Hair Care Tips For The Fall And Winter Season

Want to keep your hair healthy during the winter months?

I wrote this blog post on a joint blog a few years ago and decided to share it here since we can all benefit from it.

We agree that patience and consistency are key to a successful healthy hair journey, but we also have to remember the other factors that change our routines and regimens.  As the weather changes, we need to adjust to it by the way we dress and what we do.  And for the hair, it should also be the same too.

I love the Fall season with a passion! But let us discuss hair and some of the ways you can maintain it to keep it beautiful and healthy.

Deep Condition
Many of our workplaces, schools, homes are heated with artificial heat and can therefore dry the hair along with the cold brisk air outside. Our hair thrives when it is well moisturized. Shampooing less and Conditioning will keep the moisture the hair needs to withstand the changes to the environment. After shampooing, sometimes there is a stripping feeling to the hair where you will definitely need to follow up with a moisturizing conditioner.

Wash-N-Go’s 
Many love the Wash-‘N-Go’s or wearing the hair slightly damp and it is simply simple, especially for those who have natural hair. My daughter has natural hair too.  Let us remind ourselves that one can get extremely sick by wearing their hair wet while being outside in the cold. Another reason why you would not want to do a Wash ‘N Go would be the experience of the hair freezing and easily breaking. So Wash 'N Go's, in my opinion should probably be a no-no. I would suggest doing twist outs.

Hair Breakage 
During the winter we wear scarves, hats and sweaters that are made with fabrics such as wool. For example, wool tends to dry out the tresses and also pull on the hair causing slow breakage. The areas that tend to get affected the most are the edges and the nape of the neck. To avoid these types of problems, you can line the hat with a satin or silk fabric as a barrier to protect the hair. If you’re not crafty, you can simply tie a scarf around the head prior to putting on the hat. Putting the hair up while wearing a scarf will also aid in keeping the hair healthy. The more protected the hair, the less damage.

Protective styling
With protective styles, the hair is usually up and away from the shoulders and it will not rub as much on the sweaters that will cause hair dryness. Tucking your hair ends away during the harsh weather season will keep your hair from damage while staying moisturized. Not to mention that they are beautiful, you can also have fun with different styles to enhance the beauty of your hair.  If you decide to have your hair down, be sure to moisturize the hair a tad bit more.

Oils
We massage certain oils on their scalps, mix it with their shampoos and/or conditioners and use it as a daily moisturizer to help seal in the moisture the hair needs to stay healthy. Not only do oils moisturize the hair and body, but different ones do have several beneficial factors. Research the oils to see what best fits your healthy hair and skin needs. My favorite oils are coconut, olive, castor and tea tree oils.

Hair Products
In some cases, you may have to use a product that will do a lot for the hair this winter season. Something that may have been a bit too much for the summer most likely will be great for the winter. Be sure it keeps your hair well moisturized and it does it's job.

Using less heat to NO heat
Using heat will help the cold air cause more dryness to the hair. Especially DIRECT HEAT. Direct heat constitutes using a flat iron directly on the hair.  Roller sets are okay since the heat is indirectly used and not concentrated on the hair like an iron to a shirt.

Moisture, moisture and moisture 
Moisturizing the hair is not just limited to the summer, but also recommended for the winter too. As mentioned before, between the extreme temperatures of the indoors and outdoors, moisturizing enough will help the hair to stay protected.

Stick to what works for you
There are several ideas when it comes to hair care. But remember to always stick to what works for you! Your hair will be happy and stay healthy.

Notice a theme here: MOISTURE!!!!

Feel free to share what has worked for you, or something I did not mention here that we can all benefit from during the colder months.

We'll chat soon!

Benefits and Uses of Castor Oil

Many have used and are using Castor Oil in their hair regimens for the past few years when it became well known to help with the hair.

Black Castor Oil (from Haiti)

Castor Oil is a vegetable oil from the castor bean.  The oil contains a lot of appealing things that would make it attractive to use in a hair regimen and beauty regimen.  Another great thing about this oil is that it has healing benefits too.

The oil is usually clear to a dark brown color.  It comes refined and un-refined too which all depends on how the oil was extracted from the beans.  Unrefined in my opinion is better because the properties are not manipulated or stripped from the oil.

Castor Oil has proteins, Vitamin E, anti-fungual and anti-bacterial properties.  The benefits are not only limited to the things mentioned, but it also has anti-inflammatory properties.

Here are some reasons why this oil is great for a healthy hair regimen:

It Adds Shine:
Castor Oil coats the hair shaft, seals in moisture to make the surface silky and smooth.  It is also a great oil to use for hot oil treatments before you wash your hair.  One down side is that if you use it too much or too often, it can weigh your hair down, cause build up and leave your scalp and hair very oily.  Also, let us note, that if the oil coats the hair to seal it, it can slow and/or prevent split ends.  One of the ways to do it, is to mix the oil with a lighter oil for even distribution.

It Helps In Hair Loss, Dandruff & Circulation:
Because of the anti-fungual and anti-bacterial properties the oil has, which I mentioned above...this oil has a high amount of chemical compositions of fatty acids with ricinoleic acid.  With that said, many bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections can be healed using it the oil.  And with the different infections being combated, it fights hair loss to allow the hair to grow.

Castor oil also helps to increase circulation, makes the hair follicles strong and stimulate hair growth.  If hair loss is hereditary, I will go on an assumption that castor oil may not stop hair loss.  In cases of alopecia and post partum hair shedding, this oil can be a great benefit to help restore the hair. Those who are experiencing dry scalp and a lot of dandruff, it also works wonders since it is an amazing moisturizer.

Helps To Thicken the Hair and Moisturize It:
Because castor oil can get rid of bacteria, fungus and stimulate growth do to it's natural properties, it will help make room for the hair to for grow.  Those negative things will block areas of your scalp to suppress and hinder growth.  Using it for hot oil treatments, to massage the scalp and to moisturize will help the hair tremendously in so many ways beside thickening the hair.

My family have always used Haitian Black Castor Oil (HBCO) for years.  The way I know it was used, was of course...for the hair.  Other ways included: Used as a laxative, for massages, for healing and to get rid of skin infections.  It was not until a few years ago, I implemented this oil into my and my children's healthy hair regimen when Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO) became well known in the hair world.  The oil is not new, it has been around for years and years from generation to generations.

I experienced post partum shedding twice, but used it during the second, because I was on a hair journey at the time.  It helped me a lot in moisturizing my scalp and to stimulate growth in those areas. I do not feel that it will "make" your hair grow, but it will "remove every hindrance" such as the bacteria, fungus, dry scalp, to allow and make room for the hair to grow and retain length.

I use it for hot oil treatments once a month when I shampoo my hair.  I'll lightly massage it onto my scalp during the week and/or as needed.  On my children, I have a Shea butter mixture that includes castor oil and extra virgin coconut oil to use on their scalp, edges and even on their hair ends.

There are several hair sites online that do sell Black Castor Oil!

How do you use castor oil in your hair regimen?

** Please Note: Do your research on anything that you use including oils on your hair and skin.