Protecting Your Hair During Winter

As the temperatures drop outside, it's important to prepare your natural hair for the winter months. The cold weather, indoor air-conditioned heating, and dry air can all be damaging to your hair, causing breakage, split ends, and overall dryness. Here are a few tips to keep your natural hair healthy and strong during the winter season:

First, and always, is to protect your hair with satin at night or when you're out and about. We have loads of satin options in store.

1. Moisturise, Moisturise, Moisturise!

Winter air can be incredibly dry, which means your hair needs extra moisture to combat the harsh conditions. Try adding rosewater to your deep conditioner during your deep conditioning step. If you're not already, try and deep condition weekly to keep feeding your hair during the struggle months. Make sure to use leave-in conditioners that will help keep your hair moisturised for longer. We have loads to choose from in-store. Remember to keep your hair hydrated from the inside out, by drinking plenty of water. One of the other ways to retain moisture is to stretch the days between your shampoo washes.

The more you shampoo, the more your scalp and hair are stripped of their natural oils, which are great for protecting the strands. If you are an excessive shampoo-per, try doing oil treatments before washing. This is a good way to coat the Strands and protect them from drying out. This step is your pre-poo step. 

You could also alternate your weekly washes with a shampoo and then an Apple cider vinegar wash instead. The ACV wash is also not stripping which helps the scalp stay clean and the PH levels balanced during winter. Curl Chemistry has a great ACV Range.

2. Protective Styles

Protective styling options like braids, twists, and weaves or even simply a doek can be a great way to keep your hair healthy during the colder months. These styles help to keep your hair protected from the harsh winter winds, avoiding breakage that may occur with loose hair.

Remember to keep your scalp clean and moisturised during protective styles by spritzing with Rosewater; your hair may feel dry underneath but that is only what you see. With Rosewater, there are no creams or extra ingredients to add to product build-up. It's water-based therefore giving you what your natural hair needs... Aqua!

3. Watch That Water Temperature!

It's tempting to take hot showers during the winter to warm up, but hot water can be incredibly drying to your hair. Try washing your hair with lukewarm or cool water (if you can manage it) to avoid stripping your hair of its natural oils. Don't be scared of diffused heat. It's the direct heat that is the problem.

You can also try out weekly or bi-weekly scalp massage with oils, it's one of the best ways of giving the scalp regular and direct attention.

4. Use Satin Protection

Just to repeat, invest in a good satin bonnet, scarf, pillowcase, a durag for under a doek, satin lined beanie or satin snoodie. All these items are available in our store.

Cotton pillowcases and headscarves can be rough on your delicate hair strands, causing breakage and damage. A satin protection will help to keep your hair protected and prevent breakage while you sleep. Also, it keeps your hair soft by preventing friction caused by your hair moving around on the pillow. Let's not forget how amazing it is for our skin and delaying wrinkles. 😉

5. Minimise Heat Styling

Now is the time to put away hair dryer nozzles, curling irons, and straighteners as much as possible. Direct heat styling can be very damaging to your natural hair, especially in the winter when hair is already dry. If you do decide to use heated tools, be sure to use a heat protectant cream, spray or serum first and avoid overusing them.

In conclusion, taking care of your natural hair during the winter months is crucial. By following these tips, you can keep your hair healthy, strong, and hydrated even in the coldest of temperatures. Incorporate these tips into your hair care routine and enjoy a healthy head of natural hair all winter long!