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amanda_the_tall
November 7th, 2013, 04:07 PM
Hello my lovely longhairs, (and fellow long hair wannabes) I have a question for those of you that live in a more tropical climate, or those who have experienced going on a cruise. I tried searching the board but alas I only found one thread, which wasn't very long at all. I'm going on a cruise to the Caribbean (dang I always want to spell that with two R's) in the spring. Actually it isn't even until May but I am SUPER excited and have not been out of the U.S. at all so I'm already giddy. Sorry for taking so long, my questions are:

1. what products would you recommend for a warmer humid climate? I'm from South Carolina, I'm used to up to about 100 degrees in the summer, and humidity like crazy, but being a lazy person I just let my hair look ridiculous when I'm at home. Or just pulling it all up into a ponytail and not caring. We're planning on getting a picture package to have unlimited pictures so that's why I'm a little concerned since I don't want my hair to look as flat/stringy/whatever when I'm at home. Just for reference I am 2a/b/F/i. I think trying to enhance the waves would be a good idea?

2. I need to come up with some hairstyles that will contain my hair as it's super fine and it'll probably be close to waist by then (I hope!). I recently got layers so whenever I try to do my usual side braid, half my hair will come out of it and form a nasty knot at the back of my head. Same if I do a French braid down the back.

3. Has anyone used any spf sprays designed for hair? Is it worth it? I ask because I have thin hair on top and my scalp tends to get burned even if I do a ponytail and I don't necessarily want to wear a hat the whole time (especially if it's windy).

4. Any other tips or tricks you have would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if this was ridiculously long to read.

livelycurls
November 7th, 2013, 04:24 PM
I was on a caribbean cruise a couple weeks ago and the only product that I take was Suave conditioner. My hair is super short right now so I don't needed a lot of stuff. At night I used a wig. Don't worry about your hair, used the products that already work for you, there will be so many activities on the cruise that you probably will not want to spend a lot of time on your hair. My best advice: You are vacationing, have fun!!! :D

amanda_the_tall
November 7th, 2013, 05:04 PM
I was on a caribbean cruise a couple weeks ago and the only product that I take was Suave conditioner. My hair is super short right now so I don't needed a lot of stuff. At night I used a wig. Don't worry about your hair, used the products that already work for you, there will be so many activities on the cruise that you probably will not want to spend a lot of time on your hair. My best advice: You are vacationing, have fun!!! :D

Ooh I hope it was great! :D I'm going to try to fix my hair nicer, because I'm sharing a room with my boyfriend's mother and sister, they already think I'm weird enough. :P

Madora
November 7th, 2013, 07:17 PM
For the sake of your scalp and hair, wear a WHITE scarf or hat when you're out in the tropical sun.

I'd stick with braids for the most part, because you don't want to deal with tangles while on a trip.

Depending on the number of layers your hair has, there is a way to get around wonky braids. Here's how:

1 Detangle all hair gently with wide tooth comb
2 Braid hair as usual down to about 2 inches above where the layered hair is
3 Take a smidgen of hair from the left side of the braid and add it to the middle section (you are making the middle slightly thicker now)
4 Take a smidgen of hair from the right side of the braid and add it to the middle secttion (middle section becomes slightly thicker)
5 Continue adding from both sides to the middle..and hopefully you'll be able to surround the shorter layered pieces with the longer pieces, all of which results in a neater looking braid.

Sorry I couldn't explain better...but it works. Bottom line: by adding a little bit from each side of the braid (starting about 2 inches from the where the layered hair appears) to the middle section, you are "trapping" the shorter hairs by mixing them with the longer ones, making it easier to create a neat finished braid. Works for plain Dutch or English braiding. Have never used it for French braiding.

Good luck and have fun!

LAG93
November 7th, 2013, 10:06 PM
Ahh I can help you here, I have been on 11...or 12..? Caribbean cruises and I'll be going on my next this summer as well! Besides cruises I go down to the Caribbean a couple times a year. My hair is similar somewhat similar to yours, and I do get burnt on my scalp where my part is, my hair gets tangled in the wind, frizzy and puffy in the humidity, and the salt water dries it up. In the past few years though I've been coming up with ways to help these annoying things.

-to avoid burning my scalp, I dab sunscreen where my part shows, and I wear my part in a different place everyday, if I make one
-to avoid too much uv damage to my hair and scalp, I wear a light colored soft cotton or silky scarf, tying it different ways can be fun and cute, occasionally I will wear a hat but I find with windy cruises on the upper deck...it can be a pain, but there are usually spots on the outside deck that are covered enough so there is minimal wind
-I don't dip my hair in the pool, on the cruise line I go on it has fresh water, normal pool water, but most have salt water from the ocean. If I go in the ocean while at port, I wet my hair with water bottle or fountain water, put my fav condish in, then swim as I wish with my hair down, I find it tangles if it's styled in a braid or whatnot, when i get out, I rinse in fresh water, re condition, and put back in braid/bun let dry and put my scarf back on
-when I am done being in the sun for the day, and getting ready for the dinner and show, I shower, depending on the state of my hair I will co wash, s&c wash, or leave it dry, whatever I feel it needs. I don't worry about washing everyday if it looks like it needs it because I like to look my absolute best on a cruise during the dinner and show, because i normally dress up quite formal. I don't bring heat tools though, I never use them at home either. But one night I will use the provided blow dryer, usually on the "formal" night for more volume. YouTube has tons of tutorials on no heat styles and updos
-I use a kiddy detangler. Despite my efforts to keep my hair from the wind, it still does get tangly, and i find no more tangles works a charm, I'd come out with so much damage if I didn't use that.
-to keep down frizz, I just put in some conditioner as a leave in, don't wanna lug too many products!
-if I don't feel like wearing a scarf, I will wear a braided high pony or high sock bun. Damaging, but I condition like crazy and it's the best uncovered style I find for wind and humidity. But again, try not to go uncovered if you're in a windy sunny area.

I have never tried a uv hair spray, the regular sunscreen on my part seems to work well, and covering my hair in the sun helps too, but is not full proof. I quite like the slight lightness the sun gives my hair, and with all the conditioner I put in during the trip, I never have noticeable damage from the sun.

I have heard of making your garments SPF...there is something you can buy to wash your scarf with, and it supposedly will stay SPF 50 or whatever you used for quite a few washes, might give that a try!

That is all the advice I can give for now, besides have fun! Don't worry too much about your hair, these steps sound like a lot but I find if I just let it be and don't do anything to it, I'm playing with it more and yanking tangles and I come home with severely damaged hair.

Enjoy! And update us with your amazing stories!

amanda_the_tall
November 8th, 2013, 12:28 PM
For the sake of your scalp and hair, wear a WHITE scarf or hat when you're out in the tropical sun.

I'd stick with braids for the most part, because you don't want to deal with tangles while on a trip.

Depending on the number of layers your hair has, there is a way to get around wonky braids. Here's how:

1 Detangle all hair gently with wide tooth comb
2 Braid hair as usual down to about 2 inches above where the layered hair is
3 Take a smidgen of hair from the left side of the braid and add it to the middle section (you are making the middle slightly thicker now)
4 Take a smidgen of hair from the right side of the braid and add it to the middle secttion (middle section becomes slightly thicker)
5 Continue adding from both sides to the middle..and hopefully you'll be able to surround the shorter layered pieces with the longer pieces, all of which results in a neater looking braid.

Sorry I couldn't explain better...but it works. Bottom line: by adding a little bit from each side of the braid (starting about 2 inches from the where the layered hair appears) to the middle section, you are "trapping" the shorter hairs by mixing them with the longer ones, making it easier to create a neat finished braid. Works for plain Dutch or English braiding. Have never used it for French braiding.

Good luck and have fun!


Ahh I can help you here, I have been on 11...or 12..? Caribbean cruises and I'll be going on my next this summer as well! Besides cruises I go down to the Caribbean a couple times a year. My hair is similar somewhat similar to yours, and I do get burnt on my scalp where my part is, my hair gets tangled in the wind, frizzy and puffy in the humidity, and the salt water dries it up. In the past few years though I've been coming up with ways to help these annoying things.

-to avoid burning my scalp, I dab sunscreen where my part shows, and I wear my part in a different place everyday, if I make one
-to avoid too much uv damage to my hair and scalp, I wear a light colored soft cotton or silky scarf, tying it different ways can be fun and cute, occasionally I will wear a hat but I find with windy cruises on the upper deck...it can be a pain, but there are usually spots on the outside deck that are covered enough so there is minimal wind
-I don't dip my hair in the pool, on the cruise line I go on it has fresh water, normal pool water, but most have salt water from the ocean. If I go in the ocean while at port, I wet my hair with water bottle or fountain water, put my fav condish in, then swim as I wish with my hair down, I find it tangles if it's styled in a braid or whatnot, when i get out, I rinse in fresh water, re condition, and put back in braid/bun let dry and put my scarf back on
-when I am done being in the sun for the day, and getting ready for the dinner and show, I shower, depending on the state of my hair I will co wash, s&c wash, or leave it dry, whatever I feel it needs. I don't worry about washing everyday if it looks like it needs it because I like to look my absolute best on a cruise during the dinner and show, because i normally dress up quite formal. I don't bring heat tools though, I never use them at home either. But one night I will use the provided blow dryer, usually on the "formal" night for more volume. YouTube has tons of tutorials on no heat styles and updos
-I use a kiddy detangler. Despite my efforts to keep my hair from the wind, it still does get tangly, and i find no more tangles works a charm, I'd come out with so much damage if I didn't use that.
-to keep down frizz, I just put in some conditioner as a leave in, don't wanna lug too many products!
-if I don't feel like wearing a scarf, I will wear a braided high pony or high sock bun. Damaging, but I condition like crazy and it's the best uncovered style I find for wind and humidity. But again, try not to go uncovered if you're in a windy sunny area.

I have never tried a uv hair spray, the regular sunscreen on my part seems to work well, and covering my hair in the sun helps too, but is not full proof. I quite like the slight lightness the sun gives my hair, and with all the conditioner I put in during the trip, I never have noticeable damage from the sun.

I have heard of making your garments SPF...there is something you can buy to wash your scarf with, and it supposedly will stay SPF 50 or whatever you used for quite a few washes, might give that a try!

That is all the advice I can give for now, besides have fun! Don't worry too much about your hair, these steps sound like a lot but I find if I just let it be and don't do anything to it, I'm playing with it more and yanking tangles and I come home with severely damaged hair.

Enjoy! And update us with your amazing stories!

These are great tips, thanks! I will try to keep you updated, just applied for my passport today! :D