Expert shares tips for prepping your hair for a flight

Expert shares tips for prepping your hair for a flight

It’s officially holiday season and over 40 million Brits are expected to travel abroad for a summer getaway.

Flying is one of the most popular methods of travel to reach your holiday destination, but it can be physically taxing on your hair.

So, how does flying really affect our hair and what can you do to protect it from damage pre- and post-flight?

How can flying affect your mane?

Most of us are familiar with aeroplane skin – the dryness, flaking, and itchiness that can occur during a flight. Well, your scalp is no different.

The recycled air in a plane cabin has a lower humidity than regular air, meaning there is less moisture, resulting in trans-epidermal water loss and causing the skin to feel tight, dry, and irritated.

Significant changes in the atmosphere like this can affect the molecular structure of your hair strands, changing the texture and leaving it feeling brittle and lifeless.

A dry environment may also cause your scalp to increase oil secretion to recoup lost moisture making your hair greasy much faster. This can be exacerbated by wearing headphones or sleeping against the headrest during the flight.

Stress and anxiety can also trigger more intensive oil production, as it causes our bodies to release the stress hormone cortisol, which will boost it, and travelling can be stressful.

Pre-flight preparation

The best way to prep your hair for a flight is to infuse your locks with as much hydration and moisture as possible to protect it whilst travelling.

Water makes up around 25 percent of the weight of a hair strand, but this can change depending on shifts in temperature and humidity.

A decrease in either can make hair feel brittle, frizzy and vulnerable to breakage.

To avoid this, wash your hair the day before your flight and use a shampoo and conditioner that contains moisturising and hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and oils such as argan, coconut, jojoba, and castor.

Additionally, apply a hair mask from the mid-lengths to the ends and leave it in for as long as possible to give it enough time to penetrate your strands, avoiding your scalp as this will make it greasy quickly.

Follow up with a lightweight serum, oil, or leave-in treatment that can boost moisture without weighing your hair down and making it appear flat.

When styling your hair for your flight, tight hairstyles are a no-no. Your hair will be most vulnerable on the flight and excessive friction could cause breakage and hair loss.

Avoid high and tight ponytails and buns. Instead, opt for a loose braid or low ponytail that’s more delicate on the hair and use fabric scrunchies to minimise damage.

Keep your stress levels as low as possible to prevent excessive oil production by scheduling plenty of time at the airport to check in, pass through security, and reach your gate at a relaxing pace.

And take a pack of wipes with you to give your headphones and seat a final clean before they come into contact with your hair.

For those wearing hair extensions, we’d recommend against wearing them to travel as clips can often set off metal detectors. During the flight, keep them stored in a cool, dry, breathable bag and ensure they are completely dry when you put them away to prevent any nasty mould or bacteria from growing.

And for flyers with textured hair, wearing a silk or satin bonnet can protect your locks from friction against the seat headrest which can cause split ends and frizziness.

Post-flight actions

Once you vacate the plane, your priority should be to wash your hands or, at the very least, apply hand sanitiser.

Planes and airports are germ and bacteria havens (airport screen kiosks have up to 700 times more germs than your kitchen counter) and you don’t want to transfer any of this onto your hair with dirty hands.

If your hair needs a quick boost of volume and texture or looks greasy, apply dry shampoo at the roots of your hair and work it through your hair with your fingers before brushing.

To restore moisture to your locks and reduce any frizz or static, grab a travel-sized oil or serum and apply it to the ends of your hair.

Ideally, wait at least one day after your flight before hair washing, as excessive washing can strip the natural oils and dry your locks out, leaving it prone to breakage and thinning, dulling the natural shine.

When you wash it, use a hair mask or pre-wash treatment beforehand to give your scalp and mane some TLC and follow up with moisturising and hydrating hair products.

Rugged Hank

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Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

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