How To Winterize Your Hair Regimen

Friday, October 02, 2009

For those who live in colder climates (including myself), all know that winter will soon be approaching. The heavy winds, snow, and drier air can take a serious toll on our hair if we don't take the necessary measures to protect it.

Here are several tips to help you prepare your hair to withstand the harsh winter weather:

  1. Cut down on Wash N Go's & Co-washes (walking outside with a wet head will probably get you sick). Co-washing 1-2x/week should be sufficient.
  2. Wash your hair in the evening so that your hair air dries overnight as opposed to when you're outside.
  3. Wear your hair up! Winter calls for thicker clothing, so wearing your hair up will protect your ends from snagging on wool coats, turtle necks, or sweaters you may be wearing.
  4. Moisturize more often! Ever notice how your skin needs more moisture in the winter? Well so does your hair. Moisturizing morning and night will help combat dryness.
  5. Bring out the heavier products! For example, Cholesterol Conditioners, Pomades, Butters (Shea, Cocoa, Mango).


  6. Increase and Intensify your Deep Conditioning Sessions. The dry heat inside the house and the cold air outside can pull moisture from the hair. Remember to deep condition with a heat source (steamer, hooded dryer, heat cap) for at least 30mins.
  7. Seal in your moisturizers with heavier oils. For example Castor Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Hollywood Beauty Castor Oil, or an Oil Based Moisturizer. This will provide extra protection from the brisk weather.
  8. Try Hot Oil Treatments. You can do them as a pre-shampoo treatment (20mins with heat) or after you shampoo. For an extra kick, mix oils into your deep conditioners for a 2in1 treatment.
  9. Add a satin/silk lining into your winter hats. You can even wear a satin or silk bonnet underneath your hats to prevent your hair/ends from drying out.
  10. Hide your hair! Increase your protective styling. This will help retain length and lock in moisture. You can try buns, French Twists, Braids, Wigs (Half or Full), Weaves etc.
Sunshyne

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17 comments

  1. That first picture is exactly how my face looks and feels when the winter months hit Toronto.

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  2. Great tips... It will be my first winter on my HHJ. Winter is usually hard on my hair so I am definitely stocking up on some good ways to preserve my hair during the cold months. Canadian winters are hard indeed.

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  3. These are some awesome and straightforward tips! Thanks :)

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  4. This is definitely for all my Canadian sisters....

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  5. Thanks for this. I live in Montreal, and last winter my hair and scalp were a MESS! Definitely have to up my game this year, and I'm sure the posted tips will be helpful.

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  6. I do all this anyway

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  7. awesome tips!
    however, i'm a bit tentative (sp?) about using heavier products and oils. my hair moisturizer causes my forehead to break out already. or can you suggest some non-comedogenic hair moisturizers?

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  8. Great info,

    I just moved to Atl and I know it doesn't get as cold as Canada. But protecting your hair during the colder weather is a must.. T.Mack~

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  9. Thanks for the responses ladies.

    @ Anonymous - You don't have to use heavier leave-in products. If anything use heavier DC's. Use an oil free moisturizer i.e. scurl, wave nouveau, etc.

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  10. thanks for replying ^^. that makes more sense.

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  11. The picture remoinds me of the movie "Cool Runnings" when the guy (Sanka?) came out of the ice cream truck and one of his dreds snapped off because it was frozen solid. LOL.

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  12. While there are some tips listed here that I do anyway, my hair still gets brittle and dry. Having started my HHJ and I'm using the correct products, I hope that those in conjunction with the other tips(that I don't do)listed here will save my hair from our harsh Toronto winters. Thank you for posting. Too often, many of us innocently forget about taking extra care of our hair during winter compared to the extra care we take in caring for our skin. Awesome website with lots of practical info. Thanks again.

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  13. Thank you Sunshyne for the tips,I really needed this, this was how I discovered Hairlista, I was searching on how to take care of my hair during the colder months, thanks a million.

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  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  15. Hey Sunshyne -

    I know you're a big "bunner". what kind of winter hat do you normally wear? I want to bun my hair this winter but have no clue how to also keep my head warm!

    xox

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  16. One important aspect we forget during winter is dehydration. Drink lots of water and loading up on omega-3s (fatty acids found in food such as salmon and walnut) as Omega-3s boosts hydration and give your body a boost from the inside -sara@fasterhairgrow.net

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  17. Also in the winter, it's a good idea to get a humidifier. Keeping moisture in the air not only keeps your locks moist, it helps your respiratory system as well.

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