Tips and Tricks to Combat Winter Dryness

Hey fellow Naturalistas,

Being in Northern NY, it has definitely been a bit chilly!  As most of you know I BC’ED on 11/14/2011, so I do not have enough length to do the retro-funky protective hairstyles.  I am really not one to get braids or weaves because of past experiences (being bald headed once I took down the weaves/braids).  My go to style for the week normally consists of rocking a wash-n-go all week long.  No ladies, I do not wash my hair every day that would be asinine!  I wash my hair Sundays and simply spritz every morning for a refresher and I’m out the door!

Since my head is not covered (unless it is SUPER cold, I will rock a hat—with a satin bonnet underneath of course!) I have experienced some dryness lately.  I seal my hair daily with my water/oil spritz bottle every morning and evening.  I was finding that though sealing your hair daily is UBER important, it was not enough, I was still combating dryness. 

Naptural85 has a “baggie” method that has been a life saver for my dehydrated tresses.  All it involves is spritzing my hair with my water/oil, placing a little bit of smoothie behind that and cover my head with a shower cap. I then cover the shower cap with a scarf and go to sleep.  The shower cap provides enough moisture for my hair to stay hydrated, but it is NOT sopping wet.  I am able to sleep very comfortably and the results in the morning are great!  I simply take off the shower cap and scarf, shake my head and style, If needed I will also follow up with some Shea Moisture Curling Soufflé.  By the time I leave the house my hair is dry, hydrated; and soft!  You do not have to do this every night, I advise trying it for three days and see if you notice a difference!

Deep conditioning you hair is very important!  You can either pre-poo OR do a regular DC OR you can do both J.  Pre-pooing consists of applying a conditioner or oil mixture to dry hair BEFORE you wash it.  Personally, I have been pre-pooing with EVOO, Safflower Oil and Grapeseed oil (all found in my local supermarket; pics of the oils can be found under the tab product review) and some of my shea moisture DC, I cover my hair with a shower cap for about 2-3 hours.  I follow up with washing my hair with a sulfate free shampoo and apply my DC such as shea moisture mask to my hair and cover again.  I will then rinse my hair with cool water and style.  You can also choose to rinse with an ACV (apple cider vinegar) and H20 rinse. 

Use a nice, thick leave in conditioner.  By applying a leave in conditioner you will retain moisture.  I personally recommend Giovanni direct leave-in followed up by shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie.

Co-wash your hair instead of applying a sulfate free shampoo.  Co-washing will not strip your hair of moisture,  However, it may cause build-up.  If you are in the habit of washing your hair every day, try to set a schedule.  For example, co-wash every other day and wash with a sulfate free shampoo once per week. 

Air Dry or Limit the use of direct heat
Avoid using hair dryers during the winter months. Blow drying already brittle and dry hair will only make them worse. If you have to, use a cooler setting to dry your hair. It may take your hair longer to dry but the shine in your hair will be well worth it. There are some great videos on youtube that show how to blow dry hair on a cool setting. 

SEAL YOUR HAIR!-- Sealing your hair is SOOOO important!!! The best hydrator for your hair is water.  In order for the water to properly hydrate your hair, you must follow up the water application with applying an oil in your hair.  The reason the oil seals the water in your hair is because the oil molecule is bigger than the water molecule thus, trapping the water molecule to your hair keeping it hydrated. 

Stay Hydrated! It’s simple…DRINK MORE WATER!! Keep your body hydrated starting on the inside first.

Alright Naturalistas, there you have it. How do you ladies combat winter dryness?