How To Simplify Your Curly Girl Hair Care While Traveling

Skin and hair care routines never seem more cumbersome than when preparing to travel. I never realize the number of products I use daily until I’m trying to squeeze it all into a carry-on. 

A good catalyst for simplification? Traveling. 

As a person with a wild mane of curls, I use an exhausting list of products ranging from oils to heat protectants, special styling brushes, conditioners, and treatments. (Hey! Rome wasn’t built in a day either.)

Needless to say, simplifying my hair care for traveling is challenging — but it’s possible.

Here is what I did to dwindle down my hair care tagalongs without sacrificing my curls. 

 

Shampoo and conditioner bars to the rescue 

Probably the most helpful item on this list is waterless shampoo and conditioner bars. Shampoo and conditioner bars are condensed product solids that are activated with water. 

That shampoo bottle you’re dragging everywhere? That is 80-90% water. Lighten your load and replace your two essential products with an item the size of a small bar of soap.

Since it’s a condensed product, it will last you a very long time. Buy one of each, and simplification is done.  `

For those with curly hair, you might be wary of these bars but there are great companies that create very hydrating formulas to help curly hair look its best. 

Take just ONE good refreshing styling cream 

One pretty essential curly hair care thing is the leave-in conditioner. I can leave behind almost everything else. Curly hair requires H2o and nourishing oils — or else it looks like a tired old cotton ball. 

When I was traveling loads I picked just one MEGA hydrating product that I could mix with water when styling. This allows me to apply it at “full strength” when needed and as a curl refreshing treatment. 

Choose one styling leave-in to rule them all. 

 

Rock the updos

Go for a bun, ponytail, braids, and even baseball caps. Curly hair is prone to breakage, and updos can help protect curls from the elements. It’s also just simpler to throw your hair up and get on with the day.  

Pack bobby pins, clips, rubber bands, and a baseball hat or sunhat for updo days. 

Doing an everyday updo sounds like a good idea but, wearing your hair up all the time isn’t recommended as it can actually cause hair loss. But hey, somedays the hair is going up! 

 

Buy collapsible heat tools

My hair takes forever to dry so packing a compact foldable hair dryer is essential. I bought a tiny foldable hair dryer with a collapsible hair diffuser. 

This is a major help to save space in my luggage. Traveling with a full-sized hair dryer was just not feasible. 

If your hair is fast drying, skip heat tools and go all natural! 

 

Before you leave, get a trim

Before setting off, get a quick trim to help keep your hair healthy and easily manageable. 

Wrestling with dry, dead hair is not on my travel to-do list. Chopping off some dead ends can be really helpful to do pre-travel. 

Make it last 

Some people are going to cringe right now but, when traveling, just don’t wash your hair every day. Unless of course you’re getting hot and sweaty or jumping into pools, you can skip some hair wash days. 

Making your curls last longer can help lighten the burden of constant hair care. A good old curl refresh is all that’s needed somedays.