Travel hair care: the 100 ml rule and what to pack

Two things go wrong with hair on holiday. The first is sun, salt and chlorine. The second is that your usual hair routine does not fit in a washbag, so you skip it for a week.

The rule for liquids

In hand luggage in the EU and UK, liquids must be in containers of 100 ml or less, all inside one clear, resealable bag of about one litre. A 200 ml conditioner cannot come with you, however carefully you pack it.

There are two ways around it. You can pour your products into small bottles, accept that they may leak, and buy the products again. Or you can take something that is not a bottle. A single-use capsule holds just 1 ml and stays closed until you open it, so nothing can leak. Capsules still count as liquids at security, so pack them in your clear bag, where a few take up almost no room.

Why bottles leak

Changes in air pressure during the flight push air out of half-full bottles. That is why a cap you closed tightly at home arrives wet. If you use small bottles, fill them to the top, not halfway, tape the cap, and pack them away from clothes.

Five things to think about

• Sun. UV light breaks down hair colour and roughens the outer layer of the hair. A hat works better than any product.
• Salt and chlorine. Both dry out hair, and the effect builds up. Rinse with fresh water every time you come out of the water.
• A leave-in treatment before you swim. A protective layer on the hair means less pool water gets in.
• A wide-tooth comb. Wet hair stretches, and a fine brush can break it.
• A soft hair tie. Made of fabric, worn loose and low. Not an elastic band on wet hair in the sun.

Thirty seconds, once a day

Rinse, squeeze until damp, spread one capsule through the lengths and ends, and go. It is the same routine at home and away, so it is easy to keep on holiday. Ellips Hair Vitamin comes in 1 ml capsules, fifty in a jar. A small tin holds enough for a trip.

Ellips Hair Vitamin is a cosmetic leave-in treatment: it conditions and smooths hair, and helps protect it from damage caused by heat and brushing.