As the weather changes our hair needs change also. A hair regimen that worked great for you in summer will not do so much in winter unless you do some tweaks to make it winter appropriate. Just like we change our skin care routine to keep our skin deeply moisturized in winter, we should also switch up our hair care routine to keep our hair hydrated.
Since my hair is still short, there were not that many styles I could achieve with it making it even more challenging to protect from the harsh winter weather. But I did manage to protect it and below I will share with you some of the steps I took to ensure my hair was healthy with minimum to no breakage.
Related: My Journey To Healthy Natural Hair.
1. Pre-poo with a mixture of conditioner and oil – I do this at least once a week usually the night before my wash day. I coat my hair with the mixture, cover with a shower cap and then with a scarf and go to bed. This deeply conditions my hair and allows the oil to penetrate into my hair shaft. Some people pre-poo with either oil or conditioner but I combine both for double duty benefits.
2. Say no to shower cap – Our hair loves steam and one of the best places it can get that is in the shower so why deprive it of that by wearing a shower cap? The steam opens up my hair pores which allows my hair to easily absorb any product I apply to it.
3. No protective style no hat – You need a hat and scarf to survive the winter but you must be careful not to damage your hair. If you’re natural then wearing a hat on your unprotected natural hair is a big mistake. It will cause friction that can lead to tangles and breakage. I tried to avoid this mistake by putting my hair in a two-strand twist whenever I’m wearing a hat. Although, I must confess it wasn’t all the time. It takes a while to twist up short natural hair especially when you’re in a rush to leave the house. So, some times I wear my hat without twisting the hair and just hope for the best. I do not recommend this. Other protective styles you could do include bantu knots, flat twists, braids, and weaves. My hair is currently in crochet braids.
How are you wearing your hair this winter? Please comment below with tips you are using or have used that have effectively protected your hair from winter damage.
