If you are embarking on travel it is important to gauge the potential restrictions, you may have to encounter, that impact on your hair care regime. Being prepared, in advance, will enable you to maintain healthy hair no matter the problems that may arise, and to ensure your hair remains clean, conditioned and shiny.
Start with Good Hair
Before travelling it is a good idea to ensure your hair is in the best condition possible. This means ensuring it is regularly cut or trimmed and that your nutritional awareness is impacting on the health of your hair in a positive manner. Getting the basics right also means that your hair will be more able to cope with changes of location and the potential damage caused by sun, sea, air, pollutants and other factors.
Travel Checklist
It is essential that you create a checklist of hair care products and tools when travelling. Very few people are able to easily maintain their hair in exactly the same way as at home when they are travelling, and this is mainly due to restrictions in being able to pack all of the products and styling aids you would normally use back home.
Your favourite shampoo and conditioner are essential items to pack, along with mini-sized versions of other products you may use like sun-protection spray or conditioning waxes and treatments. Packing an ultra-absorbent travel towel is also a good idea as these space-saving items wick away excess moisture after washing your hair, allowing your hair to be air-dried.
Change your Style
When travelling it may be easier to adapt your usual style for a look that requires less effort. Tying hair up in a ponytail not only wards off dirt but also helps keep the hair follicles from becoming clogged up on the scalp. A scarf or sunhat also help prevent heat damage to the hair and this maintains frizz control.
Hydrate your Hair
Conditioning treatments provide essential moisture to parched hair that has been stressed or damaged. Ensuring you keep your body well hydrated at all times, and not just when travelling, will help maintain good health and shiny, bouncy hair. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day is the recommended hydration requirement of an adult and if travelling to sunny destinations this amount should be increased considerably.
Eating a balanced diet also means that your hair receives all the nutrients it requires. Healthy, lustrous hair feeds off the variety of essential vitamins found in healthy fruit and vegetables so it is important to keep a check on your diet when travelling to maintain regular intakes.
Travelling to Cooler Climates
Not everyone wants to travel to sunny destinations and travelling to cooler climates can be just as damaging for your hair as holidaying in the heat. Changing climates can cause hair to be unpredictable as hair that is sensitive to moisture will also react to rain or snow. If hair is prone to dryness it is important to provide regular conditioning treatments, as this reduces the need for repair damage when you get back from your travels.