Cool weather hair growth and retention

[HeChangedMyName]

With fall right around the corner, I thought it'd be a good idea to go ahead and start compiling hair care tips for the cooler months.

I know many of us have hair that naturally grows more during the summer months, and with the humidity and sweat, we tend to retain easier.

What are you planning for the winter to maximize your hair growth and retention efforts?

Growth Aids?
Steam?
DCing?
Protective Styling?

So let's dish.

 

[MrsHouston]

I will be do plenty of steaming and bagging under my wigs!!!

 

[Judwill07]

I plan to deep condition and protective style, maybe even a weave or half wig.
MrsHouston has a great idea to baggy. Hmm...never tried that before.

 

[NikkiQ]

There's a thread similar to this started not too long ago

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=481116

 

[Vashti]

Baggying 7 days a week instead of 4 or 5 days.
Using Amla oil to oil my hair instead of coconut oil since it gets hard in cool weather.
Sealing my ends with grease
I'm thinking of wearing braids this winter (I'll be doing them myself)

 

[Grand Prix]

I'll be avoiding products that contain glycerin and make sure to seal very well.
I'm sure it will go much better this year, I hadn't figured this out until halfway last winter.

 

[Stormy]

Hmm... I'll probably wear a wig and/or braids. In the winter that's one of the best ways for me to retain a lot of moisture.

 

[danigurl18]

I'm looking at trying half wigs out this fall instead of weaves

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I'll be avoiding products that contain glycerin and make sure to seal very well.
I'm sure it will go much better this year, I hadn't figured this out until halfway last winter.

what does glycerin do in the winter time? do tell.

 

[RegaLady]

Moister and baggying worked like a charm last winter and I will be using it again this time around.

 

[lolascurls]

I will be steaming weekly, oil rinsing and co-washing during the week, by God's grace.
And I'm sticking to protective styles like buns....maybe I can venture again into half-wig territory....I guess I just love my own hair too much to hide it properly!

 

[FebeeSigns]

Humectants. I have to completely revamp my product stash for cooler weather. Humectant ingredients are in a lot of my products. Glycerin, Propylene glycol, honey, ect.
As you know, they pull moisture from the air and into your hair strand, which can cause it to swell. Swelling and unswelling of the hair rapidly and over time can cause breakage.
Humectants are supposed to be used in a certain humidity/type of weather with certain dew points. If there is no moisture in the air and the air is dry, no moisture can be pulled into the hair strand with your humectant product, so the product pulls moisture from YOUR hair instead, making it dry. I always make sure to remember the Curly Chemist's suggestion on a CN Article about humectants and how to use them.

dew point below 35 F = use minimal humectants
dew point 35 - 50 F = can use lots of humectants
dew point above 60 F = use anti-humectants

Anti humectants are silicones, beeswax, hydrogenated castor oil, ect.

& yes I do actually check the weather and dew point on the news before I decide what products to use in the fall and winter lol.

I use less humectants and I try and protective style 90% of the time.

 

[ms.blue]

I will be weaving it up till march during two week break intervals between weaves, I will wear half wigs and dcing like crazy.

 

[makeupgirl]

-Probably baggy more since I don't do it in the summer time.
-Keep wigging or switch to bun or ponytails. My hair unstretched is long enough now.
- Decrease co-washing to only on days I work out.
- use heat only for length checks
- deep condition more and more leave-in cond

 

[IDareT'sHair]

My Routine/Regimen will Prolly pretty much stay the same: Co-washing/Weekly Reconstructor/Steaming/PC.

My biggest switch will be to heavier products. More than likely, I will switch from Hair Milks and 'lighter' products to Heavier Creams, OIls & Butters.

And I may do HOTs (Hot Oil Treatments)every once in awhile

I will Wig-It again this Fall/Winter. Haven't picked any out yet, but this was a great PS last winter.

Allowed me to treat my hair underneath, kept my head warm and I never had a bad hair day.

 

[LaidBak]

I will go back to using topical growth aides (too hot to put anything on my scalp right now). Also, I will become more diligent with sealing my ends because the air will be so much drier. I will also wash less frequently and probably stop wet bunning altogether. Will probably up my steaming because my hair loves the warm moist air.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

Humectants. I have to completely revamp my product stash for cooler weather. Humectant ingredients are in a lot of my products. Glycerin, Propylene glycol, honey, ect.
As you know, they pull moisture from the air and into your hair strand, which can cause it to swell. Swelling and unswelling of the hair rapidly and over time can cause breakage.
Humectants are supposed to be used in a certain humidity/type of weather with certain dew points. If there is no moisture in the air and the air is dry, no moisture can be pulled into the hair strand with your humectant product, so the product pulls moisture from YOUR hair instead, making it dry. I always make sure to remember the Curly Chemist's suggestion on a CN Article about humectants and how to use them.

dew point below 35 F = use minimal humectants
dew point 35 - 50 F = can use lots of humectants
dew point above 60 F = use anti-humectants

Anti humectants are silicones, beeswax, hydrogenated castor oil, ect.

& yes I do actually check the weather and dew point on the news before I decide what products to use in the fall and winter lol.

I use less humectants and I try and protective style 90% of the time.

Thank you ten thousand times. This is some invaluable information right here. I never knew any of this. I will start watching the weather now. WOW. So is there more information from this source? I'd love to learn more.


and FYI I have printed this to post next to my tv. lol

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

Temparture where I live gets VERY DRY and VERY COLD (as low as the low twenties or high teens) in my Part of FL....

Fortunately my hair retains more and sheds a LOT LESS than the hot months so I will be focusing on:

Moisture: Baggying more! I mastered the DC's co-washing in my regimen.
Maintaining Length and Limiting Spits: S & D and clipping SSK's
PS Styling: I love doing August - December hair comparisons...My hair for some reason gets a boost in the cold months. So I will not wear my hair down as much as I did in the summer...I will wear my hair UP a lot. Last July/August I have been starting to wear more updo's that I like...I also bought more Hair Candy so I can accessorize!

Exercise: I exercise MORE in the colder months...(I take a sabbatical from teaching during the summer, I vacate more so thus I exercise less)....My diet is tighter during the winter too....

I can also get away with straightening in the cold months so I may straighten once in September for my birthday.....MAYBE.

 

[Ronnieaj]

I'll keep my DCs at 1x/week, but I'll do 2 oil rinses/month in my hair. My hair like them a lot in the colder weather, but is meh on them in the summer. I reduce the humectants in my leave-in products especially, and I use heavier creams and butters in my hair. I ponytail-baggied under my phony afro puff all year (my hair doesn't like full head baggying), and my hair is very receptive to it, so I'll continue to do that. Other than that I'll pretty much keep my regi the same.

 

[FebeeSigns]

Thank you ten thousand times. This is some invaluable information right here. I never knew any of this. I will start watching the weather now. WOW. So is there more information from this source? I'd love to learn more.


and FYI I have printed this to post next to my tv. lol

You're welcome girl I used the same products in summer, in the winter when I first Bc'd, all the honey and glycerin products ended up making my hair dry. Each product I had had glycerin or honey. It is great for the hair but only in the right weather. I had to look up what was going on. I got my research from

http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/06/summer-curls-understanding-dew-points.html

http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/06/curl-whisperer-on-humectants-and.html

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/ingredients/humidity-humectants-and-the-dew-point

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curly-q-a/curlchemist-humidity-humectants-and-hair

http://pittsburghcurly.wordpress.com/dew-points/

 

[Ese88]

i will be steaming once a week and I hope my hair will show a difference

 

[Grand Prix]

what does glycerin do in the winter time? do tell.

KaramelKurly gave a great explanation!
And the funny thing is that when I used the product, my hair would feel great for a little while, but then would turn super dry, so I would add more product again.

 

[WyrdWay]

I'm going to put in some mini twists and try and keep them in for at least a week at a time, I have a lot of trouble with mine getting crazy fuzzy, So hopefully I can just leave it alone and it will do its thing. Hopefully

 

[HeChangedMyName]

KaramelKurly gave a great explanation!
And the funny thing is that when I used the product, my hair would feel great for a little while, but then would turn super dry, so I would add more product again.

After reading the imformation above I had a serious epiphany. I use to just believe that my hair hated glycerin. I suppose I was just using it at the wrong times. I got split ends and a set back from using it when I first came on the hair boards. I tried the famous water/glycerin spritz. didn't work at the time.

 

[Bun Mistress]

I live in the south and dew point here hardly ever falls, I do use a humidifer at night I have a warm one and a cool one. I will continue to DC and blow dry.

 

[FRESHstart101]

i was thinking of getting box braid next week before
i go to school for the fall. that way im not constantly
in my hair but can still wash/moisturize/oil my hair like
ive routinely been doing .


i was thinking about leaving them in for 2-3 months
then get them redone on and off for the rest of the
year .... omg, my first year of being natural will fly
by and hopefully i'll see maximum results

 

[JJamiah]

http://www.ehow.com/about_5365798_pure-glycerin-uses-hair-skin.html
Article can be found here

Pure Glycerin: Uses for Hair & Skinflickr.com Vegetable glycerin is a by-product of the soap-making process. It is known for being a humectant, meaning that it attracts water. Because of this, it's found in a mind-boggling number of skin and hair products intended to soften and moisturize. Coating your hair with pure glycerin will result in a sticky mess, but using it sparingly---or with other products---for sweet relief on those extra-dry days will give you the results you want.
.Curly Hair
Glycerin keeps hair hydrated by drawing moisture from the air to the hair shaft. As a conditioner, it's especially beneficial for curly hair, which tends to be drier due to the shape of the hair shaft. It helps curls form better and works against that dreaded curse of the curly girl: frizz.
DIY Hair Recipe
For a quick-and-easy moisturizer, whip up a hydrating glycerin hair spray. Mix equal parts vegetable glycerin and water in a spray bottle. Shake well. Add three drops of essential oil (rosemary, lavender, tea tree, or cedarwood are all great for hair). Spritz on hair after showering.
Skin Disease
Sure, glycerin is a wonderful skin moisturizer, but new research has revealed that glycerin may do a lot more than keep your skin baby-soft. A study published in the 2003 December issue of "The Journal of Investigative Dermatology" showed that glycerin helps skin cells mature properly. This doesn't mean you'll age faster---healthy, maturing cells are vital to those with conditions such as non-melanoma skin cancer and psoriasis.
Healing
Not only does glycerin help control skin disease, it's also wonderful for injuries. Dr. Mary P. Lupo, in a 2009 study, demonstrated how glycerin speeds up the healing process, lessens bruising, and encourages tissues and cells to repair themselves.
Facial Mask
To soften dry skin, mix one part glycerin and one part honey with two parts water. Add oatmeal until it thickens into a mask-like texture and spread it on your face, then leave it on for 20 minutes before rinsing. You can also substitute milk, buttermilk or chamomile tea for the water.
Caution
A warning for the glycerin-happy: If it is used by itself in very dry climates it will attract moisture from your skin and hair instead of from the air. This can result in blisters on the skin and brittle locks. Add a teaspoon of jojoba oil to your products to prevent this.