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Winter is fast approaching and while you’re looking forward to cozying up by the fire sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows; as a 4c hair girl, you’re also stressing about what to do to protect your curly hair.
It’s a known fact that winter and 4c hair don’t work well together. The harsh and dry air from stepping outside in the cold or even staying where the heater is on all through strips out the moisture from your hair causing serious breakage and knotting.
We’re focusing on the 4c hair type here because it’s a very delicate hair texture that can be damaged during the winter season. Unlike other natural hair types, 4c hair strands have tiny coils that make it difficult for natural oils from the scalp to spread evenly. 4c hair is a dry hair type and needs a lot of moisture to thrive during winter.
That being said, it’s a no-brainer that not just 4c but all curly natural hair types need an elevated winter hair routine that focuses on adding and locking moisture into the hair strands. Without the right hair routine and products, you’ll have to deal with breakage, split ends, tangling, itching, frizz, and unhealthy looking hair.
There are a few fail-proof steps you can take to make sure that your curly hair stays healthy and beautiful throughout this season.
7 Winter Care Tips For Natural Hair
1. Winter Hair Care: Double Deep Conditioning for 4C Hair
A regular 4c hair routine would have you deep condition your hair at least once in two weeks but in winter, you need to deep condition it at least twice a week. Deep conditioning your natural hair helps to deeply moisturize your hair strands, protecting them from getting damaged. Just like we’ve mentioned earlier, 4c hair needs to retain as much moisture as possible which is one of the main benefits of deep conditioning.
Other benefits include promoting hair elasticity which prevents breakage, adding shine, and simply strengthening your hair to withstand the weather. Deep conditioners are also made with ingredients that penetrate and lock moisture in your hair for a longer period.
2. Winter Hair TLC: Embrace Protective Styles for 4C Hair
As a naturalista, protective styles are your besties during winter. In summer, you can easily get away with just washing and styling your 4c hair but that’s not the case for winter. The drop in temperature and humidity calls for protective styling that reduces hair manipulation and also makes it difficult for the harsh air to suck out the moisture after carrying out a 5-step routine. By getting your hair braided in various beautiful styles, your hair wouldn’t experience severe breakage, split ends, tangle, or even hair loss.
3. Cozy and Caring: Protect 4C Hair with Silk Scarves in Winter
Covering up your hair in winter helps to keep you warm and to a large extent protects your hair. However, you need to first put on a silk scarf before wearing your head warmers. This is because knitted scarves and head warmers can cause breakage when they snag on your coils.
You might feel like you’re doing too much but trust us when we say it’ll make a very noticeable difference plus extra warmth.
4. Winter Hair Care: Choose Moisture-Retaining Shampoos for 4C Hair
This has to be a very vital tip to 4c winter hair care because like we keep mentioning, there’s a high chance of your hair drying out so your hair care products should be hydrating and not moisture-striping. A basic hair care routine would be to wash, moisturize, and protect. When picking out a shampoo, you need to stay away from products that have certain chemicals that will suck out the moisture from your hair (this defeats the purpose). Instead, opt for a shampoo that doesn’t just deep clean but also retains the maximum moisture that your hair needs to be healthy.
The same applies to your moisturizer, curl activator, and other hair products that make your wash day complete. A few ingredients found in natural hair products to avoid include Parabens, sulfate, mineral oil, Isopropyl alcohol, and so on. Do a little homework to find out more of these hair care ingredients you need to avoid and it’ll be worth it.
5. Winter Heat Warning: Protect Your 4C Hair from Styling Appliances
Extreme heat does a lot of damage to your 4c hair even during the warmer seasons. You can’t even begin to imagine the damage it’ll cause when you apply heat directly to your hair during winter. We’re talking about flat irons, hot combs, and other appliances that direct heat to your curls. The result would be split ends, weaker coils, frizz, and other avoidable hair issues.
Instead of using direct heat in such harsh weather, try steaming your hair at a salon or you can invest in a hair steamer. This takes moisturizing to a whole new level and your hair will thank you for it.
6. Fuel Your 4C Hair: Hydrate with Water and Nutrient-Rich Foods in Winter
It’s impossible to leave out your diet when talking about winter hair care. The main point you need to have on your mind throughout this season is to hydrate from within by drinking lots of water and also munching on fruits and vegetables.
The saying that you are what you eat applies here too because your body needs moisture too so that it can provide nourishment to your hair and skin.
7. Wash With Lukewarm Water And Lock Moisture With Anti Humectants
Our last tip for you would be to stay away from hot showers in general. That sounds like a bummer we know! But to prevent your hair and skin from getting dried out, it’s advisable to use lukewarm water for washing your hair and showering. We mentioned earlier that extreme heat is a no-no for your 4c hair, especially during winter and it applies to hot showers too.
In addition, it’s important to lock in all that moisture after a complete hair care routine by using oils or butters like shea butter or jojoba oil. This extra step ensures that your curls don’t lose moisture to the weather.
With these 4c hair care tips, no matter how frightful the weather is outside, your hair will always look healthy and delightful. Try them out and you’ll be glad you did!
