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I just got back from a two week road trip in California. I usually wear knotless braids when I’m going on vacation, but this time, I decided to just wear my natural hair freely. Surprisingly, it was actually easy managing my curls for two weeks on the road.
READ MORE: Tips to make traveling with natural hair a breeze
Part of this success was due to how I wore my hair on the plane. This primed me to have great hair days on my trip — where I only had to wash my hair once! The air on planes is very drying to hair and skin. Also, if you’re on a long flight, your natural hair is at risk of tangles and breakage.
To prepare my hair for a six hour flight from New York to California and a four hour car ride from San Francisco to Yosemite, I washed and deep conditioned my hair with Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Amino Bonding Complex Bonding Conditioning Masque Pack. I picked one of these $2.99 packets up from Target (it’s slightly cheaper on Amazon) before my trip, not expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised with how silky soft and shiny it made my hair.
Then, I did a very neat twaid out (braiding the first half, then twisting the bottom half) on my hair using my favorites: Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner and Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic Curl Stimulator. For extra hold, I topped with The Doux Mousse Def Texture Foam. After sitting under my hooded dryer until my hair was completely dry, I put the twists into two low pigtails using silk hair ties, leaving the front two twists out to frame my face a bit.
Is this a style I’d wear for a night out with friends? Probably not. But it’s perfectly cute for when you’re going to be traveling all day! I wore this on the plane, for the car ride, and slept with this style when we finally got to the hotel.
The next day before my hike in Yosemite National Park, I unraveled the twists, and put my hair up in a pineapple. My curls were shiny and moisturized. I pretty much wore my hair like this the entire time I was in California.
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With the right planning, traveling with natural hair doesn’t have to be difficult. What also helps is letting go of the expectation of always having perfectly defined curls and no frizz. Perfect hair is not realistic! When I’m on vacation, my focus is on relaxation and having fun — not making sure every strand of hair is perfect.
How do you wear your hair on the plane and when traveling? Let me know in the comments!
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