With all this travelling, I’m always amazed by how drastically my skin and hair dries out, especially on this trip that I went on to Philadelphia. The freezing cold temperatures sucked the moisture right out of my hair and skin! This doesn’t necessarily only happen when you’re in the cold but also in the extremely hot weather that we deal with back home, and generally in the Middle East. I never travel light, when it comes to my skin and hair routine. I actually care about these products being packed more than my own clothes, only because it frustrates me to be dealing with breakouts and dried out skin while being dehydrated on Roaccutane or have my hair getting tangled every time I wash it.

I always make sure I pack a good hair mask, hair oil replacement, my detangle spray, a good comb, and a leave-in conditioner. If I was going to be tanning or under the sun for a long time I will also throw in a hair UV protectant because nothing is worse than how your hair feels like after you’ve been in the pool or swimming at the beach.

Not a lot of people know this but a few hairstylists have told me that one of the biggest mistakes that girls do with long hair is that they apply shampoo from the roots to the tips of their hair, what they should do is only apply and wash the roots of your hair (scalp area) and not rub in the shampoo through all of your hair to have minimal damage/ dryness after your dry your hair, because no matter how much you love your shampoo or love how it leaves your hair feeling smooth and shiny, it contains chemicals and all shampoos do, meaning it’ll leave in those chemicals in your hair, unless you use homemade shampoo and conditioner which is amazing too.

UV protection

Leaving in olive oil or mixing a few drops with your shampoo will also help a lot with locking in the moisture in your hair, usually I plan to have a day out of the week or every other week to leave in olive oil for a couple of hours to help my hair with the dryness and split ends. Doing so for a while will definitely benefit your hair and also keep it smooth and shiny! The UV protection is either a mousse or cream you put in your hair when you’re out tanning or going out in the sun.

It not only protects my hair from the UV rays it also keeps my hair color as it is, because sometimes the salt from the sea or chlorine from the pool changes your hair color to lighter, and this works just like when you protect your skin by applying sunscreen. Some hair masks come with the shampoo and conditioner you purchase, or you can also come up with your own hair mask and make it at home (view older articles to find the Homemade Masks).

Masks are more like “quick-fixes” to help repair your hair for a short period of time but actually treating it is what keeps it healthy in the long run. I usually use masks instead of conditioners, even when I’m getting my hair done at the salon I ask for a mask. It’s heavier and more intense than a regular conditioner. Always keep in mind that our hair is made out of a protein called keratin, and using shampoos that contain that is very healthy for your hair, and another thing that is extremely important to consider if you have unhealthy and thinning hair is your diet. Many women go on poor diets which cause them to have thin hair, weak nails and bad skin.

Eating foods such as seafood, more precisely salmon, yoghurt; Greek yoghurt contains vitaminB5 which prevents hair thinning, spinach, poultry, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, and eggs. Try to add those to your diet to help grow your hair faster, and not only your hair but skin and nails too. Always know that to have anything be healthy is starts from within, a healthy body and a healthy mind comes first, and everything else follows. Good luck ladies.