Deciding on a hairstyle for a vacation is an important part of the travel planning process. Travel is an opportunity to switch things up and try something new. After all, you will be on holiday and won’t need to worry about looking professional.
Ladies, who agrees that a new hairstyle can do wonders to your mood and your confidence? I feel like a brand new woman every time I change my hairstyle. That’s the beauty of being a black woman with our versatile black hair.
Travel is the perfect chance to finally try that hair colour you have been eyeing or those curls you have been pinning to your hairstyle Pinterest board. As a black woman there are other things to consider about the practicality of our hairstyles for the activities we may be doing on vacation. So let’s talk through our many options and take all things into consideration.
Vacation hairstyle Ideas for black women:
Go natural
Black women have beautiful natural hair. (I’ve always found it a bit strange calling it ‘natural hair’ instead of simply ‘hair’ – it’s what grows out of our heads.)
I have a short fro that doesn’t require much maintenance. I love that this makes it quick and easy for me to get ready while on vacation. There is also a freedom that my natural hair gives me while travelling. I can do all sorts of activities without worrying about getting my hairstyle messed up. And I can switch up my look by styling my hair differently. I also just love to rock my crown.
If you have a multi-step hair care routine that requires more effort and time, you might not want to carry all your products with you and spend time on this while on vacation. As black women, our crowns are dynamic. We have so many options.
Box Braids
Box braids are a popular go to protective travel hairstyle for black women. They look amazing, are super easy to maintain and can be styled for different looks. Wear them up, wear them down, add a head band, wear a hat – everything works with box braids.
To switch things up for a vacation look be adventurous with the length or thickness of your braids. Have fun with trying a different hairstyle for your trip.
I enjoyed my box braids while in Zanzibar and in Mauritius. A downside was that because my box braids were so long and dense they did get a little heavy when I swam in the ocean.
Cornrows
Any hairstyle that doesn’t require me to sit in the salon chair for hours is a great hairstyle to me. Cornrows are THAT girl! The convenience continues as you usually don’t need to style them. This could be a downside if you love to have the flexibility to switch up your hair on vacation.
The other thing to consider about cornrows is that they don’t maintain their first-day-perfection for long so if going on vacation for longer than a week these may look a little rough by the last day.
I find cornrows great for summer vacations because they are light and don’t add to the heat.
A random thing to consider is that If you choose a ponytail style of corn rows then you can’t wear summer hats or caps. Solution. – get a cute visor when you have a ponytail.
Add some colour to your hair
Why not add some colour to your hair when going on vacation? Instead of dying our actual hair we can do this by choosing braiding fibre or weave that is different to what we usually go for.
One of my favourite holiday hairstyles was in December 2016 during a trip to Cape Town. I used silver X-pression (Colour #60) extensions to braid cornrows with a long single ponytail. I won’t lie, I was super nervous about walking out in this hairstyle! I was afraid that it would look horrendous and draw too much attention but I really wanted to do it so I did. What I later realised is that it is true that everyone is too busy worrying about themselves to worry about you. Life is happening now – live it, be free and do the things you want to do.
The boldest hair colour I have tried while travelling is PINK. I bought ombre black and pink fibre and got long box braids. This is my favourite vacation hairstyle.
Colourful hair is a fun vacation hairstyle for black women.
I know that I will definitely be trying out more colours when I travel.
You have every colour on the rainbow as your option. Make all of your holiday hair dreams come true.
Beads
Beads have a way of transforming an ordinary look to something eye-catching and unique. If you are nervous about being bold with your hair beads are perfect because you can just take them off if you don’t like them.
When I travelled to Copenhagen, Denmark, I added colourful beads to my middle parted cornrow braids and loved it. This simple and quick addition to my braids lifted my mood. I did get some stares but who cares.
Faux Locs
Another great hairstyle that black women rock on vacation is faux locs. These give that I’m-on-an-island-living-my-best-life vibe.
As with box braids, faux locs are versatile and can be styled for different looks. I will never get over how stunning Ciara’s blonde locs were.
For a trip to Mozambique, I did these faux locks myself using Afrotex fibre.
Wigs
you can even pack more than one wig and switch up your hairstyles on different days of your trip. And if your wig is not suitable for an activity you can simply remove it. Wow I love being a black woman.
Funny story, back in 2015, I brought a 24 inch wig to Thailand. I survived in it for one day and then had to pack it away. It was way too hot to be wearing a long wig and I kept on overheating. Underneath it I had my short natural hair which I appreciated more than ever haha! I learnt my lesson during that trip to think about the weather when selecting my holiday hairstyle.
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Your holiday haistyles are always so dope! I love seeing your photos with very creative styles and always look forward to seeing the next!
Thank you! I love switching things up and trying something new.