Road Trip! Hair Care Must-Haves for Traveling

Summer is a time for beach days, road trips, and impromptu mini-vacations! Some of our favorite destination memories come from warm summer days in the sun and surf. However, it’s all too easy to let hair care fall by the wayside when you’re jet-setting off into the sunset. 

With that in mind, the Beauty Supply 123 team has collected some of our favorite products and tips for on-the-go hair care. Check out these salon saviors before you hop in the car! 

Shower Basics: Shampoo, Conditioner, and More

Just because you’re on the road doesn’t mean you have to settle for half-baked hair care. It’s true—you can skip the caustic, chemical-filled hotel shampoo (and they never give you conditioner anyway — what gives?!). At the same time, you may not want to bring your expensive salon hair-care with you on the road.

Instead, give a travel-friendly shampoo/conditioner set a try. We like the compact, portable Biosilk Irresistible Travel Kit and the CHI Refresh & Protect Kit. Both of these come with airline-friendly (and TSA approved!) bottle sizes of healthful shampoo and conditioner. The CHI series comes with a nourishing hair treatment and a mini hair spray (excellent for heat protection), while the Biosilk edition offers a leave-in reconstructing treatment and a light, floral hair fragrance (perfect for a quick spritz on the go). 

No Shower? No Problem!

If you’re camping, rockin’ out at a music festival, or just on one of those long drives that makes you feel a little grungy, this travel hair hack will leave you feeling fresh and stylish. One of the best and easiest travel hair tricks is to invest in good quality dry shampoo. SGX NYC has an award-winning oil-absorbing offering in their Dry Touch Volumizing Dry Shampoo. (Just a note—this bottle is too big to take through airport security, so make sure you toss it in a carry-on bag if you’re jet-setting! If you need TSA-friendly, try Manfix’s Degreaser Dry Shampoo.) 

For curly or wavy hair, this writer recommends CHI Vibes Wake + Fake Dry Shampoo — which is sitting in her travel bag as she types this! 

The trick with dry shampoo is that you’re not actually treating your hair—you’re cleansing your scalp, and the nourishing ingredients from dry shampoo brush out into your hair after their first stop on your skin. To use dry shampoo at its most effective, hold your hair out of the way in chunks, spraying or sprinkling dry shampoo at the roots of your hair and onto your scalp. Then, comb or brush your hair vigorously until your hair and scalp feel squeaky clean and refreshed. 

Hotel Hacks

Hotel rooms can be total, jacuzzi-tub bliss—or they can be late-night highway “where the heck are we” motel debacles. No matter where you’re laying your head for the night, you can sleep easy knowing you have a leg up on hotel hair care. 

If you prefer not to wash your hair every day, a travel-friendly (and travel-themed!) shower cap like this Spa Sister Bouffant Shower Cap is an easy, lightweight item to throw into your overnight bag. Or if you need to rely on the hotel’s on-hand hair dryer (with its unpredictable heat settings), use this Hot Sock Ultralight Diffuser for a post-shower style sesh free from frizz and heat damage.  

On the Go Styling

Finally, one of the most important parts of summer travel is to travel light — but that doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your hair care favorites! We’re big fans of compact styling accessories that can fit in a handbag or that one weird pocket of your carry-on that’s been confusing you since you bought it. 

For example, we love the CHI Spin N Curl “Champagne Special Edition” curler. It’s small and mighty, with adjustable heating times, dual voltage for convenient travel, and an automatic shut-off feature after one hour. No more worrying about burning down the hotel while you’re gone! And for everyday “anyone have a bobby pin?” moments, we like this compact travel set from Soft N Style: pins, hair ties, hair clips, and two hair nets tucked in a convenient, compact case. Just throw this in your day bag and you’re good to go! 

~Near, far, whereeeever you are~, Beauty Supply 123 has your back. We’d love to go with you on all your adventures this summer season! Let us know which of these travel favorites have transformed your road trips, outdoor festivals, and beach days. 

Now if you need us, we’ll be at the pool!