Hey there! I’ve been studying at Mahidol University right outside of Bangkok for about a month now and have been figuring out how I should approach my hair care while I’m here. I noticed that there isn’t much information out on this specific topic.
I feel like it is important that black travelers see every dimension of the location they're traveling to, so I wanted to talk about what you’ll want to know about hair care in Thailand!
Weather
In general, Thailand is hot and humid most of the time, so you should expect weather like any other tropical place. Either way, all styles seem very possible to maintain. It’s important to consider how much you expect to be outside and how active you intend on being. Personally, having locs has made daily hair care way easier for me, but the shower water and drenching saltwater from the beach don’t help either. The water quality is pretty unpredictable, so it’s still important that you try to work with it daily using bottled water if you can.
Products
I would say my biggest concern has been that product selection is VERY limited, if it exists at all. Thailand has a mostly local population, so there aren’t many products in general that are marketed to foreigners. You’ll often find products that cater to the population, like whitening cream, in place of the tanning lotion you’d see in the U.S.
The only thing I’ve seen in stores that would be good for your scalp and skin is coconut oil from local convenience stores like Lotus Mart and 7/11, which I had to get creative with by the time the little product I had ran out. Other than that, there are no other oils, leave-in conditioners, edge controls, retwist gels, or other products I’ve seen in shops yet.
Alternatives
If you’re up for more of a DIY approach, there are plenty of things to try since Thailand has a wide range of great produce. Making simple concoctions like rice water and avocado hair masks can go a long way in keeping your hair healthy and hydrated. A hairstylist some friends and I met in Bangkok also recommended these two products to help lock moisture in more textured hair. There are plenty of salons that work with black hair in Bangkok that can provide their own advice that may be able to guide you to what you’re looking for as well.
Ultimately, to be better safe than sorry, I recommend not making the mistake I did and to stock up on all your favorites before coming. Online shopping is always an option, but shipping times can be more unpredictable than back in the U.S. If you do end up making that mistake, fret not! Anything is possible in Thailand, and using the many resources that we have while here make the task of keeping healthy hair far from defeating.