When fall weather moves into winter -- with colder temperatures and sometimes harsh environments -- your hair care routine will probably need to change. Even the best regimen may require a tweak or two, but you can take steps, in and out of your routine, that will protect your hair during frigid weather. These five ways to protect black hair in the winter help ensure healthy hair when spring rolls around again!
Slip Into a Scarf
Hats do more than keep our heads warm during the winter. They're also a stylish accessory that can add a fun, funky or sophisticated flair to your outfit. If you wear knit caps or brimmed hats to stay toasty this season, be sure your headwear is lined with silk or satin.
Some hats come with a slippery lining, but most knit caps don't. You can either sew a lining into your cap or, if you don't feel like going through all that trouble, simply wrap a silk/satin scarf loosely around your head before slipping into your hat.
Add a couple of bobby pins on either side to keep the scarf in place.
Use a Humidifier
Once you've made it safely into a warm indoor environment, you probably feel much better after battling frigid outdoor air. That toasty heated air, however, may be sucking moisture out of your tresses. Investing in a humidifier -- even if you only run it at night while you sleep -- is a good idea during the winter. Humidifiers add moisture into the air, which you may need this season. The humidity that's so plentiful in the summer is in short supply in winter, so give your indoors a boost of hydration with this houseware item.
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Choose Different Hairstyles
Gone are the carefree days of summer, and along with it, some of that season's favorite hairstyles. The wash n' go probably needs to be put away for now in favor of hairdos that allow you to leave the house with dry hair. Not only is it uncomfortable to walk outside in freezing temperatures with damp tresses, you may find the lack of humidity in the air leaves you with flat results.
There are plenty of gentle styles you can sport in the winter, including wet sets, wraps, flexi-rod sets, twists, braids, buns, bobs and many more -- and all of these can be styled the night before, leaving you with fully dried hair in the morning.
Use Heavier Products
Instead of the lightweight oils and sealers you relied on in warmer months that didn't weigh your hair down, you may decide that heavier products are better for sealing in moisture this time of year. Because your tresses may feel drier, you'll want to make sure they're getting plenty of hydration, in the form of regular deep conditioning and sealing.
Switch out your grapeseed and almond oils for castor oil and shea butter, and look for commercial products like "butters" and "creams", which are usually thick and creamy, exactly what black hair needs when temperatures take a dive.
Combat Dry Scalp
With the combination of cold outdoor temperatures and heated interiors, you may find your scalp feeling dry, tight and itchy for the first time all year. You can stick to your regular cleansing routine, adding co-washes in place of shampoos if you find traditional cleansers too drying, but you may find applying oil to your scalp helpful as well. Stick to lightweight oils that are as natural as possible; jojoba oil is a great choice because it closely resembles the scalp's own sebum.
A few minutes of scalp massage with the oil of your choice may help you combat a dry, itchy scalp this season. As you know, your hair grows directly from your scalp so keeping that part of your body healthy and hydrated is a smart way to promote good hair growth.
Products for Your Scalp
