Summer is when most naturals decide to let their hair be free. The heat and humidity do not always allow our favorite styles (i.e. perm rod sets) to perform at their best. Also, if you LOVE the water like I do, the pool and beach are your go-to places when on summer vacation. Being that I just wrapped up a cruise in the Bahamas, here are some great tips I learned for optimal stress-free hair.
Don’t Over Think It. You are on vacation, so have some fun and live a little! All your healthy hair practices do not have to be completely thrown out, the happy median is that you can ease up on your strict home routine. Simple is best! Just bringing your basics will prevent you from feeling like you have to have wash day, every day. Believe it or not, I did not wash my hair AT ALL while on vacation. Your favorite conditioner and a styler are all you need.
Condition. Rinse. Repeat. Being poolside is what most people look forward to on vacation, but sometimes preserving your hair will prevent you from actually getting in. If you are a colored natural like myself, the chlorine doesn’t make this activity seem too inviting. Whether you are wearing a wash and go, braids or even a high bun, protecting your hair before getting in the pool is key. My original plan was to wash and go the entire time, but I opted to go for two simple French braids. Applying conditioner to soaking wet hair, being very generous with the amount, and finishing off with your favorite styler is the method I suggest. If you’ve already prepped your braids before arriving to your location just simply wet your hair before getting in. After you’ve had your pool fun, rinse your hair with water before allowing them to dry. Simply repeat this process without shampoo each time you go for a swim. Having your hair wet prevents the chlorine from fully saturating your strands. Thinking you need to shampoo each time is normal, but will only dry your hair out even more. Water is best.
Hit Reset. So, you have had a care free hair week and it’s time to get back to the regularly scheduled program. The first thing you want to do is a deep, clarifying wash. This will remove any leftover chlorine or product build up if there was any reapplication of conditioners or stylers. Next, use your favorite deep conditioner to restore all the moisture your hair is craving. Being out in the sun daily can be a little drying and a deep treatment is what your hair needs to get back on track. Making sure to do this step with heat to get all the benefits of the treatment. Check out Heal & Renew Intensive Hair Masque on unclefunkysdaughter.com! Once you have done these two important steps, you are ready to style your hair without worry of any unwanted damage or moisture loss.
These are the basic steps I follow on and post-vacation to make it stress-free. We all know that we have about five or six products that we feel we have to have when away from home. Keeping it basic will force you to enjoy your time off and cut down your preparation time drastically. The beauty of being natural is that our hair is very versatile and switching it up can be really easy especially when you just add water. Don’t stress, one week of getting carefree hair won’t ruin all your healthy hair efforts. Just make sure you get back to it once you get home. You’ve got this!
Want to see more ways to use UFD for these kind of curl-tastic results? Follow me on social media at @jascoloredcurls!
