If you haven't already, it is time to start thinking about protecting our hair from the harsh elements this cold weather brings. Below are my top 10 winter hair care tips whether your hair is natural or relaxed.
Pre-Poo (Pre-Shampoo Treatment)
Pre-pooing your hair with natural oils like extra virgin coconut oil prior to shampooing can ensure that your hair is not left stripped and dry if you are not using a sulfate free shampoo. Extra virgin coconut oil also prevents add moisture to your scalp and hair and also prevents your hair from suffering from hygral fatigue which is when your hair strand is constantly absorbing water and swelling then contracting as it dries which in the long term can cause breakage.
Deep Condition weekly
With the cold settling in for the next few months, it is essential to give our hair as much moisture as possible to protect our hair from the harsh elements of the cold temperatures, wind and rain. Ideally you should be deep conditioning at least once a week but if that is too often for you, and then try bi-weekly. Mix oils with your deep conditioner to give your hair that extra goodness.
Moisturise and Seal daily
Moisturising and sealing is vital to keeping your hair moist and manageable. Moisturising with water based moisturiser and sealing with heavier oils than what you would use in the warmer months will ensure your hair is moist and less prone to breakage.
Hot oil treatments
As the cold weather can be so drying to our hair, why not try hot oil treatments to inject some moisture back into your hair on wash day. Heat your chosen oil preferably y not in the microwave and carefully distribute throughout your hair once shampooed or even after you have deep conditioned, cover with a plastic cap and sit under the dryer for 15-25 minutes. Your hair will thank you for it.
Hats
When the weather gets cold, I think majority of us run to dig out our woolly hat to keep in the warmth. Whilst it is common to believe we are protecting our hair under a hat, this could actually cause more damage than we think. Winter Hats are made to keep your head warm but the material of the hat can wreak havoc on your hair and hairline leaving it dry as it is robbed of moisture, not only that, hats can also cause breakage by the friction of rubbing on your edges and nape. If you aren't lucky enough to have a satin lined hat, try wearing a satin scarf under the hat so keep your hair soft, moist and damage free.
Knitwear, Winter Coats & Scarves
Here in the UK it seems as though we have skipped autumn and gone straight into winter. The chunky knits have been pulled out as well as the warm chunky scarves and coats. As warm as these may be, they are also made of materials which can pull and snag on our hair. Coats and scarves can rub on your nape area and when wearing our chunky knitwear, our hair can snag and get caught on the fabric, drying out your ends and causing breakage. Whilst there is no denying that we need to keep warm this winter, we would also like to save our hair from unnecessary stress.
Make sure your hair is always up in a low manipulation /protective hairstyle; basically any style that keeps your ends tucked away and prevents your nape/length of hair from rubbing on the harsher fabrics all day. Alternatively, you can use medium sized satin scarves to wrap around the collars of your winter coats to stop your hair from rubbing if you decide to wear your hair down.
Keep your hair protected at home.
When it's cold outside, the first we do is to crank up the central heating or plug in our electric heaters so we can be nice and snug in our homes. The heat is causing dry warm air which dried out our hair in our homes which can dry out your hair. When you're at home during the days or after work in the evenings cover your hair with a satin scarf or satin bonnet to keep the moisture in your hair. If your hair is dry anyway from being outdoors, you can moisturise your hair and then cover with a plastic cap to give your hair a DIY steaming session which will help to retain the moisture. This method is called the baggy method.
Protective/low manipulation hairstyles
The winter weather is cold and miserable and ideally it is best to keep your hair more importantly your ends tucked away from the harsh elements. This is the perfect weather for length retention as your ends are hidden away from the cold and harsh fabrics and the ends are being moisturised on a daily basis so there is less chance of breakage.
Dust / Trim your ends
It is important to ensure you are keeping up with both dusting and trimming your ends to maintain health ends and prevent split ends.
Limit your usage of heat
Winter is the ideal time for some ladies to flat iron their hair as there is no longer the worry of humidity in the air however with the additional of the cold air, heat can be very drying to your hair. As it is best to either have a protective or low manipulation hairstyle in colder weather, now is ample time to air-dry which is a much healthier option for your hair, alternatively try blow-drying your hair but only using cool/cold air.
Do you change your regime in the colder months?
