Winterize Your Routine

Dear CurlyNikki: I’ve heard that I should change up my products when winter comes. Is this true? What should I avoid, and what should I buy?

A: Regimen tweaks are truly something to consider as the seasons change– your curls, which are already prone to dryness, crave even more moisture the cooler and dryer it gets.

What will I do to moisturize my situation, you ask? I plan to incorporate weekly deep treatments (haha, maybe), and shea butter for sealing. During the summer months I alternate between Devacurl Set it Free (SIF) and shea to seal my wet, conditioner laden ends. In the winter, my hair seems to crave the heaviness of shea so I usually shelf the SIF. As for styling, I will continue to do Twist-n-Curls and plan to dibble and dabble in protective styles, utilizing flexi-rod sets to create chic curly buns.

According to Tiffany The Curl Whisperer, curlynikki.com’s resident curly expert, we should avoid humectancts in the winter:

“In very low-moisture areas, dry climates, or during the wintertime, humectants can actually dry the hair out further by absorbing water from the hair itself when there is no moisture in the surrounding atmosphere. Because the sole purpose of a humectant is to find and absorb moisture, it will find it and take it wherever it can get it—and that includes yanking out the moisture from inside your curly locks, leaving you with a dry, frizzy mess.” — Tiffany, The Curl Whisperer

Examples of humectants (taken from NaturallyCurly’s CurlChemist):

• Diols and Triols: propylene glycol 1,2,6, hexanetriol, butylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, hexylene glycol, Glycerin, triethylene glycol, erythritol capryl glycol, phytantriol hexanediol or -triol, beeswax
• Humectants of biological origin: panthenol, sodium PCA, hyaluronic acid, inositol, glycogen
  Sugars and modified sugars: sorbitol, polyglyceryl sorbitol, glucose, fructose, xylitol, honey
  Hydrolyzed proteins: elastin, collagen, silk keratin, hydrolized wheat
  Ethers: Isoceteth-x, Isolaureth-x, Laneth-x, Laureth-x, Steareth-x, PEG-x (polyethylene glycol), Silicone copolyols

* I bolded the ones I run into the most, for your convenience!

Product to try:

• Curl Junkie Rehab Moisturizing Hair Treatment
• DevaCare One Condition
• Jessicurl Aloeba Daily Conditioner
• Jessicurl Too Shea
• Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment
• Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose
• Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration or Totally Twisted (Walmart)
• Generic Value Paul Mitchell the Detangler (Sallys)

Product to shelf until spring:

• Jane Carter Solution Nutrient Replenishing Conditioner
• Curl Junkie Hibiscus and Banana
• Miss Jessie’s Creme de la Creme
• Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner
• Generic Value Matrix Conditioning Balm (Sallys)

As the temperature falls, and the humidity lessens, what will you add to (or omit from) your current routine to promote healthy growth, and beautiful, shiny curls?

Next week we’ll discuss seasonal shedding!