Hi everyone,
The biggest problem for me is what to do with my hair on holidays especially ones abroad that involve lots of humidity and swimming! Does anyone have a regime they use for holidays? I always find my hair goes crazy and I end up packing more products than boots stocks just to deal with it! certainly not good for my baggage allowance lol! Also im constantly washing my hair to get rid of chlorine after swimming does anyone have an alternative idea?

Hi there, I’ve only recenty gone CG, but always allowed my hair to go curly on holiday as it was too much hassle to keep it straight and healthy looking.  My general approach is to minimise washing and condition like there’s no tomorrow! 

All this through a little trial and error over the years, but I had read somewhere morer ecently that stripping out the chlorine after swimming with a detox shampoo actually does way more harm than leaving the chlorine in.  It was suggested that you stick to your normal washing regime, but with a load more conditioner.  More specifically, co washing and intensive oil based moisturisers (coconut oil, or similar rather than off the shelf ceatyl-alcohol based conditioners) were recommended for those who stick to CG method. 

You can get a really good deep conditioner from handmade naturals that is really nothing but lovely oils and yummy smells (http://www.handmadenaturals.co.uk/shop/shop.php?action=full&id=6), and it comes in a small bottle ideal for your suitcase!  I love it and actually leave it in all day.  It says to wash it out thouroughly on the insructions but I think for us curlies just water washin it out is better.  Perhaps you could distribute a bit through your hair at the start of each day to protect against the chlorine / sun / salt.  I guess if your hair shaft is full of hair friendly oils then salt and chlrine will really struggle to have an effect.  And if your worried about the smell of chlrine hangin around, anything with essential oils will mask that making sure your hair smell fresh and summary.

tginger - 08 October 2009 01:32 PM

Hi everyone,
The biggest problem for me is what to do with my hair on holidays especially ones abroad that involve lots of humidity and swimming! Does anyone have a regime they use for holidays? I always find my hair goes crazy and I end up packing more products than boots stocks just to deal with it! certainly not good for my baggage allowance lol! Also im constantly washing my hair to get rid of chlorine after swimming does anyone have an alternative idea?

Hi tginger - found this recipe which may be good to do when you come back from your holiday -

Chlorine Buster

    It is always a good idea to rinse your hair with plain water prior to entering any swimming pool to prevent chlorine water from penetrating into your hair shaft; however, this remedy will help reverse any chlorine damage to unprotected hair.

    Combine:

    1 egg, beaten

    2 tablespoons olive oil

    1/4 cup pureed, peeled cucumber

    Massage well into hair from scalp to ends, then cover with a plastic processing cap. Process for 30 minutes hour at room temperature, then cleanse hair with a non-sulfate based cleanser.

Now thats interesting coz I never even considered not going shampoo mad after swimming as I always though I had to wash the chlorine out. Ummh maybe all the shampooing makes my hair worse, I shall try just conditioner and see how it goes. applying some before swimming sounds good too. I think I`m going to change my whole routine now and maybe I will have less scalp irritation too with less agressive shampooing routines. Thanks TallGirl   i`am also going to check out your link. Thanks for the receipe curlyhairmich sounds like a great idea and an inexpensive one too! which is good for me as hair products can amount into a small fortune for me!

I use an intensive conditioner everyday on my hair, but always rinse it out. I used my Tigi Curl Amplifier for the last two years (in Turkey), and before that I used my straighteners. I find this product less effective in the heat, but still lasts for the night out (and tbh it usually gets wet pretty quickly in the morning due to the heat).

When I’m out in the sun, I use a spray from KMS, which apparently protects from chlorine, salt and sun damage. I’ve got know clue whether it works for that or not, but it smells great, leaves my hair soft, and helps my hair go lighter in the sun (the ‘highlights’ that I got in my hair this year were amazing - and all from the sun!). I don’t think this is CG though.

Will definitely be trying other products when I next go on holiday.

Last year was really my first summer were i really took care about my hair and protecting it. I went crazy and nearly ½ my bag was hair products, so i dont really know. But i have throught about it a little bit more to this summer because there were a lot products i didn’t even used. This year i think i’m gonna wash my hair the day before, and use deep conditioner and use neutral henna og amla. And style it. But i did have a reggiemen last year there worked fine but only with 2-3 products a washed my hair with sulfate free shampoo, Come Clean Kinky-Curly and styled with Kinky-Curly Knot Today and sometimes Kinky-Curly Custard. But if you dont wash your hair everyday, i dont do that normal either, maybe it would be fine to use your normal reggiemen.