.
(and take several hats!!)
thanks again!
Reply to this Like you I also have long, very curly hair. I recently got back from a trip to Zambia, and to my surprise, my hair did quite well in that climate. My advice is, like you said, lots of conditioner... but avoid shampooing anymore then you absolutely have to in order to keep from being a greaseball. Personally, I rarely shampoo at all... at the moment it's been about 3 weeks, and yes I know that sounds disgusting, but the texture of curly hair is so dry that it needs to not be stripped of it's natural oils. All you need to do to clean it is gently scrub your scalp with conditioner and let the water wash away any junk. As for products, I always use a curly hair creme/defrizzer first, then gel as it is drying to keep it under control and add definition to the curls. Basically, as much moisture you can give it, the better it will look. It's probably quite damaged and fried at the moment from so much straightening, but the more you let it be natural the healthier and better looking it will be. It also might be helpful to take a spray bottle so you can just spritz it down with water when you need to get it back under control. That said... the African women will probably be quite impressed with your curly hair! They sure were with mine. At first they thought I was wearing weaves, since that's what they do to get hair that looks like ours does. Then when I told them it was my own hair, they thought that I curled it every day. They were absolutely amazed when I told them that it was all natural!!!
Reply to this Having lived in Nigeria (west africa) for 18yrs, maintaining your hair is very cheap and easy.....you can braid it, do cornrows, or pretty much anything you want to do
Reply to this I think the worst thing possible for hair is washing it in an area that has a lot of chlorine in the water.
Reply to this Does anyone put coconut oil on their hair. I sometimes see it for sale on beaches in various parts of the world but never tried it on my hair. Some say it makes hair too greasy, but maybe this depends on which type of hair?
Also, does it wash out easily?
Reply to this I also have naturally curly hair, though mine are big curls that become apparent when my hair's about mid-shoulder length. I typically apply products especially made for curly hair. I used to apply at least 3 hair products once I get out of the shower (only comb my hair once and only after shower) -- leave-on conditioner, curl-enhancing mousse or gel, and anti-frizz spray. Too much? Well, I have to because the humidity here in our country can make my hair really, really frizzy.
Lately though, I've only been using 1 product. I'm pretty satisfied with this certain mousse brand. However, I'm concerned that I may not be able to bring it with me during travel if that entails flying on an aircraft. Or can I?
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