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A Curly Girl’s Guide to Surviving the Winter Weather

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montclair chapter.

Curly girls rejoice! We’re finally passed the unbearable humidity of late summer/early fall weather! With inevitable bad hair days in our rearview, we’re now faced with a whole new dilemma: unruly, dehydrated winter locks. But there’s still hope in having your hair looking bomb af all year round. Follow these simple tips for the most moisturized curls during the driest of days.

CO-WASH, CO-WASH, CO-WASH

Ladies. It’s 2018. If you’re using shampoo every day of your life, we need to have a talk. As curly girls we can get away with ditching shampoo for a few days since our hair never really gets greasy. In between your no-wash days make sure to use lots of conditioner to detangle and moisturize. Also, always use sulfate-free shampoo!

Deep Condition Like it’s Your Job

Windy, frigid days can leave your locks feeling neglected. Any sort of store-bought deep conditioner will do; just ditch any with silicones, sulfates and alcohol. My personal fave deep conditioning treatment is a DIY mask of aloe vera, coconut oil, olive oil, banana and avocado (you can thank me later for that one.)

Protect Yo’Self

Once you thank all your fans for coming out to your shower concert, you can’t forget to protect your ‘do. Use a t-shirt instead of a towel to reduce excess friction which will result in frizz. Most importantly, before bed make sure to either wrap your hair in a silk scarf/bonnet, or invest in a silk pillowcase. This really makes a huge difference!

No One Likes a Crunchy Curl

To save myself from the embarrassment, I’ll refrain from attaching a picture of my meticulously moussed and gelled middle school curls, featuring a devastatingly misplaced straightened side bang and heavy black eyeliner. We live and we learn. These days, I stick to all natural leave-in conditioners and oils to get the job done.

Step Away from the Heat Tools

If you’re still straightening and curling your hair on a daily basis, shame on you. Winter weather abuses our kinks enough! Try to limit exposure to heat tools, or at the very least use a heat protectant.

It’s no secret that winter weather can wreak havoc on our curls. In addition, it’s hard when it seems like smooth hair is the norm, and frizz is our biggest foe. But the uniqueness of our perfectly imperfect locks should ALWAYS be something we embrace.

We are #blessed ladies, let’s act like it.

Nicole Merendino

Montclair '20

Just a curly-girl chugging through life one existential crisis at a time. Nicole is a Junior at Montclair State University studying Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Spanish & International Business.
Emma Flusk

Montclair '19

Emma Flusk is recent graduate from Montclair State University, where she majored in Television and Digital Media. She was the Editor-in-Chief and a Campus Correspondent at Her Campus Montclair. She’s passionate about anything that has to do with lifestyle, beauty and wellness for women. She is a self-proclaimed craft queen, semi-pro binge-watcher and a lover of all dogs.