Hello curlies! Here's the list of products I take with me in my travel bag:
Shea MoistureTahitian Noni & Monoi Shampoo (~2 oz)
Tressemme Naturals conditioner for conditioner washing (~3-4 oz)
Sally's Beauty Genric Value Matrix Biolage Balm (~3-4 oz)
As I Am leave in conditioner (~2-3 oz)
Jessicurl spiralicious gel (~2 oz)
Shida Naturals Cream gel (~3 oz)
Aloe Vera for scalp and sunburns (~2oz)
Hot Sock travel diffuser attachment (buy on amazon.com or curlmart.com)
1 t-shirt and one curls like us towel
Tangle teazer brush
Small toothed comb
Hair ties/Bobby pins
Large bristled brush for ponytails
I hope this video helps you out if you have any trips planned during the rest of the summer!
What are your curly hair travel essentials? Leave them down below in the comments!
Hey loves! In this post I'll be laying out the different steps I take to change my routine when the summer starts to roll around as well as how to protect your hair from the sun and chlorine. I get lots of questions about this so I hope it is helpful. :)
Routine Changes
For reference I have spent most of my life living in the southern US, so I spent summers in hot and humid places. When the weather starts to get a bit warmer, we all know we need some extra help from our hair products to help prevent frizz and keep our hair moisturized. I use harder hold gels and frizz reducing products. One of my favorite frizz reducers is Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper, which is a serum that's awesome for cutting frizz when layered under gel. If I can't get my hands on that I will opt for relying on my gel alone; I enjoy Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee (for ultra high hold) or LA Looks Sport gel (with high hold) for hot weather. If you live in Europe or Asia the L'oreal Invisihold gel is a good dupe for LA looks sport in terms of amount of hold. Or if you want something high end the Original Moxie Hold Up Serum is the bomb and has lots of good ingredients for your hair. If the gel leaves your hair a little crunchy, just give your hair a good scrunch when dry. The gel cast really helps prevent frizz and poofing!
A photo posted by 🐨 Sarah 🌻 | waterlily716 (@waterlily716) on
Hair *usually* frizzes because of dryness so you can't forget about moisturizing in the summer. Not to mention the sun and swimming can take a toll on your hair, which I'll get to in a minute. One of the best steps to prevent frizz is a good leave in. My hair loves both the As I Am and Kinky Curly Knot Today leave ins, which are water based and really leave my hair feeling like seaweed. I also like Beauty Without Cruelty's leave in conditioner from iHerb.com if I can't get my hands on those two. Beyond that good regular conditioner is really important like Sally's Beauty Generic Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm or the slightly lighter Andalou Naturals Citrus Conditioner (again from iHerb.com). And when my hair really needs an infusion of moisture I use my Hair Therapy heat wrap with Curl Junkie Curl Rehab deep treatment.
It's also worth mentioning that I apply A LOT more of my products in the summer---for all of them. The extra moisture and hold really helps keep my hair from frizzing out. I also check the dew point on AccuWeather on my phone, which is an excellent measure of how much moisture is in the air (aka humidity) and helps me know which products to reach for.
A photo posted by 🐨 Sarah 🌻 | waterlily716 (@waterlily716) on
Surf and Turf Protection
So you wanna go swimming but you don't want the chemicals to affect your hair. And did you know you can get very real heat damage from the sun?? The good thing is that these are easy to prevent.
When I go swimming in chlorine, I follow up my swim with a shampoo with a sulfate free shampoo like any from Shea Moisture or the Boots DermaCare Gentle Shampoo. Then I use a deep conditioner or a really good regular conditioner (mentioned previously). This usually leaves my hair pretty happy. BUT if you want to prevent any chlorine seeping into your hair, you can apply leave in, water, and oil before swimming. This is probably more necessary for frequent swimmers; as an occasional swimmer and more of a pro-tanner I don't feel the need to do the preventative step but it is a good tip. If you spend time sunning, you'll also be letting the moisturizing products work their way into your hair even better.
Lastly if you go swimming in a lake or the sea, don't worry too much about clarifying your hair. The sea salt will actually give you a natural curl boost, so it's fine to avoid washing it out completely with shampoo. But do be sure to follow up your dip in the ocean with a good conditioner. And if you're spending a lot of time in the sun, invest in a cute sun hat or a bandana to cover your hair. There are some products with sunscreen in them (benozophenone in the ingredients) such as LA looks sport gel, but covering your hair is by far the best way to protect it from the sun.
Please leave any questions or comments below. What are your favorite summer products and what do YOU change?
Hey curlies! Today I am posting what may be my first ever hair product review (as a blog post). Let me know if you like these as an addendum/companion to my video reviews. Anyways let's get cracking.
**Disclaimer: Product results may vary on your own unique coils, waves, or curls depending on your hair density, porosity, and thickness! YMMV.**
As I Am Leave In
Claim: "A great leave-in is a vital first step in styling. Smooth it on after
cleansing and conditioning. Your finished style will be softer shinier
and more manageable.
This natural wonder keeps tangles away and provides a great foundation
for natural styling. It contains an organic strengthening agent, plus
natural ingredients that promote hair growth."
Sarah's thoughts: This is a wonderful water-based leave in conditioner that is very similar to my favorite Kinky Curly Knot Today (KCKT) leave in (for a few bucks cheaper). It smells great- sweet and citrusy- and the ingredients are pretty natural and very moisturizing. This leave in leaves my hair soft and moisturized throughout the day. The consistency is between thick and thin- again similar to KCKT. Love it! This has become my new go-to leave in.
As I Am Hydration Elation Intensive Conditioner
Claim: "A rich, penetrating conditioner, As I Am Hydration Elation Intensive
Conditioner is an exceptional blend of hair softeners and fortifiers,
including coconut, sugar cane, green tea, apple and lemon, shea butter
and vitamin E.
Moisturizes deep within the hair shaft
Smooths and aligns cuticle layer
Repairs split ends and strengthens weak areas
Promotes shine
Infused with pure herbal ingredients that stimulate the scalp and hair roots
Sarah's thoughts: This deep conditioner (DC) was just OK. I used it two times, and while maybe my hair would have gotten more of the benefits over time, the product doesn't seem to live up to its claims. My hair felt softer, but it did not feel amazingly softer or super moisturized once I rinsed the treatment out. (For reference, I love Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Conditioner for to give me that amazingly refreshed and soft hair.) Since it's protein free, I'm not sure how it's supposed to "strengthen weak areas" either. This is not a DC that can double as a detangling/rinse out conditioner; it did not aid with detangling, which is something I personally look for in DCs. The product does smell amazing and it has a thick texture that distributes well in the hair. I will use up this product, but will probably not repurchase, especially at this price point.
References - photos, ingredients, and product descriptions from NaturallyCurly.com
