Managing Cruise Hair: Products and Tips To Tame Your Mane
Traveling by cruise ship may be hassle-free, but it can wreak havoc on your hair. The problem of “cruise hair” has several root causes (pardon the pun).
These conditions can include:
Desalinated Water
Water on cruise ships tends to be desalinated. This means that the salt and minerals have been removed from seawater to make it potable (safe to drink).
Turns out, ‘potable’ water isn’t so potable for your hair. Each time you wash your hair on board, the desalinated water can dry and frizz your hair and strip it of its color if dyed.
Water without minerals can leave your hair seeming flat without body. Water without minerals can leave your hair seeming flat without body. Given these conditions, only wash your hair when you need to. Washing it daily will compound your problems.
Chlorine in pool water may be even a greater hazard, so do rinse your head after swimming.
Challenging Climate Conditions
Depending on where you travel, temperature, wind, and/or humidity can make your hair difficult to manage.
Taking a walk on a top deck at sea can feel like you’re putting your hair through a wind tunnel; you can also encounter wind on tenders and shore excursions.
Excessive dry air, which can even be caused by air conditioning on the ship, can make your hair frizzy and uncontrollable.
Humidity may be the worst. It’s a real hazard when you are cruising in the Caribbean.
New-To-You Hair Products
You never know what shampoo or conditioner you’ll find on a ship. Brands vary, with upscale cruises often featuring higher-end hair products.
However, even these premium brands may have a more drying effect than you are accustomed to at home.
I usually travel with these Olaplex products recommended by my hair stylistAvailable on Amazon
My hair stylist always recommends bringing your own moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, ones that are specifically formulated for dry, damaged, and/or dyed hair.
I was at my wit’s end in Cancun, so I had to make an emergency call to my hair stylist. She said to increase the amount of leave-in conditioner compared to what I ordinarily use.
(I realized why most hotel staff and ship crew in the Caribbean wear their hair slicked back in a bun.)
It’s prudent to experiment with different gel and mousse products before you leave home to see what works best for your hair.
Different Hair Tools
Every cruise ship offers a hair dryer in your stateroom. Even though hair dryers are typically clunky to pack and carry, you may want to think twice and bring your own.
Some onboard hair dryers produce too much heat, so always use the lowest setting possible. If you are fussy about hair dryers, you might want to invest in a compact dual-voltage hair dryer for your voyage.
I always bring a straightening iron when I travel, but it fried my hair on our last cruise. I realized a few days later that I needed to moderate the temperature, perhaps because the current was different on the ship than at home.
Choosing the Right Hairstyle
You don’t want to worry about or spend excess time on your hair on vacation, so getting a haircut or trim before a cruise is always a good idea. I also get my hair colored.
Tell your stylist you are cruising and where you are going. Let the stylist know you want an easy-to-care-for cut. The stylist may also be able to recommend the best hair products for your cruise.
If you have long, straight hair (as I wish I did), you can easily braid or tie it back in a bun or ponytail.
If you have naturally curly hair, humidity can be your friend and make your curls tighter. Some women opt for permanents before a cruise to make their hair easier to care for.
As we age, our hair becomes more unmanageable. If you are like me, you might be left in a pickle, searching for answers.
Multiple threads on Cruise Critic and Reddit lament the problem of cruise hair and seek solutions from other cruisers.
One last resort for daytime is to wear a hat!
Do you have any hair tips to add?
Disclosure: I earn a small amount of affiliate earnings from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you that help support my blog. I only recommend products that I use or would buy for myself.
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