I woke up early today going along with my #newyear #newme mantra. Only positive energy, self care, wellness, lit candles blah blah. Acting like I was in the middle of a Pantene commercial, I whipped my hair down and ran my hands through it while rapping along to Ready Set by KashDoll ft. Big Sean (name a better duo from Detroit).
“Ready set, better yet. Got this b***** rockin’ like we never left. Big time, bi...bi... . PAUSE. My hand hit my ends and it felt like a mixture of hay and parchment paper. Alright, it’s clearly time for me to transition into my winter hair care routine that I’ve been slow to get on.
If you’re going through the same thing, read on for my winter hair care tips that really work. And if you’re not, this is the perfect time to get into a winter hair care routine to prevent dry, brittle and dull winter hair.
1. Make sure your hair is dry before stepping out
That wash and go routine that you mastered this summer?, Let it dry before heading out. You may want to consider doing it the night before so your hair has enough time to dry. If you’re anything like me, your hair may hold on to all forms of moisture and take days to dry. If that’s the case, make sure your moisturizing your curls in the right order to avoid weighing down your hair and sealing in wetness.
The most effective method I’ve found is the LCO method. Liquid followed by cream then oil. Right now, I’m using Carol’s Daughter’s Almond Milk leave in conditioner spray, followed by Carol’s Daughter’s Healthy hair butter and then the Carol’s Daughter Monoi serum to seal the moisture in. I diffuse my hair on a low setting to start the drying process and let it finish drying in bed.
2. Regularly moisturize hair and scalp with leave-in conditioners and oils.
Crisp winter air and dryness from indoor heating can cause your hair to be dryer than usual. Moisturizing hair with a leave-in conditioner spray or cream and oil after a wash and in between your next wash will help make up for the additional dryness.
Scalp is skin. The same way your hands get dry in the winter your scalp can dry out in the winter so, be sure to apply small amounts of oil to your scalp regularly. The key here is to do it regularly so your scalp can actually absorb the oil vs. slipping through all your hair and causing unnecessary buildup. You don’t want to have to wash your hair too often. Some of my favorite oils at the moment are Moroccan Oil Treatment and Carol’s Daughter Manoi Lightweight Miracle Oil.
3. Keep heat styling to a minimum
Excessive heat styling can suck the moisture out of your hair and weaken your hair. It’s a good idea to reduce your heat styling frequency. Say you washed your hair on Sunday and are planning to wash it on Wednesday, you could straighten your hair on Sunday, wear it out straight until Tuesday then put it up in a messy bun or updo on Wednesday. Saussy hair clips make it super easy and fun to wear your hair up without needing experience with a lot of hairstyles.
Check out some hairstyles you can try below and click through to see all our hair clips and claws.
@lala
4. Put your hair up or wear protective hairstyles
You’ve heard people say drink water and mind your business. That’s how your feels at times nourish me and leave me alone. Taking breaks in between manipulating your hair allows your hairs oils to travel through the hair and rest. This is especially important for naturally curly and dry hair. There are many low manipulation hairstyles ranging from a ponytail, bun to more long term protective styles like braids and wigs. The undying hair clip trend works perfectly for adding some style and polish to your hairstyles when giving your hair a much needed break. Check out our selection of clips here.
@alexusamantha
5. Try to bleach and color hair less frequently
By now, you realize that winter hair care is mainly about keeping moisture in and avoiding dryness. Bleaching your hair is a big offender for drying your hair followed by regular coloring. This one’s tough if you color your hair to cover grays because it seems like you can’t part your hair if they’re popping out. A trick I’ve been doing in the winter is lowering the developer volume that I use when coloring my hair to be a little gentler on my hair and being religious with my Olaplex Step 3 to repair the bonds in my hair.
6. Deep condition hair and add treatment after a wash or after every other wash
If you could only do one thing from this list do this. Make up for any missed steps by leaving your conditioner on for a longer period of time after a wash. You’re looking at anywhere from 15 - 40 minutes depending on how dry your hair is. Adding a treatment in between your wash can go a long way to help repair the bonds in your hair. My go to masks right now are the Nywele Argan Oil Mask, Carol’s Daughter Almond Milk Repair Hair Mask and I’ll add an Olaplex Step 2 or 3 treatment to my colored hair.
7. Dry shampoo for oily hair
Since you’ll be washing less. Dry shampoo will help you maintain a less frequent washing schedule by helping you freshen up your roots.
8. Turn down the water temperature when washing your hair
Hot water is harsh and drying to your hair, skin etc. Try to shower with a water temperature that’s a little cooler than what you normally use. I’ve found that waiting until I’ve been in the shower a few minutes helps me wash my hair with cooler water. After a few minutes, I’m all wet and there’s some steam in the shower so I don’t get that cool shock when that first bit of water trickles from my hair down my back.
9. Reduce the amount of alcohol based products
There’s a reason you use alcohol to wipe your computer clean instead of water. The alcohol dries up quickly so you don’t mess up your electronics. Now imagine what using alcohol based products on your hair frequently does. You guessed it, it dries up your hair quickly. You don’t need to stay away from all alcohol but try to swap some of your products for alcohol free products. Pro tip: avoiding alcohol, parabens and sulfates are great for keeping your hair moisturized but adding a keratin infused product will promote smooth and soft hair. I swear by my Nywele Intense Repair Keratin Infused Conditioner and mask for this reason plus it smells effortlessly sexy and doesn’t weigh your hair down.
10. Get some silk
Wrap your hair, sleep on a silk pillow, wear silk lined hats, or go all in with all three.
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