The Hampton Script

Tyrone Farmer | Staff Writer

The colder seasons can feel like a dream bringing much joy, like the holiday season, family time and other festivities, but it can be a nightmare for anyone with natural hair. 

The cold air causes hair to dry and frizz, which could consequently cause breakage of hair. 

Hats, scarves and hoodies seem to be the answer, but the materials are typically very harsh and rub your hair, causing it to break off even more. 

It can seem unbearable and leave you wanting to avoid the weather at all costs, but here are five essential tips you need to know to maintain your natural hair through these trying and cold months.

1. Keep your hair moisturized.

Maintaining moisture is the biggest key in keeping your hair looking fresh and complete through the winter months. The crisp air will not hesitate to dry the natural oils out of your scalp. To combat this, apply products such as black castor oil and coconut oil. These are affordable, lightweight options to ensure that your scalp is not dry. Massage the oils into your scalp to lock in moisture, increase hair thickness and growth. A good routine to use for moisturizing is the LOC method. The LOC method includes a leave-in-conditioner to hydrate the hair and scalp, oil to lock in the moisture and cream to define curls, leaving them looking good as new.

2. Condition bi-weekly

Deep conditioners are the perfect remedy needed to get the full, curly look you want to achieve. Try to find all-natural conditioners that work best with your hair type and give you a look you want. Stay away from conditioners with chemicals, which may cause harm in the future. Products using natural oils such as sunflower seed oil and aloe vera might be more suitable. These are perfect ingredients to use since they are thicker oils. Also, apply the conditioner to your roots and let it sit for about 20 minutes.  

You can never condition too much!

3. Use protective styles

Protective styles will be your best friend over these next three to five months. They play a crucial role in preventing natural hair from weather damage. With wearing your hair out, it will eventually begin to dry up. Protective styles hold the moisture in hair longer and allow less maintenance. Try going for a classic box braids look or even faux locs. Both look and work great for keeping your hair healthy.

4. Set a routine

Keeping a set routine is an essential factor that often gets overlooked. Your hair, just like anything else, needs to be trained. A routine isn’t just the products and steps taken to style the hair. It also includes everything done to maintain the hair.  To keep hair from breaking off at night, try sleeping with satin bonnets or pillows. Having scheduled days and times for your hair ensures that your hair receives the proper care it needs. Remember also to drink plenty of water.  

Your diet can have as much of an effect on your hair as the weather. 

5. Trim

Don’t be afraid to cut your hair during this cold stretch. Wearing your hair out means that your ends are prone to split because of the exposure. If your hair is left neglected, it will continue to split and eventually cause the hair to break off. To make sure that your hair continues to grow evenly, remember to trim your ends.