Travel Hair

I have never really stopped to think about how I would like to wear my hair during a trip however I do think about how to wear it at the destination. This is determined by several factors; the weather at the destination, how long I am going to be there for, what I am going for (work, wedding, vacation etc) and possible amenities that I may or may not have access to. It has never really crossed my mind to consider how to wear my hair during the journey that gets me to my destination.

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About two years ago I came across a lady at the airport while checking in for a long haul night flight whose beautiful head of curls caught my attention, she disappeared after checking in only for me to see her again at the boarding gate since we were on the same flight, only this time she had a scarf on her head! I honestly found it strange and all I could think of was how brave she was to wear what was obviously a night scarf in public am assuming she probably pin curled her hair or something under that scarf, she had tied it very stylishly though, the next time I saw her again was at the destination airport while waiting for our bags in the morning, the scarf was gone and her hair looked just as beautiful as it did when I first saw her at check in. Another time I was on a road trip with a colleague who tied a scarf as soon as we got into the car I asked her why she was tying a scarf and she said it was to prevent her hair from getting dusty mind you we were only going to be on a dusty road for about 15 minutes on the last leg of the 3 hour journey with the windows rolled up of course for this section. So I guess this taking care of your hair during a trip regimen is taken very seriously by some women. I need to get with the programme!

Departure lounge at Kotoka International Airport Accra, Ghana; I am not much of an airport photographing person I liked the artwork on the walls at this airport and ended up taking photos of the chairs as well:)

Speaking of flights my bestie Joy who happens to be a flight attendant/air hostess who had never worn a weave or wig her entire life was all of a sudden shopping around for wigs and weaves when she first started her current job. When I asked she mentioned something about cabin air not being good for her hair, drying it out or something to that effect. Cabin air is very dry and dehydrating for one’s entire body and even hair so if you are a frequent flyer (I consider 2-3 times or more a month frequent for purposes of this post ) or cabin crew it is a good idea to moisturise your hair before and also after a flight if possible. Deep condition at least once a week if you are able to, we all know that dry hair equals breakage in most situations. Another good idea would be to wear covered protective styles like wigs and weaves/braids in flight to minimise the drying effects of cabin air on your hair – ok this one mostly applies to cabin crew for the rest of us moisturising and wearing a scarf especially on long haul flights if you are brave enough should do just fine (do not go shopping for a special in flight wig even though you don’t wear them hahaha) unless you were already wearing a protective style with extensions pre flight but don't forget to moisturise your hair underneath the style all the same. While taking care of your hair in-flight is important our bodies are more important so remember to hydrate your body drink plenty of water and juices and walk around very important for long haul flights (I cannot stress this enough) to help with blood circulation. For more tips on how to take care of your body when flying please see this article.

What do you think about travelling hair regimens like tying a scarf or others in general?