Cold Weather, Natural Sisters

[Sundiva]

To my wonderful natural sisters,
I am 100% Natural with my hair, its 4a This is really the first time I have had to really do work and narrow down a regimen for my hair (by the way, you guys are AMAZING with the products and advice. Im diving in). I would like to hear from the sisters who live in the Northeast, or live in a very cold climate. I live in Maine. I feel like the weather here really is an obstacle when Im trying to get my hair healthy again. How do you protect your hair? Do you wear sew-ins or braids? If so, what kind of regimen do you use? If you dont do sew-ins or braids, or wigs what? I have short hair and am trying to grow. The twists are all I can do since I don't really have length and my hair is so thick it is really a challenge. Im trying to become more acquainted with my hair in my journey to love it but its really hard because Im in a stage where there isnt much I can do without having it exposed to the harsh winter. Can anyone help me with protective style ideas and just things I should do in general?

Much love

 

[loulou82]

I live in the NE. It reached 18 degrees yesterday and was in the 0's last night. I'm also a 4 A/B. So far I got through the winter with kinky twists. I just straightened my hair but plan on wearing twists (my own hair) until the weather gets warmer. I moisturize everyday and when I'm not in kinkies I shampoo wash and DC every week with heat and then twist. I can either keep the twists in or do a twist out the next morning. I also do puffs. Since I moisturize so often my hair is rarely dry or hard.

 

[Eclass215]

Hi there! Glad you're diving in.

When I had my hair short and natural I lived in NY. In the winter (this was back in 2000-2001) my hair was too short to do anything with, so I just rocked the wash-n-go with a pretty scarf headband. I eventually got micro braids and that helped for awhile. Now, my hair is longer so I mostly wear buns or twist outs.

HTH!

 

[Nonie]

I always wear a hat when out in the cold. Underneath the hat I usually have Saran wrap or a plastic cap. That prevents my hair from drying out. (I'm in twists, BTW.)

Since your hair is short, you can just sort of smooth it down so the twists lie down straight so that when you shake them out at work, they have a nice shape to them and aren't wiggling untidily.

We have locker rooms at work and so if I don't plan on wearing the hat or headwrap all day (I'm lucky that I can at my job and usually do keep the hat on if it's a dress hat), then I will usually CW and airdry so the twists can hang straight and look good in whatever style I choose to wear.

 

[LovelyMiracle]

These gel twists are a lifesaver! I don't have to worry about my hair drying out messing up while I sleep at night. My stylist tricked me into getting them but now I'm hooked!

 

[Mook's hair]

I'm in NJ. Cornrows are my favorite style but I usually avoid cornrows in the winter because they allow my scalp to get cold. This year I did kinky twists. They are working out well. I follow the crown & glory technique from growafrohairlong.com
Using diluted infusium for protein and African Royale braid spray for moisture.

I have tutorials on how to do kinky twists & cornrows your self if you're interested.

 

[glamazon386]

I live in Baltimore. I wear my hair in a bun most of the time, if not that it's usually in a weave or under a wig. I don't like going out with a wet head everyday during the winter months.

 

[Naturelle]

Winter months I used to wear braids just because I didn't want to be bothered with my hair. Now I dod it for that and to protectit from the harsh weather.

Currently I put them in "chiny bumps", "bantu knots", "corkscrews" (whatever you want to call them) and wear them like that for half the week, wear it out a day or two, dc then back in bantu knots.

It's important to up the moisturizing, sealing and dc'ing. I usually moisturize almost every night anyway regardless of season. In the winter tho I try to make sure I seal more often and up my dc'in from 1x/wk to 3x/wk.

 

[snillohsss]

I don't do protective styles just because the weather is cold? Im in Illinois, and I just wear my hair out. I rarely wear a thought though.

 

[Sundiva]

Thanks loulou82! Do you only moisturize when your wearing your kinky twists? What do you do to cleanse your scalp?

 

[Sundiva]

WOW!! Eclass215 your hair is beautiful! Thanks for the tip. So when you would rock the fro with the scarf, how did you remedy the cold weather beating on your hair?

 

[Sundiva]

Mook's hair,
I am very interested in those tutorials. Thank you so much

 

[jamerichameleon]

When it gets really cold, sometimes I'll moisturize and baggy, then I'll put my wig cap over that and put on a cute wig. It seems to work well and it kinda keeps my head warm.