Hair Care; Cold season edition.
With drizzle, rain and in some cases snow; your natural hair is bound to get frizzy, shrink and experience all kinds of knots and tangles in the process. All of which can lead to significant breakage. In this short article we’ll be going over a couple of ways you can get your hair to survive the cold season.
Snowflake,Image from Wix.
Ditch the coconut oil There comes a time when the beloved coconut oil must be set aside. As you know, it takes a very slight drop or rise in temperature for coconut oil to solidify/melt. Though it may be warm enough indoors to actually apply the coconut oil onto your hair, the second you step out the oil will solidify. This is going to leave small white blobs of coconut oil throughout your hair. Probably not the look you’re going for. Oils such as olive and castor are great substitutes for coconut oil; it is also recommended to use ‘heavier’ oils in colder weather to form a thicker barrier between your hair and the potential frizz low temperatures can cause.
Time to protective style. Curly/Natural hair’s no.one enemy is especially prevalent during colder seasons;frizz. The wet conditions also come with shrinkage which often leads to tangles and knots, all of which cause significant breakage as you try to get rid of them. This would therefore be an awesome time to get those box braids and twists you’ve been putting off. As Box braids can last up to a month with proper care, It would be a great idea to schedule styles like these around colder seasons.
Twists,shot by Alex Njeri.
Stretched. It is highly recommended to give your hair a 2 month break after protective styling. This is because constant protective styling places stress on your scalp, which can eventually lead to traction alopecia (hair loss brought about by constant tugging on the hair). If the time to take your style down arrives before the end of the cold season; do not be dismayed ! (Morgan Freeman voice) There a few tips to keep ‘open’ natural hair safe in the coldest of winters.
1) Buns. Low buns, top knots and centered buns; they will give your ends the much needed protection from shrinkage. It is imperative to make sure your updos are not tight to once again; prevent hair loss. Buns on natural hair are essentially supposed to get the ‘sleek’ look from water and hair gel. When your hair is wet it shrinks in volume and can easily be placed into the sleekest of styles without hurting your scalp. If you’re constantly get the face lift feeling you might want to try adding a little more water to your hair before tying it up. 2) Twists and braids Twist out and braid outs are a perfect way to stretch your hair without heat. Though this is a styling option you’ll want to use towards the end of the cold season. Even then; throwing your hair into a loose bun will help your ends safe. Alternatively; if your comfortable with it, wear the twists as a style !
Wigs After giving your hair a much needed break post-protective style; consider placing your hair into cornrows and rock wigs for the rest of the season. Not only will they keep you warm but your hair will be nice and safe (and warm) under your wigs. Getting to switch your hair up this often also adds something to look forward to in the depressing weather. That is all (for now) on this post! Thank you for checking it out and I hope you found the info on here helpful! Xo- Alex To keep up with new posts (receive an update once a month) you can subscribe here More on protective styles:
