Naturals & Vacation Hair?

[glam-]

Just wondering- would you go on vacation and leave your own hair out.

In the past, since I've been hair-aware, I've always gotten braids or kinky twists well in advance of my vacations and after swimming I would shampoo and condition my braids. However, I'm going to Cancun in 2 weeks and I've been wearing wash'n'gos or braid-outs pretty much all summer. Will I damage my hair if I don't put extensions in to protect it from the ocean's saltwater and the pool water? I am thinking maybe I could apply condish to my hair before swimming and while laying out. And also take a clarifying poo to wash the salt and chemicals out.

Any thoughts or advice? Thanks in advance

 

[SEMO]

You can get some swimmer's shampoo (made by Ion) at Sally's if you're worried about chlorine, but coating your hair in conditioner prior to swimming is also a great idea. With salt water you probably want to rinse/wash that out of your hair as soon as possible, to avoid dryness.

I personally just came back from a week long camping trip in the woods and I wore my hair out some. I found that wearing a spray bottle of water, Cantu shea butter cream, some box braids, and box braid-outs allowed me to wear my hair out and still have it be cute.

 

[glam-]

Thanks for the tips, Semo. I don't want to have to come back here in 3 wks asking how to get my hair back in shape because I wore it out and messed it up with the salt water and chlorine.

 

[SEMO]

Thanks for the tips, Semo. I don't want to have to come back here in 3 wks asking how to get my hair back in shape because I wore it out and messed it up with the salt water and chlorine.

I just thought about it but you could also wear a swimmer's cap to help protect your hair. You could saturate your hair in a thick conditioner, put your hair up in a bun, let it dry a little, and then put the cap on for even more protection. Having your hair in a bun and under a swim cap should minimize the amount of hair that comes in contact with chlorine or salt water. Less contact = less potential damage.

 

[ctcks]

One thing I really love about being natural is the freedom that comes with not having to constantly be straigtening my hair. I use vacation time to wet it down, ponytail it after shampoo & conditioner, then put in a creamy leave in. Then, do it again the next day after swimming or water activity. If I want to go out, I can put it in cute bantu knots. I also like to braid it wet and take it out in the morning for a wavy style. Have fun with it!

 

[glam-]

Thanks for the input, ladies.
I'll try not to overthink it and just take care of my hair and keep it conditioned the best I can while on vacation. And maybe with the heat of the sun and the conditioner in, I can get a little DC'ing in while i'm having fun

 

[Cheleigh]

I was in Kauai for vacation last year, and I wore shake and gos or ponytails the entire vacation. I just did daily CW. The hair had no issue with the ocean water, and my pool used something other than chlorine. I did wet my hair and use a swim cap (sometimes) before I got into the pool. I agree with ctcks--it's great to not really worry about my hair during vacation. I just did CW between activities and my hair was fine.