Why I Decided Locs Were the Ideal Hairstyle for Travel
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We’ve all been here…
The flight is booked, the hotel is bookt, the wax appointment is BOOKED, the appointment for the gel manicure is BOOKTTTD, and as we’re standing upright from throwing the 15th pair of extra underwear in our luggage, we get a glimpse in the mirror and freeze. Whether we see an immaculate fro or a set of too tired two strand twists, the next thought is always the same…
What am I going to do with my HAIR!?
If you are like me, you somehow manage to constantly obsess over your hair while simultaneously not considering it at all. For example, in my day to day life I am always doing something with my hair. I tie my hair up every night to protect it. I wash it weekly and deep condition it often. I plan how I will style it when I’m shooting content. I worry that my twist-out won’t pop on my IG story, etc. etc. But for some reason, when I’m planning a trip, I never fail to have an “oh s#!t moment” surrounding my hair. When traveling, I’ve always gravitated towards protective styles. Whether I have bantu knots that I intend to keep for a long weekend, or box braids that will last me a few weeks, I know my ideal vacation does not involve retwisting my hair every night.
Still, I cannot count the number of times I have been a week out from a trip and thought “I need box braids, yesterday”. If you have ever made an appointment for box braids you know how much of a problem this is. Sure, I could go get my hair yanked into a style at any old shopping plaza braid shop, but the woman with the soft touch who has been catering to my edges for 2 years…she gets booked out months in advance.
Having endured that exact scenario many times, I finally learned to install my own crochet braids in case of emergency. But even with that, there is an art to ordering them timely. I’ve had hair delivered literally the day before a trip by God’s grace. Before my last trip, I was able to get crochet box braids delivered overnight for a fraction of what I would have paid for traditional box braids.
But even then, there is the issue of how protective styles actually perform on vacation. If you want them to remain stylish for photos, there are some things you might have to avoid…mainly water. So what to do….
I have been wearing faux locs off and on since 2018, but recently I decided to take the leap and try the real thing. While I initially didn’t consider the impact this would have on my travel life, I am here to tell you it was the BEST THING. If you’re thinking about, maybe considering, possibly locing your hair…here are some great reasons (that you may not have considered) to JUST DO IT:
Planning
If you know how to retwist your own hair, there is no need to take an extra day off for a hair appointment ahead of your travel. Getting your locs styled becomes more of a choice than an actual necessity. You don’t have to do the delicate dance of deciding how long before your trip you should get your braids so that they will still be fresh, and you won’t have to sleep on your face the first three nights of your trip. You no longer have to panic about whether your crochet extensions will arrive in time. You are in complete control of the process.
Packing
One of the things I’ve learned through countless hours of YouTube research is that you shouldn’t be using a slew of products to maintain your locs….because, buildup. It follows then, that you do not have to pack a wide variety of products. As someone who has spent $1,000,000.00 on travel sized hair products, I’m looking very forward to tossing an oil mixture, edge control, and an empty spray bottle into my carryon for my next trip. Also, let’s get excited about not worrying that TSA will throw out our “absolutely not travel sized” $15 styling custard.
Weather and Water
If, like me, you’re just starting you loc journey, you’ll be happy to know that salt water has actually been shown to help your hair loc faster. You know what that means? Living your best CARE FREE life on your next beach vacation. Pools are a different story, and you should always be careful with chlorine. However, precipitation, showers, and humidity are less likely to pose a mood altering threat to your vacation when your hair is loc’d.
Styling
While I don’t encourage manipulating your hair too frequently, you can’t deny that locs present a unique versatility that makes them well suited for travel photography. As a loose natural, I tend to pick a style and stick to it for several days. If I’m wearing bantu knots, they’re in all my photos. However, with locs, there are so many options. From hair wraps to updos, space buns to braid crowns, there are so many quick changes to try. Even on days that you just want to wear your hair down, you don’t have to worry if your twists/braids are dry from the night before.
Saving $$$
Whether we’re ordering hair, buying travel sized products or paying for braids, hair is often part of the travel budget. And if you remember from the beginning of this post, for me, it usually falls in the “miscellaneous surprise” category. With locs, you can look forward to putting at least some of that money back into the “dining out” or “excursions” categories.
I say all this to say, if you love to travel, and you were looking for a sign to loc your hair: