Let’s face it. We all want good hair days. When your hair is falling perfectly into place, you feel so much more put together, even on off days. But for us frequent travelers, our hair is more often up in a messy bun, than a perfect blowout. On top of that, if you’re always on the move, you don’t necessarily have the time or place to spend an hour on your hair care routine. Especially if you’re stuck in an airport for hours. That’s why over the years, I’ve come up with different self-care routines that are specific to travel. You can find my recommendations on the perfect travel makeup kit here.
As far as hair care goes, I have really long, fine, and stick-straight hair that’s fairly easy to maintain in terms of styling, so I’m lucky that way. That said, it gets dried out in the sun, and at the same time, gets oily easily. It also kinks as soon as I even think about putting it into a ponytail. In order to avoid this, I’ve developed a hair care routine that includes different products and gadgets specifically for when I’m traveling. That way, my hair can look and feel its best, even when I’m on the road.
I’m sharing my favourite travel hair care routine and tips, that take care of my hair health from the inside out. Hopefully, this can help you to streamline your hair care routine, and make you look and feel your best, even on the most hectic travel days.
The Nomade Edit: The Best Hair Care Routine For Frequent Travellers
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Disclaimer: Nomade & Mode is not a source for medical advice. We are simply sharing what has worked for us when it comes to hair care.
The Ordinary Multipeptide Hair Serum For Hair Growth
This multi-peptide serum for hair growth has become my absolute holy grail for combatting baby hairs and breakage. I tend to have a lot of baby hairs around my hairline, as well as some gaps in my hairline. I’ve been using this serum for over a year now, and I find that it helps to grow baby hairs within a week. It also reduces hair fall overall. I recommend using it consistently every morning and night to see the best results. This bottle is only 60ml, which also makes it perfect to pack in your carry-on.
Silk Hair Ties For Gentle Hair Styling
Personally, I have the bad habit of constantly fidgetting with my hair – throwing it up in a bun one minute and wearing it down the next. This constant pulling at my hair is especially bad for creating split ends and making my naturally stick-straight hair full of kinks. I tend to do this even more when I’m traveling. I take out my uncomfortable ponytail when I’m sitting against an airplane seat for hours, only to put it back up once I’ve landed.
I find that silk or satin hair ties or scrunchies are the perfect solution to this. They don’t leave that unwanted kink down the back of your hair the way that regular hair ties do. They also don’t tug at your hair when you’re taking them out, which is an added bonus to avoid damage. They’re a great way to put your hair up without having to worry about how it will look once you take it down again. *Of course, this will depend in part on your hair type.
The Ordinary Argan Oil To Combat Dryness
I love The Ordinary products because they’re affordable and extremely effective. I like to use this argan oil from The Ordinary to stave off any split ends and dryness. This is especially good if you’re on vacation and will be in and out of the ocean or pool.
Multivitamins For Healthy Hair Growth
As we all know, healthy hair is built from the inside out. Unfortunately for us, our hair is one of the first things to go if we aren’t getting enough nutrients. Deficiencies in vitamins like iron, Vitamin D, or zinc can cause hair loss. That said, I like to take a multivitamin year-round, but especially when I’m traveling. The food that’s available in airports and on road trips is often inconsistent, so taking a daily vitamin gives me the peace of mind that I’m getting everything I need. And I definitely notice the benefits in my hair. I really like the gummy vitamins from Nature’s Bounty. It just makes it that much more appealing to take vitamins on the daily.
Collagen For Travel Stress Relief & Hair Growth
Collagen is another good supplement for healthy hair, and it promotes strong nails as well. Not only that, but collagen has temporary stress relief benefits, which is something we could all use, especially when dealing with the stresses of travel. I also like to take the Nature’s Bounty collagen gummy supplement. I also use the Organika and Neocell powdered collagen, which is nearly flavourless and can easily be added to your morning coffee.
Mini Hair Dryer & Straightener To Save Space In Your Luggage
Regular-sized hair styling tools can take up a huge amount of space, not to mention weight in your luggage. This obviously isn’t ideal if you’re trying to pack light, or if you’re going to be backpacking. Mini, travel-sized styling tools can be a lifesaver for saving space in your bag, while also giving you the option to style your hair like you would at home. Just be sure to bring the proper adapter if you’re going overseas!
Microfibre Towel For Gentle Drying On Beach Days
Having a gentle towel on hand to dry your hair is great for avoiding breakage and tugging on fragile wet hair. It can also be really handy for when you need to wash your face in less than ideal situations – like in an airport washroom.
Use A Wet Brush To Avoid Damaging Wet Hair
If you haven’t used a wet brush yet, this is about to change your life. No more damaging your hair while trying to detangle wet knots. These brushes are designed to gently comb through wet, tangled hair, without pulling. That makes them amazing to bring along on any beach vacation.
Sun Protection
We all know that a healthy scalp equals healthy hair. That being said, protecting your scalp and hair from the sun is super important. You can do this with SPF products, and by wearing a hat. This has the added benefit of protecting your face from the sun. Your future self will thank you!
Sulfate-Free Shampoo & Conditioner
I’ve noticed such a big difference since I swapped out my drugstore shampoo for a sulfate-free option. I’ve been using Prairie Naturals for the last few months, and I’ve noticed that my scalp is less sore, and my hair has more volume overall.
Rosemary Hair Oil For Hair Growth
In clinical trials, rosemary oil has been proven to be just as effective at promoting new hair growth as minoxidil, the active ingredient in the men’s hair loss product Rogaine. I use rosemary oil on my scalp daily, which gives a cooling effect to any scalp tenderness, which also helps with any travel headaches.
Travel Sized Dry Shampoo
It goes without saying, but sometimes you just don’t have time to wash your hair. In those times, it pays to have a gentle, travel-sized dry shampoo on hand. I like to carry a travel-sized option to save space in my luggage.
I hope this travel hair care guide helps to make you look and feel your best while on the go. Is there anything you would add? Let us know! For more travel tips, make sure to follow along on Instagram @nomadeandmode.
