Taking Care of Dry Hair
Our hair is a fragile part of our body. Every day, no matter what the season, temperature, or humidity level, we should pay attention to how we treat if we want to maintain a healthy head, both the scalp and the hair that grows from it.
The winter months can be more difficult for everyone’s hair and scalp, especially for curly and/or fine hair textures. Each hair strand on our head is made up of layers.
The outermost layer of our hair strand is called the cuticle. Our cuticles are stronger or weaker depending on the thickness of the hair strand according to fine, medium, and coarse and what type of texture and chemical processes each person’s hair has been through. In addition to the natural state of our hair, it depends on what products we use on our hair dictate how it behaves during the winter months. The cuticle of our hair tends to stay open more in the dry, cold air, releasing moisture out of the hair strand more than in warmer months. This can cause extra frizz and breakage for us in the winter.
The best thing we can do in the winter months is to find the best ways to retain and add moisture. We can make some simple changes to ensure our hair stays hydrated, including washing our hair less, which can keep our natural scalp oil in our hair longer.
We can also wash our hair in cooler water, as the hotter the water, the dryer the hair and scalp can become. Using more oils and deep conditioning treatments will help immensely as we tread through winter.
We LOVE our Awaken Scalp Facial and Oi Hair Butter treatments all the time, but during the winter, these treatments can be lifesavers for our hair as they nourish and replenish the oil our scalp and hair crave.
Getting regular trims (6-10 weeks depending on many habits, including how often you use heat tools, which products you use, and if you are maintaining your length or growing your hair out, etc), using humidifiers in your home, avoiding going out into the cold with wet hair (as the hair can freeze and break off), and braiding your hair or using a satin bonnet or pillowcase when you sleep.
When using your heat tools, ensure your hair isn’t receiving more than 350 degrees, especially if you have fine, blonde, and/or curly hair. Also, make sure you are using a heat-protective product; even better are the heat protections that include nourishing minerals and proteins our hair craves. Some heat protection products, like our Liquid Spell and our Protein Repair Tonic, act as treatments when heat is applied now. The big thing to remember is to create as little to no friction to the hair strands as possible and keep that moisture up.