5 Tips for Protecting Your Hair This Winter

If the winter season brings cold weather where you live, then you'll want to prepare to give your hair a little extra TLC. Here are 5 steps to help you keep your strands healthy and growing through the winter months.

Deep Condition I'm not the best at this step, but it's important. You know how in the summer months you can get away with using a thin lotion to keep your skin moisturized and in the winter you need to switch over to a heavier, creamier moisturizer so your skin doesn't dry out? Well much like your skin moisturizer, deep conditioning gives your hair the extra boost of moisture that it needs. Let's face it - with the harsh, cold air, the winter months can wreak havoc on our curls, kinks and coils, making them dry and brittle. And what does dry, brittle hair lead to? Tangles and breakage. No thank you! Overwhelmed by all the products out there and not sure where to start? Check out my video on my easy, inexpensive deep conditioner. Also, if your hair has permanent color in it, then deep conditioning isn't optional for you at any time of the year - it's always a must.

Puuddy's tightly coiled hair

Moisturizer There's no way around it - having a good quality moisturizer in your product arsenal is imperative to the health of your hair. Now, the type of moisturizer will largely depend on your curl pattern. Moisturizers come in a range of formulas, because no two curl patterns are alike. The tighter the curls, the more difficult it is for the natural moisturizer our scalps make - sebum - to make its way down our strands. This type of curl pattern will benefit from a heavier, creamier moisturizer (I like SheaMoisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie - beware: a little goes a loooong way). The looser the curls, the easier it is for sebum to moisturize the whole strand of hair, so this curl pattern only needs a light moisturizer, maybe one that comes in spray form. 

Seal Sealing is a step that is really important, especially for those of us with tighter, kinkier curls and coils. There are two ways you can seal: 1) with pH, and 2) with oils or butters. Back when I was setting my hair in a bijillion two-strand twists, I'd seal using the famous "Kimmaytube leave-in conditioner" (note that the original recipe calls for 2 tbsp of aloe vera leaf juice, not green tea). This conditioner acts as a sealant due to the pH of aloe vera leaf juice, one of its main ingredients. This juice is all natural and has a pH that is very close to the natural pH of the scalp and hair - between 4.5 and 5.5. Without getting too deep (let's face it, chemistry wasn't my best subject anyway) when a product falling into that pH range touches our hair, it closes the cuticles of the hair strand, locking in moisture and protecting the strand from tangling and mechanical (comb/brush) damage. So if you think about it, when you apply the Kimmaytube conditioner to your wet hair, you're sealing in the moisture from the water. The result? Soft, shiny, healthy and moisturized hair! The second way to seal is to use oil. Your curl pattern, moisture needs and personal preferences will dictate whether you use a light or heavy oil. My coils are looser than my oldest daughter's coils, so I can get away with using a lighter oil - such as jojoba - to seal. But her hair requires a heavier oil - such as extra virgin olive oil - to effectively lock in moisture, soften her hair and keep it tangle-free.

My curls in the front and back are
loose and wavy

Puuddy's hair with the yarn twist
extensions I installed this summer

Protective Styling This is a term that is talked about a lot in the natural hair community, but what does it actually mean? Protective styling is any style that requires as little manipulation as possible. Less manipulation = less opportunity to damage your strands. In my mind there are two categories of protective styles: with and without the addition of faux/human hair or yarn. But whether you're setting your hair in mini twists or Senegalese twists, you STILL need to SHAMPOO and MOISTURIZE regularly, especially if you're keeping the style in for weeks at a time. Protective styling doesn't mean set-it-and-forget-it. This is really important if you've added hair or yarn to your hair. If you don't keep your hair and scalp clean then lint and dirt will cause build-up that you'll be removing for DAYS maybe even WEEKS after you've taken down the style. Plus, dirt and product build-up on your scalp hinders growth. And if you don't moisturize, then the faux/human hair and yarn will draw all the moisture out of your hair, which can lead to breakage. 

Puuddy's hat that I lined two
winters ago

Lined Hats Lastly, if you're going to wear a hat then make sure it is lined with satin or a satin-like material such as a polyester blend. If your hat isn't lined then I wouldn't wear it at all. Seriously. You can find vendors on Etsy that sell handmade, good quality lined hats (if you need a hat for your baby then I'd recommend this Etsy shop). But it doesn't stop at hats. One winter I learned a hard lesson when I discovered that my wool coat and scarf were causing terrible tangles and matting at the nape of my neck. But should we really freeze for the sake of preserving a few strands? No worries - you don't have to choose. Here's what I do: I still wear my wool coat BUT I make sure I wear a silk/polyester scarf so that it acts as a buffer between my hair and coat. Voilà! You get to stay warm and protect your strands!



Work these tips into your regimen and wardrobe and you'll enjoy healthy, moisturized strands this winter!

~ How do you keep your hair healthy in the wintertime? ~

19 Days of No Shampooing

[Please excuse the gaps and spacing in this post...technical difficulties...]

A couple weeks ago after watching some You Tube videos of women with long, luscious, healthy natural hair and learning of their low-wash regimens, I decided to go back to a low-wash regimen myself. The videos reminded me that I was following a low-wash regimen during my first growth challenge between April and November 2011, which was when I experienced the most consistent growth. While I am content with the overall length of my hair (I think it's back to waist length again since my last trim) I'd like to continue to grow it so it can be fuller at the longest length. 

I began my "new" regimen a few weeks ago when I went 19 days without washing my hair. I'd intended to wash it a few days earlier, but time didn't permit. So how did my hair and scalp hold up? Great! I'm not sure why I was surprised, but my scalp wasn't even itchy by day 19. My hair, however, had a considerable amount of product and lint build-up.

Tip: Want to know how often you should wash your hair? Start by listening to your scalp and hair. An itchy scalp and/or hair with visible product build-up, lint, etc. are indicators that it's time to wash your hair. 

My hair at the beginning of the 19 days. This was the original braid-out from when I'd last washed my hair.

Results of the dry braid-out

On the 19th day I followed my current wash day regimen, which goes as follows:

~Wash with SheaMoisture Moisture Retention Shampoo (this shampoo cleans my hair without stripping it of moisture)
~Condition & Detangle with Everyday Coconut Super Hydrating Conditioner (I chose this conditioner because it doesn't have silicones and mostly has natural ingredients)
~Apply my modified Kimmaytube leave-in conditioner then set hair in braids to rock a braid-out (but this time I set it in fat twists and pulled them up into a high bun)

Results of the dry braid-out

                     

My hair was dirty & ready to be washed
at this point, but I didn't have time so I
bunned it for the last few days.

 







 

After washing...it felt so good to have
clean hair again! If it could've sighed
it would have, lol. 

I also added another component from my old regimen: the ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor (after the shampoo and before the conditioner). I brought this product back into the mix for two reasons: 1) I need protein in my regimen but since I'm 5 months pregnant, managing my usual monthly henna treatments is becoming unrealistic, and 2) I saw great results from this product when I used it during my growth challenge in 2011. Even though I prefer a more natural regimen, this product will have to do until I'm able to work henna back into my routine. I'll probably use the ApHogee product every wash day since it's a nice, light protein that'll continue to strengthen my strands.

I plan to continue with this low-wash regimen for the next few months. I also have some styling ideas coming up for the summer too, so stay tuned to see what new styles I try! ;)

In my next post I'll share the steps I took to care for my hair during the 19 days of no washing.

Gel Sealing

I actually used this pic in a recent post where I'd reset my hair in between
wash days. But I did use gel in this pic to set the style, so that's why I'm
including this pic here.

Tonight makes my fourth wash day with the protein conditioner added into my regimen. It's also the fourth wash day that I've used gel to seal. Previously I'd never been too interested in using gel to style because I thought it would leave my hair hard, crunchy and dry. But I researched gel as a sealing "tool" and, even though I didn't find much information to confirm this suspicion, I had this hunch that, when used properly, gel could act as an amazing sealant.


I was right!


The gel adds definition to my braid-outs, and it also appears to enhance the sheen of my hair. And - get this - my hair is SOFT when I take out the braids!! Yeah I know, who woulda thunk it?! LOL!


Here's the order of product application:


1. Apply coconut oil to each dampened section of hair.
2. Apply modified KT leave-in (only 1tsp of each oil + Vitamin E oil)
3. Rub a little bit of gel between my hands and run both hands down the section of hair.


I braid up each section as I go and then criss-cross them around my head to stretch them out (not too tight though) as seen in this post. After taking the braids out, I've been resetting my hair in braids a second time that week and taking them out again to wear a braid-out. I'm aware that by increasing the manipulation in my regimen I'm making my hair more vulnerable to breakage, but I'm comforted by the fact that I'm balancing this change with the protein I've incorporated into my regimen as well. I'm still seeing growth so that's encouraging. I still don't plan to straighten it until after my 5K in May. Maybe that will be my reward to myself for completing the 5K.... ;)


A word of caution: should you choose to use gel to seal, keep in mind that more products = more product build-up, and if left unchecked, product build-up can lead to breakage. Make sure you're washing your hair at least once a week with a moisturizing shampoo or a softened shampoo. 

The Best Leave-in Conditioner I've Ever Used!!

*Update: Beginning in late December 2012/early January 2013, I changed the recipe yet again with great results:

• 2 Tbsp Kinky-Curly Knot Today
• 2 Tbsp brewed green tea (strength: 3 bags brewed in 3 cups of distilled/purified water for 5 minutes; I refrigerate the rest)
• 1 tsp Vitamin E oil
• 1 tsp jojoba oil
• 1 tsp apricot oil

When I first started my hair growth journey, finding out that leave-in conditioner is vital kind of surprised me. I hadn't used a leave-in (let alone found a decent one that didn't leave my hair feeling stiff) since my relaxer days.

In April 2011, new to the concept of protective hairstyling and properly caring for my hair, I devoured Kimmaytube's videos on YouTube. I have her to thank for guiding me along the way. No matter how much info I found out there, I always used Kim as my go-to girl for natural hair info.

Most of you probably already know the recipe I'm talking about. I've read numerous articles and blogs by ladies who have also benefitted from Kim's leave-in conditioner recipe. In combination with protective styling and proper hair care, I credit this recipe with helping me grow my hair longer and healthier. If you've never tried it, you absolutely must. You'll never regret it and your hair will thank you!!

• 2 tbsp of a leave-in conditioner of your choice (I prefer Kinky-Curly Knot Today)
• 2 tbsp aloe vera leaf juice
• 2 tsp jojoba oil
• 2 tsp castor oil

Stir the ingredients together until blended (Kim uses a plastic spoon and so do I). I think Kim says she doesn't always add castor oil, and I've gone without it and have still experienced good results. So if you don't have any on hand, don't worry about it.

Store the conditioner in an airtight container in the refrigerator (the aloe vera leaf juice is perishable once opened). I seem to remember Kim saying that she only keeps it for three days, but I've kept it for at least a week and it still seemed good to me (but then again, I'm cheap! lol).

I can twist my hair using less than one batch of this leave-in conditioner, which makes it incredibly cost-effective.

If you're using this recipe for the first time, please comment and let me know how your hair likes it! :)

Enjoy!