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If I had to pick my personal favorite feature about myself, it would be my hair. While I have incredibly thick, long hair that occasionally makes me feel so blah, I’ve learned to appreciate how low maintenance it is. My long hair and I have gone through up’s and down’s in life, but one hair challenge was to figure out how to have amazing hair days during travel.
It wasn’t until I recently traveled to New York for NYFW that made me feel obliged to try something different. With my past experiences of braiding my hair in pigtails and applying the old-school curling hair clips during my over night flights, I realize a much easier technique that makes my hair stay curly for days. Here is how I achieve perfectly styled hair during flights:
How to Have Perfectly Styled Hair During Long-Haul Flights
The Day Before Your Flight
Step 1: Wash your hair. It’s important to start with clean hair when you’re styling it for a long-haul flight. While I agree that second-day hair is best to style per se, I wouldn’t want you and the strangers you’re sitting in close proximity with to deal with oily built-up hair. For shampoo and conditioner recommendations, I’ve tried low and high-end products over the years and keep going back to my Pantene products. To me, Pantene gives me great results at such an affordable price. Plus, it’s easy to find in retail stores like Target and Walmart. If you ever find the Pantene Pro-V Smooth and Sleek shampoo and conditioner, I recommend trying it.
Step 2: Use wet hair products. After you wash your hair, dry it until you have a damp texture. I suggest to apply a hair serum during this step. I’ve been using leave-in serums for years to lock in moisture and give my hair an extra boost of shine. My everyday favorite hair serums are the OGX Weightless Hydration Coconut Water Spray and the Garnier Fructis Style Sleek and Shine Anti-Frizz Serum. For special occasions, I also love using my Joon Saffron Hair Elixir Oil. Apply the serum from root to tip with your fingers first. Then, brush it out with a detangling hair brush.
Step 3: Dry out your hair. I normally shower/wash my hair in the morning and naturally dry it out throughout the day, but if you’re on a time crunch, feel free to use a hair dryer. Ulta stocks amazing hair dryers that are some of the best in the beauty industry! My favorites are the T3 Cura and the Dyson Supersonic. When using a hair dryer, just make sure to apply low heat.
Step 4: Curl hair with curling wand. Once the hair is completely dry, I use heat protectant spray to prep my hair for styling. I curl my hair using a 1 inch curling wand from Conair and divide my hair into sections with hair bands. I’ll grab small sections of my hair to curl in an outwards direction from my face (think Farrah Fawcett curls). Because it takes my hair 45-60 minutes to curl my hair, I’ll use my Garnier Anti-Humidty Spray on areas of freshly curled hair as I go!
Step 5: Wrap your hair into a bun. Now that you’ve styled your hair, it’s time to keep those curls intact by wrapping it into a messy bun! Simply gather you hair, twist it into the same direction, and place it into a messy bun on the top of your head. Make sure all strands of hair are kept away from your face. To cutesify your bun, scrunchies are making a comeback and are alllll the rage. Urban Outfitters has amazing hair scrunchie packs with a variety of colors! Plus, I also love the scrunchies with a built-in satin bow. Feel free to click through my favorites below:
The Day of Your Flight
Step 6: Keep your hair in a bun during airport travel. Now that your hair is in a bun, you can sleep on it before your morning flight! No need to do anything to your hair once you’re at the airport and catching your connection flights. I recommend to not apply any extra hair products over your hair bun to prevent unwanted scents from passengers.
Step 7: Take out your bun once you arrived at the destination. 30-60 minutes before the plane arrives at your destination, feel free to untie your hair bands and unleash your curls! If your hair feels like they’re clamped together, finger through the curls and shake ’em out to get the desired voluminous effect. If you need a few touch ups, wait until you exit the plane to head to the nearest bathroom for additional hair care.
Voila! Your hair is now picture perfect! This hair styling technique has gotten my curls to last for at least 3 days before it transitions into light, tousled waves. Let me know if you tried it by tagging me in your hair posts on Instagram! Wherever you go, my fellow travelers, let’s all strive to have better hair days. Until next time!
I wish i could do this! I am just horrible at hair. It shows too when i get off the plane. I don’t know how to use a wand or a curling iron 😕. I do have that dyson though!
Wow, we couldn’t be more different in our hair and long hauls, but my hair is short and straight. I generally wash it the night before I travel, let it dry naturally or if I am in a time crunch I dry it on high. Of course, my hair never looks as lush and bouncy as yours does in the photos. Maybe next time I will wash it in the morning.
Love this! With the more afro hair type, the easiest is to just braid it as a protective hairstyle and catch a break for 4 – 6 weeks 🙂
Great tips! I always feel so gross after flying anywhere. I like the idea of keeping your hair in a bun and shaking it out just before landing! I am also a big Panteen fan for my long hair!
Your hair is GORGEOUS, girl! Love the messy bun tip to keep your curls in tact! I’ll have to try this next time!