How to protect your hair in cold weather

Many people assume that the cold weather only affects the skin and as such, pay little attention to their hair at this time. Cold weather dries out hair making it weak and brittle. Here is how to care for your hair as the cold season shows up.

Deep condition:

This adds moisture to your hair and ensures the hair maintains balance and growth. Do this at least once a week. You can use a deep conditioning treatment or apply natural oils like coconut oil or virgin olive oil.

Apply it on the hair and leave it for about 20 minutes before you rinsing it off. Home-made conditioners that have natural ingredients like avocado can also be used as they provide natural oils for your hair.

Leave-in conditioners or anti-frizz serum will also seal your hair from moisture loss.

Trim:

They say beautiful hair begins with a good foundation. Trimming your hair makes it longer not shorter. A regular trim of the dead ends will keep your hair in good health and is a way of getting rid of the dry split ends. You don’t have to lose much hair, just half an inch is sufficient.

Protective styles:

 This is the best time to braid or do cornrows so that you prevent your hair ends from splitting. What’s more, the styles are easier to maintain as you don’t need any styling tools or chemicals to maintain them.

They also ensure that you comb your hair less, reducing the chances of shedding. Be creative and choose a protective style that suits your personality.

How about you add some accessories like beads and tiny sea shells?

Hot oil treatment:

Extra virgin olive oil is the best for hot oil treatment. Apply the warm oil directly to damp hair then wear a shower cap for about half an hour. This helps to heal your hair from the daily wear and tear and gives it an extra shine.

Wash less:

During the cold weather, your hair needs less washing to protect it from drying out too much. If you must wash your hair, ensure it is completely dry before you leave the house.

 Use protein-rich moisturizing shampoo and conditioner when you wash then let your hair dry naturally. If you need to blow-dry it, ensure you use extra leave-in conditioner.

You could wash it the night before and make some ‘matutas’ through the night. If you walk out in the cold with wet hair, the moisture in it combined with the cold weather will make it brittle and dry.

Less heat: Many people will prefer to stay in heated rooms during the cold weather. It could be through using a heater or even fireplace heat.

This could actually harm your hair as the heat sucks out moisture from the hair making it to dry even more. Avoid using tongs, blow driers or flat iron in this season as they too increase the loss of moisture from the hair.

Like I said above, if you must wash your hair, let it dry naturally if possible. If you know you will spend a lot of time in a heated room, invest in a humidifier, it stops the hair and even skin from feeling dry.

Silk and satin: If you must cover your hair with a hat or headscarf, ensure it is made of silk or satin, or has a lining of the same. This protects your hair from breakage as it ensures moisture is sealed in.

Secondly, the rough material from woolen or cotton fabrics absorbs moisture from the hair and could enhance electrostatic energy and possibly make your hair entangle leading to breakage.