Holiday haircare tips and tricks to keep you looking as hot as you feel!
Despite a holiday being the time when we are at our most tanned, relaxed, dressed (or undressed), there’s that familiar sinking feeling that we don’t quite look as hot in our selfies as we felt we did when we posed for them.
The solution to great holiday hair is in adopting a few on-location haircare habits. The common hair mistake we make when travelling is exposing our hair to sea salt and UVA. But with a few key products and tricks, you will be looking as hot as you feel in your selfies!
Hot holiday hair starts with…
Pre-Departure Prep
Before travelling, if you are going to get a colour, do it at least two weeks before leaving. The sun naturally lifts colour, leaving it looking washed out, so book your appointment for a couple of weeks beforehand to stop your colour from fading.
On Location Protection
Salt, great on food not on hair. Tie it back and use a protective spray in and out of the water. Philip Kingsley’s Swimcap (£24) is a fab all-in-one product that protects against chlorine, sea salt and the sun.
Sun and Sand Friendly Styling
For long hair on the beach, ask your stylist how to create a twist up bun or a fishtail French plait – both are great at taking your hair into the evening too and protect excellently during the day. Additionally, be careful of sand, it’s corrosive and for anyone with a scalp issue, it’ll aggravate.
Frizz Freedom
For tropical and humid destinations, there are lots of products on the market that can prevent hair from frizzing and add weight. Pack them – they’re a passport to evening glamour and better snaps. Moroccanoil’s Frizz Shield Spray (£25.85) is a fab product that hydrates the hair whilst promoting a silky-smooth appearance.
Seek Gloss over Grease
Hair looking lank in pictures when it felt soft in the flesh? That’s a sign of overactive sebaceous glands. Not confined to a shiny face, over stimulating the follicles on the scalp in hot climates by washing out sea water with hot water leads to greasy looks. Wash hair in cool water and keep preening to a minimum.
Tips for a great photo…
For doing your holiday hair efforts justice without turning the whole affair into a long shoot, check out our quick and simple tips:
- Move it: Shoot the person from different angles. Three simple clicks of centre, left and right give a surprisingly different image and choice.
- Let it move: Avoid overuse of product in the hair, it’ll look more attractive with natural movement.
- Sunsets are sexy: Dusk offers a very flattering light for the face - refreshed, rested and back lit.
- Flash on, flash off: Play about with the flash on and off for both day and nighttime photos. Sometimes, using the flash can produce a harsh, cold light and is the most common cause of unattractive red eyes. Believe it or not, but using the flash during the day might help your photos out by eliminating shadows and diluting the contrasts that create unattractive facial shadows.
Haircare Packing Checklist
- A wide tooth comb
- A great shampoo and conditioner with a strong UVA component
- An all-in-one product for sun and sea protection
- A lightweight oil or spray to keep frizz in check
- A cool Alice band, simple but a surprisingly dramatic look changer
- A scarf covers a multitude of sea, sun, and sand sins for old school glamour