Winter Hair 101

Keeping our hair and scalp strong during winter months is must to maintain healthy hair. Here are a few tips we can use as the cold months approach:

Protective Styles: Wearing our hair in twists, braids and cornrows is a great way to let your hair rest each week. If you want a style that will last longer try a wig or weave. It is a convenient way to rock you favorite styles while still protecting you hair. Pay special attention to your scalp that the style you are wearing doesn't place too much tension on you scalp. Also maintaining a high level of moisture in your hair and a clean scalp is key to have healthy hair after the weave is taken out.

Deep Condition: Our hair is different so some may prefer moisture only deep conditioning treatments and some of us like conditioners with both moisture and protein. Keeping up with deep conditioning allows our hair to maintain its elasticity which prevents breakage and gives our hair the extra moisture it needs throughout the week in cold temperatures. In cold weather deep conditioning treatments once a week make a huge difference.

Moisture: Moisturizing our hair is so important year around but the results of not doing it in the winter becomes more apparent. I love Qhemet Biologics Heavy Cream for the winter. I apply it once a week after cleansing and conditioning and that's it other than putting some on my edges at night to keep them hydrated. If you are using your moisturizer everyday or every other day because your hair is dry after an application than you need a more nourishing moisturizer.

Oils: Their are some great name brand oils that are affordable and will nourish your hair and scalp and their are all natural oils like extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil and castor oil. Oils act as sealants and lubricants when on the hair and scalp. Placing oil on your hair after you moisturize or just placing it on your scalp assist in keeping your scalp balanced. You can avoid flakes from dry scalp, itches and tightness of the scalp. I oil my scalp when it is slightly damp once to twice with WiseWays Herbals Crowning Glory Hair and Scalp Cream.

Minimal Manipulation: This can mean a few things like only combing or brushing your hair only when wet with conditioner or moisturizer in it. The rest of the time you use you hands to do the work. It also means doing simple styles like buns, twists and braids making sure their is no tension on your scalp and the style isn't 'forced' to what you know your hair cannot naturally do. This can mean putting a ton of gel, hair spray or mousse in your hair to hold a style your hair cannot naturally do. Try concentrating on styles your hair can do and keep gels and other styling aides that harden your hair to a minimum. Serums and gloss pomades like Aphogee Gloss Therapy Polisher and Elasta QP Glaze help to smooth the hair or doing a simple routine like using Qhemet Biologics Amla Oil Nourishing Pomade along with a little water to smooth your edges makes a big difference. Keep in mind that with cold weather and the wind blowing on hair coated with products that make it hard and crispy becomes more susceptible to breakage, you want your hair to be pliable and soft.

To be perfectly honest I don't like maintaining my hair during winter but following these simple points really makes a difference in how my hair and scalp responds to the cold weather and how it feels on a daily basis.