Winter Hair Care.
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Our hair goes through a variety of changes all year long. It’s too dry, too short, not short enough, breakage, split ends….but I want to talk about winter hair care routines and how to manage our hair when the elements are against us. I remember when I went to Hawaii last year and when I looked in the mirror I felt like I was glowing. My skin was glowing and the humidity was doing wonders for my curly hair! Have you ever asked yourself why does our hair react the way it does to high humidity or low humidity? I want to give you some ideas on how to resolve some major pain points that come up a lot with my clients year in and year out. When I talk about the weather in this article I am mainly referencing Sacramento California’s climate but you can use that as a jumping off point for wherever you live.
We are fighting dryness in different forms throughout the year.
But In the winter our scalp, skin and hair gets dry from the elements such as; wind, low temperatures and the heaters in our homes/business’. The low humidity in Sacramento affects the dryness of our skin and hair which rapidly draws moisture from our scalp. In colder temps our sebaceous glands naturally produce less oil which contributes to the dryness we are feeling.
This means we have to counteract with moisture rich products and humidifier in our home if you can swing it. That can help add moisture back into the air to help with our hair and skin. Humidifiers can also help with allergies, coughs, congestion, snoring, cracked lips, bloody noses and static electricity.
Oil has a bad reputation!
Oil isn’t bad, it just has to be managed and distributed. Oil is the fountain of youth in our hair and skin. It is how we stay moisturized, Otherwise our skin would crack and our hair would break off. It is best when we can brush the oils through our hair before we cleanse so that we can absorb some of that moisture into the bottoms of of our hair which is the “older” parts of our hair. Think about it, the ends of our hair can be up to a year or two old. Our hair grows about a half of an inch a month so you do the math on how old your ends are. Straight hair has a much easier time sourcing and distributing its own oil because its hair shaft is like a water slide without any twists or turns. The oil can easily get from the top to the bottom and this is why clients with straight hair tend to be more frequent washers and may use a lot of dry shampoo. Clients with curly hair have a harder time with dryness because the oil can’t make its way down the hair shaft without help (from a brush) or adding extra moisture or oils to it. it’s like going down a corkscrew water slide with no help from any water. Now since we know that oil production slows down in the winter then we need to use an oil or a product with moisture on our ends to help our hair be its best self! My favorite oil to use is the Loma nourishing oil treatment. It has a heat protection up to 450 degrees, smells amazing and absorbs into the hair like a dream. It’s affordable but rich in Jajoba oil, olive oil, quinoa proteins and aloe. If you are using this on curly hair I like to use it when the hair is completely dry so that it can penetrate AFTER you have added any other moisture products into your hair, without blocking the cuticle from absorbing moisture first. If that is too much work for you, just make sure it is the last product u apply to the hair when it’s wet. If using on straight hair I also like to make this the last product I use if there are multiple products I’m applying but make sure to do it before you blow dry so it can help with your heat protection. I linked it here for easy reference if anyone would like to purchase and try it:
Loma nourishing oil
https://amzn.to/4fUmNIa - amazon link
I also love the Loma leave in conditioner spray to add some extra moisture for all hair types. The one thing that is amazing about this product is that it has a touch of sea salt to keep hair from feeling too limp and flat especially on your finer textures. I’ll provide the link for you because this is also a great one to add to your arsenal of products.
Loma leave in conditioner
https://amzn.to/3VnHDaW - amazon link
How do I wash my hair the correct way?
I get this question a lot, most people think you plop a few handfuls of shampoo on your head and wait to see the suds. The correct way to shampoo your hair is to put the shampoo through all the roots of your hair (where the oil is produced) you don’t need to use excess product on the rest because the soapy water will run through the rest as you rinse it out. Then reach for your conditioner and condition from the ears down so that you aren’t smearing conditioner into your roots. Bonus points if you brush your hair before getting in the shower to spread your oils through the ends to rehydrate your hair. The brushing will also stimulate blood flow to the scalp and help with your dry flaky scalp. I also keep a wide tooth comb in the shower to be able to detangle my curls and work my conditioner through. I would use a more moisturizing shampoo and conditioner in the winter to help counteract the dryness you are feeling in the winter. If you have finer hair then I would pepper in a more moisturizing conditioner into your rotation every other time you wash. I would also try to wash less in the winter to help with the dryness. Try wearing a hat or beanie to buy you an extra day of not washing. Or try pulling your hair back off your face in messy bun or some sort of updo and try to reframe from washing. Here are some of my favorite moisturizing shampoos and conditioners from Loma
Loma moisturizing shampoo & conditioner
https://amzn.to/4fUHS5s - amazon link
Loma deep conditioner
https://amzn.to/3VnIJU6 - amazon link
Curls in winter
Curls just tend to be all around dryer in the winter. I would advise you to get a gloss or a deep conditioning treatment from your hairstylist to help with shine and softness. If you don’t want to do that then I would use the before mentioned routine above which is the deep conditioner from Loma , Loma’s leave in conditioner, lomas moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, Loma’s nourishing oil and also try using a moisture cream like calming crème from Loma before you apply a curl cream. The curl cream I am going to tell you to use is also from Loma, it’s their curvy cream. This curl cream has a great cast and will last you multiple days between washes but is flexible at the same time. It’s a very versatile curl cream that most all of my clients like. I am just obsessed with the whole Loma line in general. It’s because it’s sustainable, vegan friendly, sulfate free cleansing, no animal testing, aloe is the first ingredient in most of their products and they use essential oils for all of their scents and they smell amazing. They have a body line too so if you are in the market for candles and body wash, u can also purchase that through them. If you are sensitive to smells they also have a fragrance free line that is growing very rapidly. Their products are just buttery and rich and everything that you want in a line.
Moisture shampoo and conditioner
https://amzn.to/4fUHS5s - amazon link
Loma deep conditioner
https://amzn.to/3VnIJU6 - amazon link
Loma leave in conditioner
https://amzn.to/3VnHDaW - amazon link
Loma nourishing oil
https://amzn.to/4fUmNIa - amazon link
Loma Curvy cream
https://amzn.to/4gcl6pp - amazon link
Loma calming cream
https://amzn.to/4fYgQdA - amazon link
The Graveyard of products
Something you should know about me is that I am a minimalist at heart I don’t like pushing products on clients for the sake of a sale. That is NOT my personality, I’m more of a problem and resolution type of girlie. I DO NOT want you to have a graveyard of products under your sink that you don’t use. I like to find out what products you have already and recommend products that will accentuate your collection. Then when you run out of the old products, I recommend new ones that will fit into your routine better than the one before. I like to tell my clients to try the travel size when you can. They take up less room and it affords you to try multiple products at one time. Then you have the added bonus of being able to travel with them or refill them for travel. Loma offers most of their products in a 3oz size which is so nice. The one benefit from purchasing from your hairstylist (purchasing in salon is always best) is that I can help you to achieve the best combination of products and help you to troubleshoot what IS working and what is NOT working. It’s like a puzzle I get to help solve FOR you. It’s always best to support your hairstylist and buy in the salon when you can but in the world of Amazon I have learned to adapt and overcome like my dad always told me to. That is why I am linking these links through amazons affiliate program today up top . I do have links from my distributors that I will also link and that is the safest and purest way to purchase your products but my distributors have a $75 minimum to get free shipping and I know most would go straight to Amazon after wards so that is why I am just dropping my Amazon affiliate links above to save you some time. If you would like to support me directly here is my link through my distribution center. This is the safest way to purchase your products to ensure that they are not expired and are not being diverted from a third party or that the bottle isn’t filled with a random product. I have had all of those things happen and reported to me by clients. Here is my affiliate link:
Loma Hair Care
