12 NATURAL HAIR CARE TIPS DURING HARMATTAN /WINTER

Harmattan air can be very dry, windy, dusty and cold which can cause dryness and breakage to our hair. A lot of naturals struggle with retaining moisture during this season, a lot of dry itchy scalps, a lot of breakage, build ups, split ends, hair frustration, the list goes on, Ok!!! I’m back with some tips for you to practice during the harmattan/Winter months to keep your hair and scalp healthy, even a busy natural can use.

1. Deep Condition More Often: This infuses the hair with moisture, softens them and increases elasticity to prevent brittleness and breakage. Deep condition once a week at least and twice a week if your schedule allows it, this will be more beneficial. A lot of busy naturals will say 20-30 minutes is too long, well you can get a DC like aphogee 2 minutes reconstructor and Condition for just 2minutes just TWO MINUTES! You don’t need to Condition over night or all day, 20-30 minutes preferably with heat. You can also try The ODC heat treatment.
2. Invest In A Good Deep Condition: Don’t use a rinse out Condition to deep condition your hair, you will be wasting your time. When searching for a deep conditioner, look for the words “treatment” or “masque”.
3. Moisturize And Seal PRN: during this season moisturize with the L.O.C.S ( Liquid, Oil, Cream, Sealant) or L.C.O.S method to properly moisturize your hair. Depending on your hair type, you may need to re-moisturise your hair daily during harmattan/winter. Feel your hair and moisturise accordingly. You should moisturize your hair with a water-containing product such as your leave-in conditioner and then seal with a heavy butter like shea butter or a butter mix. You can also make a hair spritz containing water, oils and leave in conditioner, carry it around and spray your hair when necessary.
4. Pre Poo Before Washing Your Hair: To protect your hair from the drying wash process, pre-poo your hair with your favorite oil and/or conditioner. A coconut oil pre-poo is the best and prevents damage during your shampoo process.
5. Co-wash Instead of Shampooing: Shampooing frequently can strip your hair of moisture even with a sulphate free product during harmattan/winter. Co-washing, which involves washing your hair with a cleansing conditioner instead of a shampoo cleanses your hair and scalp without stripping it of moisture, whilst conditioning it.
6.  Massage Your Scalp With Oil: This season your scalp will be dry and itchy, try massaging your hair with a thick Oil like Jamaican black castor oil.
7. Stay Away From Heat: Heat tools like blow dryers, flat irons, Etc rub your hair of moisture. So if you are already battling excessive dryness, then you may want to avoid using these tools. Consider heatless options like African thread method or banding method to straighten your natural hair.
8. Protective Styling: Protective styles like wigs, buns, updos, sew-ins, braids or twists, when done correctly protect your hair from the elements and help you retain length. When using protective styles, remember to tuck your ends away. You must continue to moisturise and seal your hair whilst it is protective styled or you will experience breakage.
9. Trim and Seal Your Ends: The dry air can result in dry, brittle hair. Make sure that your ends are healthy by trimming away any split ends to prevent further splitting. After you’ve trimmed your ends, don’t forget to seal your ends to reduce splitting and breakage. Use a heavy oil or butter to seal your ends to protect them from the dry air. My personal favorites are shea butter and castor oil.
10. Drink A Lot of Water: The weather is dry, Hydrate and nourish your body from the inside out. Always carry a bottle of water with you. Healthy hair starts from within.
11. Avoid Humectants: Humectants are designed to draw moisture from the air into your hair, but when you use them in the winter months they have the opposite effect… dry hair. Avoid humectants like honey, glycerin and panthenol.
12. Protect Your Hair At Night: Its important to wear a silk or satin Bonnet to sleep, but it is especially important during the harmattan/winter months.

So, that’s it for the tips, what are some of your harmattan/winter haircare tips?

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