I’ll be across the pond for at least the next few months. I stocked up on some hair care items to take with me. Due to lack of suitcase space, however, I didn’t get to pack my entire stash. I will show what I planned to take with me. Depending on the cost of things abroad, I may get whatever doesn’t fit in my suitcase, shipped to me.

Here’s is some of what I planned to take with me:

I was only able to bring the Giovanni conditioners, the Shea Moisture Leave In, the shea butter, and one of the Le Kair Cholesterols. I did transfer some of the Eco Styler into a smaller container. I had packed some oils- coconut and sweet almond but those did not make the cut. I also had to leave my bentonite clay. Incidentally, WalMart (Asda over here) stocks coconut and other oils in the hair care aisle for a relatively good price- less than £2. I don’t think I’ll need the Bentonite clay because I packed a clarifying shampoo and I mostly used the clay for frizz reduction.

My first full day here, I got some Eco Styler gel- the same one I had here…Argan, I think. It has a softer hold than what I’m used to, but I like it. I have noticed some flaking as the days go on and it does not work well with the Curls Control Paste at all. I’m cutting back on using the paste because it’s only good for 1st day hair. Afterwards, it clumps up and leaves residue. I was worried about my hair being dry here but surprisingly it isn’t.

I’m especially glad I brought the Shea Moisture with me. Products in this line are usually $9.99 and buy one, get one 1/2 off in the sale. Here in the UK they are £12.99 each. That’s $20.34 for one! Definitely too expensive for me. I actually think I should have brought a few more and left the shea butter. My hair isn’t as dry as I expected it to be…but it is spring after all (but still 50 degrees F).  Perhaps I’ll use it in winter. I may try some shea butter only wash and gos because without the humidity, my hair is very defined on its own.

One thing I’m surprised about is there aren’t a lot of naturals here in my city. Children and teens are usually heat-trained naturals. I’m the only curly head I see. This wasn’t what I expected at all, especially since there are more biracial (mixed with black) people in the UK than there are black. But my natural hair stands out and people definitely do a double take… A few members of my family are rasta and they’ve shown me the natural hair salons in the area, so I may try one out.