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I mean c’mon there is not one reason, look at th I mean c’mon there is not one reason, look at this view from the top of the Kloof Corner hike! The biggest way we’re able to afford traveling so much is by letting the deals dictate where we go. Cape Town has been on our bucket list forever but with flights typically costing $1,200-$1,800 it hasn’t been a priority. But when Scott’s Cheap Flights (now called Going, I don’t like the new name but that’s besides the point) dropped this Cape Town deal for less than half of what it normally costs we jumped on it!

So often I hear “but there are no deals during school breaks”, YES THERE ARE! We went to Cape Town for Thanksgiving and the girls get the entire week off of school so they missed no days. Plus since there seasons are opposite it was late spring and the weather was amazing. Scott’s emails deals directly to your inbox for the airports you choose (we select our home airport and airports we can easily fly direct to and always have cheap flights because sometimes it’s worth flying to a city for a deal (known as a repositioning flight). They offer a free version but you don’t get all the deals so we have the Premium subscription which costs $49 for a year and you can tap the link in my bio and use code TRAVELINGCHILD20 for 20% off. They have an Elite membership level for business class seats. Because someone always asks, yes they give deals for nonstop flights but please remember you can’t fly everywhere nonstop. Beloved if you’re going to Thailand from the US you’re going to have a layover.

Anyway when in Cape Town you must hike, there are so many amazing ones! This Kloof’s Corner hike is perfect for sunset. It’s not stroller or wheelchair accessible as there are stairs but if Jordyn and Kennedy can hike it in 40mins (one way up) I promise you don’t have to be super fit!

P.S. when booking a flight from the US you have 24 hours to cancel & get a refund (on flights booked 7 days in advance). So many ppl told me they hesitated on this deal because they had to see if they could get off work/what dates worked for their travel partners. Always book first, think second & just cancel within 24hrs if you can’t make it work! What’s the best flight deal you’ve booked?
Hello from Cape Town, South Africa! Here’s every Hello from Cape Town, South Africa! Here’s everything you need to know about getting into South Africa (save + share this post):

1. Your passport must be valid for 30 days after your scheduled date of departure.

2. You must have 2 consecutive empty pages in your passport.

3. There is no visa required for US citizens for visits less than 90 days.

4. There are no shots required to travel to South Africa, unless you are traveling from or transiting through yellow-fever deemed countries, then a yellow fever shot is required. You can find a list of these countries online.

5. South Africa has opposite seasons than the US so our winter is their summer. December to February are peak travel due to the weather but if you visit in November like we did you’ll get good weather and avoid the massive crowds of peak season.

Have you visited South Africa? If so, which part? If not, is it on your list?
Because why do y’all do this to us trip planners Because why do y’all do this to us trip planners? Are you the one in your group that plans the trip or do you just show up? If you’re the planner tag your friends 😅. If you just show up do you look at the itinerary or ask all the questions even though the info was given to you 👀?

Original reel idea credit goes to @kryssedeal, sis really nailed exactly how I feel!!
#sponsored Last year we were able to cross some am #sponsored Last year we were able to cross some amazing places off our bucket list. We want you to do the same so we’ve teamed up with @vrbo to give you the opportunity to win $3,500 and turn your bucket list trip into a book-it-list one! 

Just head over to the giveaway post on @vrbo, make sure you’re following them and tag 3 people you’d want to join you on your trip! 

So what is your book-it list vacation this year?

*T&Cs apply – link in bio

 #VrboTogether #BookItList
Things to do in Istanbul (save and share this post Things to do in Istanbul (save and share this post):

1. Visit the various houses of worship like Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque. Suleymaniye Camii, Ortakoy Mosque, Chora Church and the Camlica Mosque

2. Tour palaces like Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace

3. Climb the Galata Tower for amazing views of Istanbul. You can even enjoy a meal here at the restaurant on the top floor.

4. Take a cruise of the Bosphorus to see both the European and Asia side of Istanbul.

5. Visit the cities Bazaars, the Grand Bazaar where you can shop your heart out and the Spice Bazaar where you can eat your heart out. Don’t leave without trying a Turkish delight!

6. If you want to go shopping Istiklal is the place to do so. They have a wide range of stores including international chains like Zara.

7. See a Dervish show at Hodjapasha.

8. Walk across the Galata Bridge to see fisherman at work and then walk under it to taste their fresh catches.

9. Take a day trip to the Princes’ Islands.

10. Experience a Turkish Hammam.

11. Explore the neighborhood of Balet, enjoying the colorful building and have some traditional Turkish tea or my favorite Apple Tea.

12. Turkey has some amazing food so go on a food tour or take a cooking class. If you don’t do either just make sure not to leave without having a traditional Turkish breakfast!

I recommend at least 5 days in Istanbul but you can easily spend a week or more exploring the city.

Have you been to Istanbul? If not is it on your list? For those that have been what was your favorite thing to do?

#istanbul #bucketlistadventures
Our Egypt Itinerary (save + share this post): 3 n Our Egypt Itinerary (save + share this post):

3 nights Siwa: Shali Fortress, 4x4 safari in the Great Sand Sea, sunset on Fatnas Island, emple of Amun and Temple of the Oracle, take a look or a dip into Cleopatra Spring, Mountain of the Dead, House of Siwa Museum, float in the salt lakes.

5 nights Cairo: Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx,  Egyptian Museum, Saqqara, Khal Al Khalil, Old and Coptic Cairo: Hanging Church, Mohamed Ali Mosque, Al Azhar Mosque and the Fortress of Babylon, see an Al Tannoura Egyptian Dance Heritage Show at Wekalet El Ghouri. For a break from the historical things with kids spend a day at Dreamland Park, Kidzania, or Ski Egypt. Stay at Marriott Mena House.

3 nights Luxor: Hot air balloon ride, Luxor Museum, Mummification museum, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Temple of Karnak, Temple of Luxor, Colossi Statue of Memnon and Hatshpsut

3 nights Aswan: High Dam, Temple of Philae, Nubian Villages, Sail on the Nile by Felucca, Nubian Museum, Abu Simbel

On the way to Aswan from Luxor you can also stop to see the Temple of Horus and Kim Ombo Temple. If you have extra time visit Alexandria, Bahariya Oasis, and White Desert National Park to see the White Desert.

Have you been to Egypt? Is it on your list? There is so much to see outside of Cairo! 

#bucketlisttravel #cairoegypt #luxoregypt #aswan
OUR MOROCCO ITINERARY (save + share this post):

🇲🇦2 nights Chefchaouen- painting class, hiking, enjoying the Blue City and more.

🇲🇦3 nights Fes- Royal palaces, Moroccan dance class, visit the tannery and more

🇲🇦6 nights Marrakech- Majorelle Gardens, explore the Medina, explore the various mosques, stay in a riad, take a Moroccan cooking class and more.

🇲🇦3 nights Sahara Desert- ATV tour, sand boarding, Bedouin experience and more.

For all the details of each trip tap the link in my bio for the itineraries of each city. Have you been to Morocco? Is it on your list?

P.S. the girls were 3 and 5 on this trip

#moroccotrip #thisisafrica #travellingwithkids

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Our Natural Hair Routine

August 18, 2020      Lifestyle, Lifestyle

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

I know this post is long overdue but I finally wrote it. I’ve been natural for fourteen years so I thankfully mastered my natural hair routine prior to having my daughters. While we all have natural hair our hair types range from 3c-4c (I think) and so what works for one of us doesn’t always work for the other but we’ve thankfully been able to find products that do work well in all of our hair.  In this article I’m giving you our weekly natural hair routine, general natural hair care tips and tips for traveling with natural hair.

Our Natural Hair Routine

We typically wash our hair once a week and I won’t lie it’s a process! It was actually one of my motivations of cutting my hair, less hair to take care of! This natural hair routine includes a deep condition, you don’t have to do one every week if you don’t feel like you need to.

Step One: Detangle and Separate

Separate your hair into sections and detangle. This step is crucial as it will make the washing process faster and less painful. It’s also easier with kids as I do this on the couch while they watch TV, read less complaining! To detangle I wet each section using a spray bottle and apply a little bit of conditioner. Then I detangle using this Denman brush starting from the ends of the hair and making my way up to the root. After I detangle a section I braid it, usually ending up with 5-6 sections.

Step Two: Shampoo

Next it’s time to wash! Again I wash their hair in sections, unbraiding one to two braids at a time, ending up with 3-4 sections to wash. For my hair I use Creme of Nature Argan Oil shampoo. For the girls hair I was using the Cantu kids line, tear-free shampoo. I love it because it works great on both of their hair textures and of course no crying if it gets in their eyes.

I’ve recently got another brand, Hair of Nature, as a gift, it’s actually a small black owned company by a mompreneur and have been using it for the past few months. We’ve liked the results of this brand as well. You can check out their curl moisture shampoo here and use promo code TRAVELINGCHILD for 10% off!

Step Three: Protein Treatment

After washing our hair I give each of us a protein treatment using Redken’s Extreme CAT Anti-Damage Protein Reconstructing Treatment. I apply this around our edges and on our scalp, massaging it in and then brushing it through our hair for even distribution. We leave it in for five minutes while sitting under our softhooded dryer. We only do protein treatments once every six weeks. If your hair is damaged and it’s your first time doing protein treatments you can do them once a week for four weeks to restore your hair and then every six weeks.

Step Four: Conditioner

If we aren’t doing a protein treatment step four becomes step three and that is our applying our conditioner. You must always condition your hair after a protein treatment so never skip this step. Some weeks we use regular conditioners, me using the Creme of Nature Argan Oil conditioner and the girls using the Cantu tear-free conditioner. Other weeks it’s time for a deep condition (typically alternating these) and then we’ve been using Hair of Nature’s Herbal Reconstruction Deep Conditioner which I absolutely love.

If we are doing a regular condition we just rinse and move onto styling. However, when doing a deep conditioner treatment we sit under our softhooded dryer for 30 minutes.

girl sitting under soft dryer getting her hair done

Step Five: Leave in Conditioner or Styling

After we’ve rinsed out the deep conditioner we’ll either put in a leave in conditioner and then style or just style. The leave in conditioner provides extra moisture so I do recommend doing it if your hair tends to dry out more. I use As I Am’s leave in conditioner.

To style our hair we do braids outs or twist outs. For both to get defined hair I always twist or braid the roots to the scalp. This makes such a huge difference is the overall look of their curls. Below is an example of what I mean on a twist out.

For braid outs I do exactly the same. For my older daughter, Jordyn, her hair is thinner and she has looser curls. For her I’m able to do 5 braids or twists and her hair will come out big and defined. Realistically for her I don’t have to braid/twist to the scalp at first but it holds better at night. However, for my younger daughter, Kennedy, she has 4c hair so I have to do more braids and twists to get the same defined curls, if I don’t her hair doesn’t look as good.

I let their hair dry overnight. Be sure to put them in a satin hair bonnet or have them sleep on satin pillow cases. Silk is actually the best but those pillow cases are quite expensive! Then in the morning I will take it down simply by unbraiding or untwisting their hair.

Wash N Go

We all know unless you have a specific hair texture a wash n’ go is never that easy! I actually remember when I first became natural and was brave enough to wear my curls I washed my hair and went out and was utterly confused about why I looked so crazy later on. My friend was like “so you didn’t use any product” lol, no sis I did not, but lesson learned.

When doing a wash and go on our hair after we’ve conditioned it I put Design Essentials Natural Curl Enhancing Mousse in. I use our Denman brush to brush it through the hair to make sure it’s gotten on all the strands. Next I apply Redken Curvaceous Ringlet Shape Perfecting Lotion and I will quickly finger curl the top layer of hair. This is how I achieved the look in the image below.

Night Time Routine

Once styled at night we still use our bonnets or satin pillow cases. You can either retwist or rebraid the hair or use the pineapple method. Here are two videos that explain this method better than I can: short natural hair or longer natural hair.

Tips for Traveling with Natural Hair

One of the questions I get the most is how we maintain our curls when traveling with natural hair. The short answer is we do the same things we do at home! Our hair routine doesn’t change at all when we’re traveling if we’re wearing our hair out and don’t have a protective style (more on those below). This is one of the reasons I got the softhooded dryer, it’s easy to travel with, folding down to the size of my hand.

When traveling to a destination where I know we’ll be swimming a lot I pack our swim caps. This keeps our hair protected and prevents me from having to wash hair multiple times during our trip. I absolutely love Swimma Caps because they are black owned and specifically made to fit afros, dreadlocks and braids! You can use promo code THETRAVELINGCHILD for 10% off until August 31, 2020.

To protect our hair when traveling I also pack our satin pillowcases. We each have an extra one so it’s easy to throw in our luggage. You can also just pack a bonnet but those always come off the girls head which is why I bring the pillow cases.

Protective Styles for Traveling with Natural Hair

When traveling with natural hair it can sometimes be in your best interest to just get a protective style! This will save you so much time when you have to be up for early morning excursions. We especially love protective styles for when we take ski trips. Helmet hair is not cute and gets your hair extremely matted so we always try to get cornrows. An alternative is to do a twist out but not untwist your hair. Don’t forget if you get braids and go swimming, sweat you still need to keep your hair clean. You can use Cantu’s co-wash dry shampoo and be sure to oil your scalp to prevent dry and itchy scalp.  

How We Pack our Hair Products

We are team carry-on when traveling (check out our light packing tips) so that means we can’t take full size products with us. That is just fine! You can buy travel size products directly from companies like As I Am and Hair of Nature. If your preferred hair products don’t have travel sized under 3.4oz you can use travel size containers and just fill them with your hair products. This is what we do since it’s typically cheaper to buy the bigger sizes of the products. Then we put them in our packing cubes and we’re off, no need for checked bags!

Our natural hair routine isn’t super simple but this is exactly how we achieve the styles we have. I hope this post has been helpful especially in when it comes to traveling with natural hair. You can find all the hair care products we use including descriptions of what we use each product for in my Amazon store here. Did you find this post helpful? Please share it!

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Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

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