The Silkee Story

Hair Journeys

Motherhood has been the inspiration behind the product but the Silkee story actually began whilst on my travels to the US West Coast with two of my girlfriends back in November 2008. A fun and busy trip, we drove around San Francisco and sunny California and followed that by a short flight to Las Vegas and had a day trip out to the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon by coach. During our trip, we did hiking trails of the spectacular Californian Redwood forests and visited the beautiful vineyards of Napa Valley, wine tasting as we went. The Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz in San Francisco were a must as were the casinos in Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon was once in a lifetime and unforgettable. Throughout, I noticed one friend always wearing a woolly hat whilst out and about on our all-weather travels, I asked her about it and she replied by saying it kept her hair straight and more groomed and she didn’t need her hair straighteners while she wore her hat. I myself was having trouble with my hair during the adventure and whilst in the city, we walked past a market stall that was selling woolly hats in San Francisco, she said simply, try it, it will help your hair. And so I did. It was November and San Francisco at that time was cold and windy. It certainly helped, and I still have the hat today. And I remember whilst in Las Vegas, going up and down the strip, weaving in and out of the glamourous hotels and casinos, I wanted to get my hair properly conditioned and blow dried (being the high maintenance gal I once was)! I was definitely having one too many bad hair days. But there was just no time to bother with my hair with too much to see and do - if I had a silk lined hat back then it certainly would have helped my hair! Just at a time you want to look good and free up your time to see and do things while on the go, you certainly don’t want to worry about your hair.

Every time I travel I always worry about my hair. I always seek out the best products to take with me and always remember to take, yes you’ve guessed it, my GHDs. As was the case when my brother and sister in law got married in Nepal the following year in 2009. This was the one time I didn’t want my hair to let me down. It was again a busy trip and my brother had laid on hotel rooms for our entire family and his friends who had flown in from India, UK and the US. It was great to see everyone after so long and we took the opportunity to visit lots of the temples and attractions in Kathmandu ahead of the big day. The day arrived and I remember well I had to switch rooms as the room I was staying in didn’t have a shower attachment. To cut a long story short, I ended up having two buckets of hot water sent up to the room that morning as there was no hot water in the tap! Suffice to say, again I remember it well, it was all okay, my hair that is, on the wedding day. Phew! Following the wedding, the whole family took a coach trip to the scenic city of Pokhara. I was with my favourite people but with worries over my hair in the back of my mind. I was right to be worried! We stayed in various 3 star hotels, just mostly for a bed for the night as there were quite a few of us on our travels. We were definitely “on the go” and had to rise early to reach our next destination for the day. There was no time for the usual haircare routine, shampoo, condition, apply serum, blowdry, straighten. And I remember this well too – my hair was a frizzy mess! And with photos to prove it. Bad hair day memories of our trip for sure. But definitely good memories of the family travelling together. If only I had a silk lined hat to wear back then! The climate was cold too so I guess a silk lined hat would have kept me warm and my hair cared for. After our coach trip, my dad and I joined the honeymooning couple in Delhi. And we did the road trip to Agra. We stayed in nice hotels so it was a lot easier to manage my hair from here and the weather was pleasant even having to wear layers in the cooler December evenings. The trip culminated at the magnificent Taj Mahal, unforgettable just like the spectacular scenes of the Grand Canyon. Travel and on the go, that’s me but hopefully having a good hair day while am at it!

With many and varied travel stories under my belt, I love looking back at these memories made with friends and family and now with hubby and baby. From city breaks, long haul, short haul, business trips, driving holidays in Europe to caravanning in the UK. And you want to look and feel your best. You definitely just want to wash and go whilst on your travels. It is so not easy to achieve smooth silky (normal) hair! I remember once I had a weekend away with a friend to Scotland for a wedding. Given that it was March and still cold, I knew I had to do something, I had a hair treatment done to combat frizz in the cold, damp and windy conditions that were expected whilst there. And it worked. I was freed up to do some hiking before the wedding in some very windy conditions and I remember feeling more care-free not having to worry about another bad hair day while travelling. Most recently, I had a business trip to Valencia, Spain. It was a busy time and had just finished compiling a trade exhibition guide under a tight deadline so it was just the night before flying that I had to go into London to find a product to keep my hair in check during the trip. That evening, I probably happened upon one of the best products I have found to keep the hair smooth and frizz free. Suffice to say I had a successful trip, my hair felt and looked great.