The winter is on its way, and if you live in the North its basically already here. Christmas music, candy canes, gifts, snow......split ends, brittle hair, hair battles with hats, hair snags from coat zippers - you catch my drift. It's not all fun in the sun and snow these days. Don't let all of your hair goals go down the drain now that the frigid weather is upon us. With a little more tender love and care, your hair can thrive through the winter as well.
Hot Oil Treatments
Not only is it relaxing to run warm, moisturizing goodness through your hair and scalp, it's a great way to pre-treat your hair prior to a good wintertime shampoo. This makes sure that your hair doesn't completely dry out from cleansing it. Try coating your hair with olive oil and sit with either a hot towel or heating cap on your head for 15-30 minutes before rinsing out.
Condition and Then Condition Some More
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Finding a good conditioner is key to keeping your hair soft, manageable and strong. Make sure you are balancing your conditioner use between both a moisturizing and protein-based formula. If you aren't one to use both a deep and leave-in condition, you should certainly reconsider it at least for the winter months. Find a light leave in that won't weigh your locks down, but still gives it that added bit of moisture. I particularly like to use...
....silicone-based leave ins and serums, as they not only help lock in the moisture in my hair, they also keep my frizz at bay.
Protection
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I know I know, you worked all summer to get your hair to be as beautiful as it is, and the cool months are the best time to show it off. You don't have the humidity to worry about, the heat won't make you sweat, and let's just be real - no one is expecting you to go anywhere near a pool. However, the winter is not your hair's friend. Make sure you protect your hair as much as you can! You can do this with natural styles like bantu knots, buns, twists, braids, or even wigs and weaves. Cold wind will throw all your good progress down the drain, so the more you hide that hair this winter the better.
Beware of the hat
Hats. Although they can make a bundled up outdoor outfit look at tad bit cuter, your hair is screaming for help underneath. The wool and cotton is not only drying to the hair, hats may rip, tug and pull out your strands! I try to combat this by investing in a a silk/polyester scarf or cap. Put this on over your hair before you top it off with the hat. It will provide your hair with a protective layer, and you can still get your warmth on.
Trim, Trim, Trim
I think I am more afraid of scissors than I am of water when it comes to my hair. The thought of chopping off my hard earned locks hurts my soul. Yet, if there is any time better to get a good trim, it's the wintertime. The last thing you want is for your hair to have split ends, and the winter weather just has a field day with your hair. By the end of the winter your hair will look like that of a scarecrow...no pretty.
Beauty and hair maven Naomi Mackenzie is a freelance writer and business consultant. Her passion is to continuously keep up with the ever evolving techniques and topics as it relates to skin and hair, while helping others to embrace their own definition of beauty in a healthy way. Her blog, KissTheChaos (www.KissTheChaos.com) shares both an educated and personal perspective, sought to spark ongoing discussion. Follow her on Instagram at @oOolala_laa and on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/Kiss
