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The cooler fall weather brings dry, cold air, which can make your curls frizzy, brittle, and unmanageable at times. To avoid being cold or our skin drying out, we know to wear warmer clothes and to moisturize, right? But what do we do for our hair? Paying close attention to the changes in the atmosphere and the subtle ways our hair responds will ensure you give it exactly what it needs. We all know that Fall is an intermediate season.
According to the National Climate Data Center, on average, the transition from summer to fall means lower temperatures; humidity drops a little and sometimes higher winds. With a slight drop in humidity, rain, and temperature as well as an increase in cold winds, your hair will require a little more help to retain moisture and withstand breakage.
Clarify & Detox
Summer can leave a lot of build-up at your roots and can all cause greasy, limp roots. Start the fall season off by giving your scalp a good detox by using a clarifying shampoo once every two weeks, or as needed.
Product suggestions:
- Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo
- CURLS Pure Curls Clarifying Shampoo
- Kinky Curly Come Clean Shampoo
For kinkier textures, winds can exacerbate more knots, which means more potential for tangles and giant knots, which can then lead to hair breakage. The best way to avoid it is to stay away from wearing your hair out and putting it into a protective style. Or if it’s out, wear it stretched.
To help prevent single strand knots, try using oils, like Righteous Roots Oils, or use your favorite blend of oil on the ends of your hair. Adding oil will:
- Add weight to the ends of your hair
- Keep individual strands lubricated so that they easily slide past each other and prevents them from curling or coiling onto each other
Moisture is always a good thing for curly hair, but it’s not enough to keep hair hydrated. To help hair from drying out sooner, amp up the moisture with a deep conditioner. The transition between summer to fall is when it is crucial to look for extra moisturizing ingredients. When lipids (oily ingredients are present in a deep conditioner, or if you add them, you get even more conditioning goodness clinging to your hair. Penetrating oils like coconut, sunflower, olive and avocado oil are great for more porous hair. Centrominium chloride, cetrimonium bromide, panthenol, and amino acids are ingredients that can penetrate the hair shaft for a deep conditioning effect. These penetrating ingredients are in the following deep conditioners:
- Alikay Naturals Avocado Cream Moisture Repairing Hair Mask
- As I Am Hydration Elation
- Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair!
- EDEN BodyWorks Jojoba Monoi All Natural Deep Conditioner
For those whose who have high porosity hair, meaning your cuticles take in moisture easily but are unable to hold onto it for more than a day or two, a protein treatment will be a great reinforcement to your hair’s cuticle so that moisture absorbs and stays in longer. So, in colder dryer months, try a protein treatment at least once or twice a month.
- Aphogee Two-Minute Reconstructor
- Curly Hair Solutions Pure Silk Protein Deep Moisturizing Treatment
- Curl Junkie Repair Me
For those who have low porosity hair, meaning it’s difficult for your hair to take in moisture, and when it does it holds onto it pretty well, regular deep conditioning treatments with the assistance of indirect heat (ex. Hot Head Thermal Cap”> will help penetrate more and last longer. Note: how “regular” you do a deep conditioning treatment will depend on your hair’s needs.
Everyone’s hair type and hair needs are different, so when planning a fall hair regimen, one size doesn’t fit all. It comes down to being able to observe how your hair is behaving. Dry, breaking hair is not a hair type so don’t be afraid to use more moisturizing hair products or try new products. Be consistent with doing quality treatments, protect your hair as you sleep in a satin/silk/slap cap/bonnet/pillowcase and the colder months won’t set you back.
