6 Moisture Retention Tips for Textured Hair this Winter
Keeping your natural hair moisturised helps to prevent breakage and retains length. It also helps to define curls and reduces tangling and knots in the hair. The colder weather can make it more challenging, and so we may have to switch up our approach to help our strands maintain moisture.
Moisturising hair means first applying a hydrator (a water-based solution—e.g. water, aloe vera juice, herbal hydrosol), followed by an emollient (a softener or soother—e.g. plant oils or butters). This can mean hydrating the hair with something like the Loc-It-In Daily Moisture Spray, then sealing it with an emollient like, Hair Too Balm. Some products offer all of these benefits in one, like Curl Crush Flaxseed & Marshmallow Gel.
Try to minimise your use of products that have silicones, petroleum, animal waxes, as these are occlusive (barrier-blocking) ingredients. How frequently you repeat this moisturising process can vary based on the weather, lifestyle and the porosity and density of your hair.
Here are 6 ways that you can keep your hair moisturised:
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Start hydrating internally. Our hair needs water, hair thrives on it and drinking 6-8 glasses of water each day can help to keep our hair nourished and moisturised. Kinky hair is more naturally prone to dryness compared to other hair types and needs additional water.
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Deep conditioning your natural hair helps to improve your hair’s moisture and can also reduce severe breakage and damage, especially ones that contain a balance between protein (strengthener and moisture, like our Coconut Cream Deep Conditioning Hair Mask.
Proteins help temporarily repair damage to the hair shaft and frequent use helps strengthen the hair over time. This helps lower your chance of breakage. Deep conditioning can also promote elasticity, restore the pH balance and provide shine. All the things we love! -
A pre-poo treatment works wonders on the hair, this is a treatment applied to the hair and scalp before the shampoo with benefits such as softening the hair and restoring moisture. It has become a popular method with oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, or DIY blends.
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Start trimming those pesky split ends. The ends of our hair are the oldest and most experienced parts of our hair. They have been through some things! All of this ‘experience’ means they’re less robust and more prone to damage. Cut this damage off sooner rather than later. Keeping your ends off winter’s friction-inducing knit-wear helps lower the chance of split ends. Speaking of which…
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Protective styles are great for protecting your hair during the colder seasons. However, if you neglect taking care of your scalp and neglect regular washing, it can become counter-intuitive and leave your hair more vulnerable. Cleansing and moisturising your hair whilst in a protective style will help to prevent dry hair and retain lots of moisture. Loc-It-In Moisture spray is a great product to moisturise and soothe the scalp as well as the hair.
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Whilst it is not necessary nor advisable to oil your scalp, some people swear by it and experience no adverse effects. If that is you, try adding a little plant-based oil, or try a blend like Hair Too Balm Whipped Hair Butter. Remember this should not be done every day. Oil on its own is not a moisturiser!
If you have any additional tips, leave them in the comments!
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