TOP 5 TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR HAIR HYDRATED DURING THE WINTER MONTHS
Have you ever wondered why your hair becomes so dry and brittle during the winter months? Hair that is naturally curly, kinky or wavy (textured hair) is prone to dryness and ultimately breakage for one very simple reason: our scalps produce natural oils called sebum. In straight hair, sebum can easily travel from the scalp down the hair shaft, thus providing moisturized scalp and hair strands. Textured hair has natural curls, kinks and waves making it difficult for sebum to travel down the hair shaft resulting in hair that may lack natural luster and shine and hair that begins to feel dry and brittle or as I sometimes describe my hair on those occasions, feeling like steel wool.
To keep your hair hydrated, moisturized and prevent breakage, the bottom line is you will need to create a simple hair care regime and stick to it. Consistency is the key…that and daily moisturizing. Implement these recommended tried-and-true tips, and your hair will be soft, shiny and healthy as ever.
You’ll be certain that you are doing all you can during these cold months to protect your hair from the elements, prevent breakage and moisturize your tresses so they remain soft and hydrated.
#1. DEEP CONDITION
A once a month deep conditioning treatment is vital to restoring the moisture in your strands while making it easier to comb & detangle and while also softening the hair. This is especially important after taking down a protective style. There are various ways to deep condition the hair which we’ll discuss in a future article.
#2. MOISTURIZE AND SEAL
The L.O.C. (liquid, oil, cream) method is something you can and should do year-around but most definitely during the winter months. After shampooing and conditioning the hair, apply a leave-in conditioner and follow by moisturizing the hair with a cream while finally sealing with oil. You may create your own oil blend using a combination of coconut, avocado, jojoba, grapeseed and/or castor oil after moisturizing with a rich cream that is usually shea or cocoa butter based. Carol’s Daughter Healthy Hair Butter or Oyin Handmade’s Whipped Pudding are two of my favorites.
#3. WEAR PROTECTIVE STYLES
Wear your hair in protective styles. Protective style examples are braids, twists, weaves, crochet braids, wigs. By keeping your hair in a protective style, you are minimizing the exposure to elements (cold temperatures, wool hats, scarves etc.) which may cause dryness and breakage.
My favorite protective style this season are crochet braids. Using marley or afro-kinky extension hair, these styles look very similar to our natural textures and can be twisted and set on rods for a curly look. Here is a link to a video I found on YouTube that shows you how to DIY. (If you aren’t interested in doing it yourself, you can always contact me for a professional install.)
#4. PROTECT
Satin and silk scarves are mandatory for sleeping at night but also consider sewing a satin bonnet or silk scarf onto the inside of your favorite winter hats this season. Cotton, wool and cashmere blends can be very drying to the hair and you won’t have to worry about frizz or lint particles being left in your hair either.
#5. TRIM
Go see a natural hair care specialist to have your ends trimmed at least every 8 weeks to 3 months. By keeping your ends trimmed, this will prevent the splits to travel further up the hair strand that will ultimately lead to breakage and less length retention.
I hope you all have enjoyed this week’s tips and I look forward to hearing about your experiences. Please email me at [email protected] with any specific questions that I may answer in a future article.
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Blossoming Everyday,
Saniyyah S. Griffin
