4a/b hair care during winter months

[Honey Vibe]

What do you ladies do to care for your hair during the winter?

I'm thinking that I'll keep the hair oiled, the scalp moisturized, and cover the whole blasted thing with hats that contain satin-lining.

It's already down to 20 degrees. Yikes! Good thing my hair is healthy; it can take some abuse for a few days while I get my paycheck cashed. /images/graemlins/frown.gif /images/graemlins/ooo.gif /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Nyambura]

Hello Honey Vibe from a fellow hairfanatic also living in the North Star State. Your regimen looks good. I don't know if you are natural or relaxed. Because, as you know, the air up here get so dry, /images/graemlins/shocked.gif, maximizing moisture to the hair becomes paramount. In my experience, my relaxed hair has less moisture than natural hair, so last Winter, after taking on the 365-day challenge, I added castor oil to my ends. It's more moisturizing than grease on my hair but heavy enough to seal the moisture underneath (I use Elucence conditioner, shea butter, and a kukui oil/water mix). In addition, when I woke in the morning, I left my hair still wrapped in my silk or satin scarf, placed my silk-lined hat over that. This routine saved my hair from the harsh elements, especially when I had to either shovel my car out or scrape the ice off my car windows before going to work.

I made sure I walked the skyways to work, limiting the exposure to the elements. Protective styles -french twist and bun- worked really well (hadn't discovered the drawstring ponytail yet, which is my favorite b/c it really reduces manipulation of the hair for me).

I'd love to read any tips you may have to share as well.
Can you believe we've already had snow 3 times and it's not even November yet? As if Winter wasn't already long enough....

 

[Honey Vibe]

Thanks for replying Nyambura! I was hoping you would reply too; from your picture, it looks like your hair is very similar to mine. I have 4a natural hair, and I've spent the last year nursing it back to health.

I was going to use jojoba oil, but if castor oil is less greasy and seals in moisture, I think I'll look into that option! Thanks!

 

[SVT]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I was going to use jojoba oil, but if castor oil is less greasy and seals in moisture, I think I'll look into that option! Thanks!

[/ QUOTE ]

I think castor oil is waaay oilier than jojoba. I like castor but I use it sparingly. I use it as a "sealant" after conditioning. Castor oil gives a nice shine.

 

[Honey Vibe]

O I C !! /images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[SVT]

I love your smilies, HoneyVibe! I'm gonna find me some!

 

[Tea]

Honeyvibe - I agree with SVT that your smilies are really cute. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

I use castor oil on my ends as a sealer after I wash my hair as well. Do any of you use castor oil everyday and how would you compare it to using vaseline for your ends?

 

[LondonDiva]

Nyambura looks like we are in the same boat weather wise just minus the snow. London is getting too cold already. I've alreay starte wearing my ankle length down coat.

Anyways my winter rountine is lot simpler. I keep it covered and wrapped with a silk scarf.

I wash and condition under the dryer always. Air dry. Apply some ORS Carrot Oil creme mixed with WGO and Olive oil to the hair. Section and do jumbo twists whilst about 85% dry. I pin the jumbo twists down and sleep with a doo rag (satin) to flatten it a little. In the morning I wrap it with a silk scarf and carry on this way till the sun comes back round the next year.

I too avoid going out as much just to avoid the cold air. Luckily i can get to my office from the subway without having to go outside. It's linked to my building kinda like how the WTC buildings were, so that's a plus point.

 

[Nyambura]

Hi Honey Vibe,

Jojoba is light and not greasy at all. I love using it and intend to use it year 'round. If my post wasn't clear enough, which happens sometimes, lol, sorry about that. I only use castor oil on my ends to seal in moisture. I like it because it's heavy but not greasy like some other products I've used (I don't use a lot of it b/c a little goes a looooong way on my hair).

I see you live in the Twin Cities. Whole Foods has a large store in Minneapolis, just past Lake Calhoun. St. Paul has a much smaller one, on Fairview and Grand Avenues. I buy my castor oil there. However, I buy my jojoba online b/c the prices here for such small quantities cost way too much for me to justify buying any.

HTH

ps - the photo in my signature is actually Cree Summer. My natural hair looks like that too but I am relaxed.

 

[skegeesmb]

I am wearing my hair straight during the winter. I'm in Alabama so it's pretty nice outside (60-70 degrees). I won't really get cold here until mid December.

 

[thatscuteright]

I am wearing my hair in medium size braids during the winter months, washing once a week and using glovers 3x a week. During the day I sometimes wear my scarf or head wrap, because of the wind.
It gets really cold and dry in Michigan

 

[caramelbarbie]

Re: Nyambura - drawstring ponytail??

Hi Nyambura!
What is a drawstring ponytail???

 

[Tara]

I plan to:

* continue with my GC no 'poo regime I love it

* Conditioner wash daily

* Deep Condition once every two weeks

* Hot oil treatment once per week

* Use my medicine for my temples along with vit. E &amp; castor oil daily

* I'm debating on going back to my hairdresser for cornrows, Adrienne is well aware of my problems with this woman LOL!

 

[Nyambura]

Re: Nyambura - drawstring ponytail??

Hi Caramelbarbie,
<font color="purple">What it is</font color>
A drawstring ponytail is a hair piece that has combs and an elastic string at the point of attachment.

<font color="purple">How I use it </font color>
After thoroughly moisturizing my hair, paying special attention to the ends, I smooth my hair up into a bun, secure it with a scrunchie, put a non-zip sandwich bag over that, followed by the toe-part of an old pair of nylons. Finally, I take the drawstring ponytail and place it over the covered bun, fixing the teeth into my hair (to make sure the ponytail won't come off) and then pulling the drawstring around the base of the ponytail. I owe this baggie trick/drawstring ponytail protective style to Allandra and Adrienne, respectively (thank you, ladies).

<font color="purple">Why I love it</font color>
I love this protective style. It helped my hair grow so that I could gradually trim off my damaged, over-processed ends and then finally cut the remainder - and still have enough hair to make my own ponytail w/o the attachment.

<font color="purple">Where to Buy It.</font color>
I buy my drawstring ponytails from Sally's Beauty Supply. Some buy them online at places such as Especially Yours, which makes hair pieces, wigs, etc. for African American women.

http://www.especiallyyours.com/product.asp?dept_id=310&amp;pf_id=Z1801&amp;mscssid=TEMP6839690093952193196855305925&amp;adsrc=

HTH /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[caramelbarbie]

Re: Nyambura - drawstring ponytail??

<font color="blue"> Oh thanks Nyambura for the information!

 

[tc_333]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
ps - the photo in my signature is actually Cree Summer. My natural hair looks like that too but I am relaxed.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow Cree Summer, and I didn't even recognize her - my favorite cartoon voice-over artist! Very nice picture of her, btw!

T

 

[Elyse]

Re: Nyambura - drawstring ponytail??

<font color="green">
I am thinking about buying jojoba butter to apply to my hair this winter, but only once my other (oil/butter)products are finished. It is very creamy at room temperature and I may melt it down and add a little castor oil and/or coconut oil. I think that my hair would really soak this up in the cold winter months.</font color>

 

[Jenai]

When it gets really cold I will:

[*]Continue to moisturize and condition hair as before.
[*]Wrap/pincurl hair at night.
[*]Oiling ends each night with sheabutter/oil concotion.
[*]Leave hair in satin wrap/bonnet and put hat over this when going outside.
[*]Remove wrap/bonnet once inside and fingercombing hair into place.

 

[notsomebody]

Well, generally, during the summer I don't follow a vitamin regimen (I take a multi and calcium all year round). I also don't use very many products just those that provide and attract moisture. I tend to do what I call a "summer of moisture" which means that my hair is wet or air drying most of the summer and I use curl activator gel on my ends.

During the winter I start my vitamin regimen again and add Profective's Healthy ends to my product regimen. I cut my washing/rinsing down to about twice a week (sometimes less sometimes more depending on my hair's dryness), I roller set once a week and keep my hair in a protective style.

My all year round maintenance is to deep condition, use a silk scarf, keep my ends moisturized and trimmed and take my multivitamin and calcium supplement.

The most important thing (especially in winter when we tend to drink warm drinks) is to drink plenty of water. If you are dehydrated, how can you expect your hair to retain moisture?

HTH

 

[Guest]

<font color="blue">BRRR, Winter will be here soon. Please post your winter prep regimes. I had awful breakage last winter and I really don't want a repeat of this. </font> /images/graemlins/whyme.gif

 

[Carlie]

I'm so glad I read this thread because lately, I was also wondering how I was gonna protect my hair from the bitter winter cold...and the extremely drying winds...

 

[hOnii]

winters always nice for my hair in florida. no humidity or frizzy hair. idk if i'm going to have my hair done during the winter months.. maybe. i've been trying to stay away from heat. i'll probably go a couple weeks styling my hair with roller sets and sometimes heat.

 

[Valerie]

I'm going to do the same regime in summer. Basically, daily conditioning washes, surging all over, and on my roots, however as the weather is getting colder. I cover my head with a satin lined beret. /images/graemlins/cool.gif