When the summer ends and as the winter draws near, a lot of people will gradually start to make changes in their lifestyle. This might include a change in wardrobe or prepping the house for the winter by checking any cracks, holes and broken windows that might allow cold air to come in. And depending on the area that you live in, you might even need to change the tires on your vehicle to winter tires. The winter season necessitates a change in our entire lifestyle, and that includes our hair regimen. A change in regimen doesn’t always mean that you replace all your products for brand new ones, as there are other ways that you can also tweak your hair regimen during the winter season.
Below are 5 ways that I change things up at the beginning of the winter.
1. Start with a trim to get rid of unhealthy ends.
The warmer seasons are a time when a lot of women should try out new products and hairstyles. With this comes a time when the oldest part of our hair, the ends, will start to feel overwhelmed by all the twist-outs and braid-outs that it had to endure for months. As a result, the ends of our hair will start to wear off in the form of split ends and thinning ends. Since the winter season is also a protective styling season, you first want to make sure that you’re protecting the healthy portion of your hair, so that the unhealthy split ends will not negatively impact the rest of your hair. To prevent this from happening, make sure you trim off split ends and other damaged ends. This way, length retention and styling will be much easier during the winter.
pictured: Birmabb
2. Wash hair in the evening to allow it to dry completely for the following day.
If you have the type of hair that takes hours to completely dry, try washing your hair in the evenings so that your hair can air dry overnight. Walking out with wet hair is unhealthy for your hair and to you in general–unless you’re going for the ‘Frozen’ look.
pictured: Lana Summer
3. If you moisturize your hair in the morning, wrap your hair with a silk or satin scarf before heading out.
If you must go out with wet or damp hair, consider wrapping your hair with a silk scarf and then securing it with a wool hat. This double protection will ensure that your hair stays warm while you’re out in the cold and that it is protected from the lint in your hat. This double layer protection also gives your a hair a more polished look once you unravel the scarf.
pictured: Alyssa Forever
4. Sleep with a plastic cap if the air indoors is dry.
Since natural hair tends to feel dry more often in the winter time, I always look for ways to keep moisture in my hair for a longer period of time. One of the things that I tend to do in the winter time is to replace my silk head-wrap or satin bonnet with a plastic shower cap when I go to bed at night. This method is commonly known as the GreenHouse Effect (GHE”>.
pictured: Gina Marie
5. Deep condition weekly and co-wash midweek, if you’re experiencing excessively dry hair.
If your hair feels dry during the summertime, chances are, it will feel even drier in the winter time. This is the reason why you have to be willing to change up your regimen every season, even if it means having 4 different hair regimen. Depending on your choice of hairstyle, your hair might feel dry by mid-week. Instead of cocktailing and layering more products, you’ll be better off refreshing your hair mid-week by doing a co-wash. Co-washing gives your hair a light cleanse while also conditioning your hair. Personally, my hair feels much better after co-washing.
pictured: Donata White
