Six Travel Dos and Don'ts for Scalp and Hair Health

Summer getaways to sunny isles are a chance to rest, relax and recharge away from the demands of daily life. But while travel might be soothing for the soul, it can wreak havoc on your scalp and hair health. To save you returning from your trip with breakage, dryness, texture damage, faded colour or worse, we’ve compiled the ultimate list of dos and don’ts to help you maintain optimal scalp and hair health every time you travel.     

Do protect your scalp and hair from the sun  

Unlike the skin on your face, your scalp has a low barrier function and is largely unprotected from potentially harmful environmental factors. Stressors like UV rays from sun exposure can disrupt your scalp-skin barrier, leading to dryness, inflammation and irritation – which can heavily impact your hair’s growth potential and quality. Sun exposure can also affect the lengths of your hair. It can cause strands to feel brittle, dry and appear frizzier. Colour-treated hair is also more likely to fade and become discoloured or brassy as a result of excessive sun exposure. Be sure to pack a hat or a scarf to keep your scalp and hair covered and protected from the elements.  

Do keep your hair hydrated   

Keeping your strands hydrated with the right products is essential to maintaining hair health because hydrated hair has more elasticity and manageability – making it less susceptible to breakage and damage. Various aspects of travel can contribute to dryness, including recycled air on planes and swimming in salt or chlorinated water. As part of your travel prep, condition your hair with a replenishing formula designed to truly hydrate and moisturise your strands without coating or weighing them down.  

Before taking a dip, apply our Hair Mask or Hydrating Crème as leave-in treatment to protect the lengths of your hair from the harsh effects of sun, salt and chlorine. Additionally, windy beaches, swimming and styling can lead to tangling. Hydrating your strands regularly with a nourishing formula such as our Weightless Conditioner, which is to unravel stubborn knots, snags and tangles is crucial to preventing hair breakage and damage.  

Regularly hydrating your strands with a nourishing formula that helps to unravel stubborn knots, snags and tangles is crucial to preventing hair breakage and damage. Our revitalising  Weightless Conditioner is lightweight, buildable and perfect for reapplying throughout the day.   

Do pack travel-sized products   

When packing for a trip, the last thing anyone wants to figure out is how to fit full-sized beauty products into luggage already bursting at the seams with travel essentials. While it might seem convenient to rely on the shampoos and conditioners provided by your hotel, they are often formulated with ingredients that could disrupt your scalp’s sensitive microbiome and coat your scalp and hair strands with waxes and silicones. These ingredients can build up on your scalp and hair, potentially leading to irritation, contact dermatitis and hair loss.  

Invest in mini versions of your Hårklinikken favourites so you have your cleansing and hydrating products at home and away. Our Travel Essentials Set includes the Daily Conditioner, Hair Hydrating Crème, Hair Mask and your choice of either the Balancing or Stabilizing Scalp Shampoo – in 75ml sizes that are convenient and carry-on friendly.  

Don't skip washdays  

From increased heat and humidity to cold air conditioning in your hotel room, exposure to different climates can disrupt your scalp-skin barrier and leave you susceptible to irritation, inflammation and dryness. Cleansing regularly and correctly with your recommended Hårklinikken shampoo is essential to maintaining a healthy scalp microenvironment. Our formulas don’t just clear away buildup from excess oils, product, flakes and debris, they also balance your scalp’s delicate microbiome and pH levels, and stabilise its sebum production – ultimately supporting healthy hair growth.    

Don't rely on tight styles   

From slicked-back buns to tight braids, hairstyles that keep your hair out of the way might be easy, and convenient when you’re in transit or enjoying summer adventures. However, styles that require you to pull your hair back taut can cause tension on the scalp, and when worn often they can lead to traction alopecia – a form of hair loss localised to an area of the scalp where hair strands have been pulled from the root repeatedly. Opt for looser styles as often as you can to lessen the amount of tension you apply to your scalp.    

Don't forget your Hair Supplement  

Scalp and hair health can be impacted by more than your biology, lifestyle and product preferences. Factors such as stress, gut health, nutrient absorption and environmental stressors can all affect your scalp and hair. Our Hair Supplement is expert-formulated to support strong, full, healthy hair growth from within, by addressing the eight internal factors known to contribute to hair loss and thinning. Developed over a decade, your daily dose of two capsules contains Anagain Nu® Organic Pea Shoot Extract to reduce feelings of stress, Lactobacillus casei to provide probiotic gut support, Saw Palmetto Extract to address DHT sensitivity, Pomegranate Extract to nourish the follicles, and more.