Long haul air travel help

[Billycourty]

Hello everyone,

I am a new member so very naive about hair care.

I have to fly from France to Australia on Monday and my hair gets very dry from the aircon.

I have just started CO only hair washing and i was thinking of doing a clarifying wash today as i have never done one.

But then i thought maybe having greasy oily hair would be protective on the plane. So maybe i shouldn't wash until i get to australia?

Any and all syggestions on if greasy hair looks bad but is protective or if there is a routine for air travel that i can use to protect my hair.

My hair is 2 inches past BSL and i hope to grow it to waist.

Jay

[Heavenly Locks]

I would suggest coconut oil rather heavily and keep it back in two braids to keep it from getting rubbed on the seat.

Good luck with the long flight. I fly to the states from Japan a couple times a year and I really know how those long flights wreak havoc on my hair. The air is SO dry.

I would then wash once I got to Australia. :)

[Billycourty]

I know it has properly been asked to death but where do i find coconut oil?

I have seen it next to the karité butter but both the butter and the coconut are mixed with mineral oil and beeswax.

Is pure coconut oil found in the food section of the grocery store or do i go to a wholefood store?

My product range is very limited in Paris in regards to basic items and now there isnt time to order anything online.

Jay

[Billycourty]

Actually i just saw someone asking this question for the UK. Asian stores of Indian takeaways :)

[julliams]

I wouldn't worry too much about lathering with oil. You might find the smell irritating or someone near you might. I find coconut oil pleasant but not everyone does and when you are in close proximity to lots of people, smells can be overwhelming.

Just braid your hair and wash once you get to Australia. You will find the humidity different here and your hair might take some time to adjust. I have flown many times between Australia, Canada and Europe and I have never done anything different with my hair. If anything I like it out of the way and braids work best as they keep your hair neat.

Enjoy the long flight as best you can. Watch lots of movies and keep hydrated.

Juliette

[Pierre]

I've seen coconut oil in both the health-food store and the regular grocery store. Also try jojoba, which I've seen in the HFS. But I've never been in France (though I have relatives there).

I've been on a few long plane trips: North Carolina to Portugal and back, North Carolina to Germany and back, and North Carolina to Minas Gerais and back. The last would be 7 Mm à vol d'oiseau (if there are any birds that fly that route), but I had to fly to New Jersey because the plane that I was supposed to be on got stuck in ice in Ohio. I don't remember how my hair was on that flight, but Minas at the time was in a hot and dry summer, and I was not used to that weather in my hair. Bon voyage!

[HildeMV]

I buy coconut oil on ebay. Vatika or parachute.

[GeoJ]

I usually oil and braid. I wouldn't worry about the smell of the coconut oil, it is far milder than many other smells I have had to put up with on airplanes.

I don't know where to buy coconut oil in Paris, but if you can find an Indian food store you can probably get it there. Maybe you could also try leaving some of your conditioner in your hair and braiding it, or you try a heavier oil like olive oil.

[Juanita]

I just put some shea butter on mine. Absorbs it all nicely and nice soft hair next day.Put it on my skin then maybe add some more to my hand and run through my hair.I have fine hair that tends to dry out as I live in a very harsh climate.

[Othala]

I would make up a mixture of conditioner and oil in a 80:20 ratio and apply it to all the hair below the jawline, then put it in bunches or pigtails. I would then wear a pure silk scarf over the head hair so that the back of the seat doesn't rub on the back of the hair.

[celelu]

You should be able to find jojoba oil or any other in Naturalia shops in Paris.

[Roseate]

Also, if possible bring a little of your oil or leave-in conditioner on the plane with you; I find that no matter how I grease it up beforehand it still needs a little more midflight, if it's over 8 hours or so. That airplane air is dry! Be sure to drink as much water as you can. Have fun in Australia!

[Pierre]

I have seen it next to the karité butter

I just put some shea butter on mine.
Same thing. And you can get it without the mineral oil and beeswax.

Also, if possible bring a little of your oil or leave-in conditioner on the plane with you; I find that no matter how I grease it up beforehand it still needs a little more midflight, if it's over 8 hours or so. That airplane air is dry! Be sure to drink as much water as you can. Have fun in Australia!
Make sure it's less than 100 ml - not that you need that much oil on a flight.

[Billycourty]

Thankyou so much everyone for all the tips.

I fly out tomorrow morning so i am thinking of slathering my hair with shea butter (that is all i could get fast) and braiding it.

I did wash my hair and it is the first time the CO only has work really well so i al crying on the inside to coat it in shea butter and make it lank.

Do you girls think lathering with shea butter and braiding would work ok? i can't mix any mixutres as i don't even have any EVOO (i thought that was a fancy brand of mositurizer. if i had known that it stood for extra virgin olive oil i would have brought some and tried that instead of the shea (which i don't really like as it clumps my hair.

I am going to melt the shea butter as it is in a solid block and put it on.

I will check this again in a few hours but after that i will be flying so thankyou very much for your help and i will reply when i get to aus.

Jay

[Roseate]

...Do you girls think lathering with shea butter and braiding would work ok? i can't mix any mixutres as i don't even have any EVOO (i thought that was a fancy brand of mositurizer. if i had known that it stood for extra virgin olive oil i would have brought some and tried that instead of the shea (which i don't really like as it clumps my hair.

I am going to melt the shea butter as it is in a solid block and put it on.
...
Jay

Shea butter is great, but it can be very thick and sticky if you put on a lot. Do you have conditioner? You could mix the melted shea with conditioner about 50/50 and use that. It's similar to Fox's conditioning cream (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4586), I make that all the time and my hair loves it.

[Lamb]

In the name of all travellers with sensitive noses, I second the warning about coconut oil. :poot:
Also, bear in mind that the air on airoplanes and airports is not only dry, but also incredibly dirty. My scalp tends to crank up the oil production on airplanes, I have no idea why.
After long flights, my hair feels grungy as well as dry. I'd imagine putting extra oil/butters on it would exacerbate the problem.
Once, I wore a snood (a hair covering, but a bandana or scarf does the same job) during a transatlantic flight and it helped tremendously, my hair was in a lot better "landing condition" than usual.
I'd probably just condition really well, braid, perhaps cover, and leave it alone.

[cocolover]

When I have a long stretch of travelling, I like to bring an empty water mister bottle (little tiny one). Once past security, I fill this up with evian that I buy at the snack store. On long flights, 9 hours or more, I mist my face and hair in the bathroom a few times. This really helps a lot. I would go for an oil like jojoba, which is pretty scentless. I usually start in braids and then end the flight up in a bun. If you wear a scarf, you can tuck your braids down int and then pull it up over your hair for sleeping, blocks out noise and light also. HTH

[hmmm]

I'd like to point out that all coconut oil doesn't smell... the brand I use, Parachute, doesn't have any smell at all. Unless used in massive quantities I'd think. There are lots of other oils you can use, I'm sure you'll find something near where you are. Why not try aloe vera gel and braid? My hair likes it, and it doesn't get the oily feeling when I do that.