As we enter the winter season, it’s very vital to ensure that as Black women, we are caring for our natural hair. This time of year comes with colder and drier air which can lead to breakage and frizziness. However, with protective hairstyles, healthy practices, and proper love, you can confidently walk outside channeling your inner Willow Smith whipping your healthy hair back and forth.
pull out the PROTECTIVE STYLES
Protective styles do just as the name suggests – protect. These are perfect during the winter season as they minimize exposure of your hair to the potentially damaging cold air. Additionally, they promote hair growth, prevent thinning hairlines, and retain moisture.
Highly praised for their limited daily manipulation, protective styles serve not only as functional but also as a gorgeous style that you can rock daily. Some popular examples include braids, weaves, wigs, and twists. However, wearing a protective style does not give you the right to ignore your hair. It’s still important to take care of the style by using a bonnet or satin pillowcases to sleep, washing periodically when applicable, minimizing scalp tension, and moisturizing which leads me to my next topic.
MOISTURIZE THAT SCALP
With the cold air leading to dryness, it’s key to step in front of the problem before it arises. The best solution – moisturizing your scalp. Ideally, moisturizing should be done at least once a week but factors such as hair texture, and the desired style play a role in the frequency.
There are numerous moisturizing products ranging from leave-in treatments to oils to creams that aim to detangle, hydrate, promote growth, and protect from breakage. Here are some popular recommendations for each product type.
Popular recommendations for Leave-in treatments:
- Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave-In Conditioner
- Camille Rose Coconut Water Leave-In Treatment
- African Pride Moisture Miracle Coconut Baobab Oil Leave-In Cream
Popular recommendations for hair oils:
- Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Scalp Hair Strengthening Oil
- TGIN Miracle Repairx Anti-Breakage Serum
- Carol’s Daughter Monoi Oil Repairing Sacred Strengthening Serum
Popular recommendations for creams:
- Cantu Shea Butter Coconut Curling Cream
- Camille Rose Almond Jai Twisting Butter
- TGIN Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer
TIME TO ACCESSORIZE
Keeping your hair protected from the cold air might sound redundant but it’s severely important if we want to maintain our healthy tresses. Therefore, it’s time to pull out the winter hair accessories. Some of the best accessories for natural hair include satin-lined beanies, headbands, headbands, and scarves.
These accessories help prevent the dry air from entering your scalp and can also serve as a fashionable piece. So don’t let the winter season and worries about your hair stop you from going outside and doing your daily activities, just make sure you get a cute headpiece and you’re good to go.
FINAL Thoughts – Loving your natural hair
Whether it’s winter, summer, autumn, or spring, you should always be caring for your hair. By implementing these practices and being consistence with your new winter hair care routine, your hair is bound to stay beautiful and healthy throughout these chilly days.
With this article, I hope to spread the message of how important practicing self-love with your kinks, coils, or curls is. Your hair is your superpower, so learn to be kind to it by trying fun hairstyles, doing healthy practices, and refraining from negative words despite the effort it might take to maintain its healthiness. It’s time to celebrate you and your hair.