4 Tips for Natural Hair Care in Winter

You might have noticed that during winter your natural hair feels drier and more brittle. Not to mention, the cold weather makes you lazy and unwilling to fully commit to your normal natural hair routine. Well, here’s 4 simple tips on how to keep your hair luscious throughout the winter months.

1. Protective Styles

If you have little to no time for hair care during winter, protective styles might be just for you! From wigs to braids and everything in between, protective styles worn during winter can be very beneficial because they require low maintenance and offer full protection against the harsh winter weather. Protective styles are also great because they can be very versatile. Coloured, short, long, body wave or bone straight, you can always find a style that suits you. Although protective styles don’t require day-to-day manipulation, it’s still very important to have some good hair care habits while wearing protective styles. For example, if you’re a wig wearer, take the weekends to wash, deep condition and moisturise your cornrows. For my braided sisters, make sure you keep your scalp moisturised using light products to avoid product build up. No matter what protective style you decide to rock, don’t keep it in for longer than 4 to 6 weeks, because if kept any longer it might cause hair breakage.

2. LOC Method

You may or may not have heard of this method, but the LOC method is the layering of products in a certain order to maximise moisture retention. Simply put, LOC is an abbreviation for Liquid, Oil and Cream. To keep your hair hydrated during winter, this method is a 10 minutes quick fix that uses 3 products you already have! For liquid you can use water, aloe vera juice or a leave-in conditioner that is water based, meaning the first ingredient shown on the list is water. For oil, your options range from light weight oils like argan, to medium weight oils like jojoba and to more heavier oils like castor. Finally, for cream you’ll need a butter-based moisturiser, like shea butter, to seal in all that juicy moisture! Depending on your hair type, feel free to change the order of products. You might find that using the LCO method, in this case applying the cream before the oil, gives you better moisture retention. Whether you use the LOC or LCO method, using just these 3 products will ensure your hair remains healthy during winter.

3. Deep Conditioning

You probably already have a deep conditioning routine, but if you don’t have one, you’ll definitely need one for winter. Deep conditioning is essential in keeping your hair moisturised and can be done weekly or bi-weekly. You can make deep conditioners at home using ingredients like avocado, eggs and mayonnaise or you can opt to buy an already made deep conditioner from your local beauty store. After your normal wash day routine of shampoo and conditioner, finish off by applying a deep conditioning masque starting from your hair tips to its root. Once applied, cover your hair with a warm shower cap and leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes while you sip some tea and scroll through Instagram. Using indirect heat opens up your hair cuticles and allows the deep conditioner to absorb better into your hair. When you feel ready, rinse out the deep conditioner with cold water, this closes the hair cuticles and retains the moisture, then follow up with your favourite leave-in conditioner. If done often, deep conditioning will help prevent breakage and split ends in winter.

4. Protective Head Gear

During cold mornings, styling your hair might be the last thing on your mind, but before you reach for that head-wrap or winter hat make sure it’s protective enough and won’t cause damage to your hair during the day! Avoid wrapping your hair in materials made of cotton or wool because these materials will absorbs the moisture from your hair, cause friction and eventually lead to breakage. Instead, use protective head gears that are lined with satin or silk, as these soft materials will keep your hair smooth and protected while it’s covered up all winter.

So there you have it, 4 simple tips to maintain healthy hair in sweater season! Why not try a tip a week and see how it works for you?

What's your favourite winter hair care advice? Tweet it to me @LushBraidsByB

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