I am preparing for a vacation and it led me to think about how to care for one's hair while visiting other places. This is all dependent upon how you like to present yourself to the world when you are away from home. I will be looking primarily at the ways in which you can care for and protect your hair, not so much at styling. Though I will touch on that a little bit at the end.
The first portion of concerns is merely around where you will be staying when you travel. If you are going to be in a hotel or hostel where they have shower facilities, this is a much simpler affair. You can maintain your regular routine for hair washing. I strongly recommend bringing the maximum limit(in ounces) of your own shampoo and conditioner. You can't depend on the hotel to provide salon quality shampoo or conditioner. However, if your hair is not chemically treated (colored, bleached or permed), you can use the provided products without much worry. Be aware that the water can be of a different mineral content depending on location. You may wish to find out if where you will be has hard or soft water.
If you will be doing more camping/backpacking and not have the convenience of a regular shower and you are concerned about the state of your hair, I recommend bringing some corn starch based baby powder to absorb oil, but it's not necessary to use it too much. And wash your scalp with a natural soap bar when you have the opportunity. This is merely for the cleanliness of the scalp and not necessarily for the styling of the hair. I feel it is important to be aware of the chemical composition of your cleansers if you are going to be potentially washing in a body of water outdoors. Also, regularly brushing through your hair (1-3 times per day) can help distribute the natural oils and keep the hair from looking and feeling greasy.
In order to protect your hair while you are out and about seeing the sites and having adventures, you can do a couple of things. The first is wear a hat, scarf, or other type of head covering. This will keep the sun off your hair and, for those with tinted hair, protect against color fading. The added bonus is that you won't need to style your hair much. If your hair is long enough to gather into a ponytail or bun, that is a convenient way to keep it secured and not need to concern yourself with styling. If you are going to be wearing your hair down and without any covering, I highly recommend a UV protective spray, it acts as sunscreen for the hair. On the occasion that you might be swimming, whether in the ocean or in a pool, I recommend that, at minimum, you ensure that your hair is thoroughly wet with plain water. If you are allowed, you can add a bit of conditioner to the hair before you go in the water. This will protect from mineral and chemical damage.
For anyone who would like to add a bit of style to their hair, but won't have access to any hot tools (curling iron, flat iron, hair dryer, etc.) here are some simple ways to create style. The first is the good old-fashioned braid. After you have washed your hair, braid it in whatever fashion you choose. Let it remain braided until it is dry. You get to have a cute braid for a day (or two) and then fun waves after. If you are feeling particularly enthusiastic, create pin curls (you can use bobby pins or small clips to secure) before you go to bed. It is a simple method to create some curl and wave while you sleep. If neither of those is an option for you, you can do a simple style using some small hairbands. (click here for step by step*) I like to think, "the simpler, the better" when it comes to caring for our tresses while away from home.
I hope that this was helpful for anyone that is travelling and thinking about hair care. I am always glad to be able to provide good and useful information to everyone. Let me know if this was informative for you.
*the basic step by step: create a small ponytail in the front of the hair, split the hair at the base, flip the ponytail through the split, make another small ponytail just behind the first one (adding in the hair from the first ponytail), split the hair at the base, flip the ponytail through the split, and continue in this manner until you reach the back of the head.
