Necessary Winter Hair Care Essentials for Coily Hair When It’s Cold Out
In this article, I’ll share the winter hair care essentials that I believe everyone with coily hair should have. These are products and tools to help you care for and protect your hair during the colder months.
As a child, my mom would slather my hair in hair grease and then, braid it up. It was a low-maintenance routine that grew my hair long because it was protected and shielded from the harsh temperatures NYC delivered every winter.
Since I’m no longer a young girl, 2-6 ponytails aint gonna cut it. I’m doing things a bit more intentionally now that I care for my own hair as a grown woman but some things are definitely similar.
Recommended Winter Hair Essentials
When it comes to winter hair care, certain self-care items must always be available to protect your hair from the drop in temperature.
However, while you don’t need a lot to care for your coily hair in the winter, you do need some quality hair products and tools. The recommendations below will help you build upon your daily, weekly, and monthly hair care routines.
Winter Hair Care Products
When winter rolls around, you may not need to swap out all of your hair products but you do need to make sure you have specific products available for when wash day rolls around:
- A quality deep conditioner
- Natural oils for a hot oil treatment
- A bond protection/repair system. I use Olaplex
- A heavy butter (instead of hair grease) for the length of your hair and a thicker oil for the ends. My favorite products are:
- Deanna’s Sealant Butter (for the ends)
- Jamaican Black Castor Oil
- Naturals Choice Moringa, Fenugreek and Ashwaganda Oil Infused Hair Butter
- A good heat protectant should you choose to straighten.
Why You Need These Hair Products
Deep conditioning cannot be overstated. It’s the process (and product) that gives your hair the deep hydration it needs.
While you should deep condition your hair every time you wash it, when the weather is warmer you can likely get away with skipping it from time to time: as long as you’re using a leave-in conditioner.
However, in the winter the temperatures are just so harsh, that your hair can be completely leached of moisture. I know you don’t want that. It’s never a good idea to skip deep conditioning in the winter.
Related: After Deep Conditioning, Now What?
Rich oils and heavy butters infused with herbs help strengthen your hair while extending the amount of time your hair retains moisture. Also, the oils provide your hair with the lubrication it needs, should you choose to wear your hair out.
Lastly, many naturals consider winter “silk press season” because there’s no humidity in the hair to ruin your straight hairstyle.
Winter Hair Care Tools
The tools you use to set and style your hair are equally as important as the products used. At a minimum, I recommend these:
- A gentle blow dryer to stretch your hair
- Hair steamer
- Satin or silk scarves for indoor and outdoor use
- A high-quality flat iron should you choose to straighten
Why You Need These Hair Tools
Keeping your hair stretched is a good practice overall. It prevents excessive shrinkage which could lead to hair breakage.
Stretching your hair with a blow dryer is a fast and safe method to do so, as long as your dryer is gentle. RevAir is my recommendation.
A hair steamer is also an extremely beneficial tool to have and use in the wintertime. It helps impart needed moisture to your hair while also opening the hair’s cuticles to receive all the goodness from your deep conditioner. Plus, it’s a great detangling aid!
Satin and/or silk scarves should be used to protect your hair while sleeping or hanging out indoors but did you know that you can also use them to protect your hair outdoors without looking like you just rolled out of bed?
A great way to use a satin or silk scarf outside is to loosely wrap the ends of your hair in the scarf. This protects your ends from rubbing against coats and jackets. The best part is you can make it stylish without ruining your hairstyle.
Lastly, to revisit heat styling during “silk press season,” you don’t want to use a crap flat iron. You want to use a flat iron or straightening comb/brush that is temperature-regulated AND you can see exactly what that temperature is. Here’s my recommendation and it makes my hair really straight at just 390 degrees.
Here’s to making it through the cold weather season with effective winter hair care essentials that uplevel your coily hair care routines!
