Is your regimen ready for winter?

It's official, winter is upon us.  The other day I read a message that said "summer bodies are made in the winter."  I'm here to tell you that "summer hair is made during the winter" as well.  That's why it's critical that we make sure our winter hair regimen is effective enough to deal with the current weather conditions all while working to help us reach our goals for 2013.

Honestly, the winter season probably the most difficult for our hair.  Shedding increases, growth slows and the cold elements are wreaking havoc on our hair.  For this reason, we have to be intentional and focused on elevating our regimen this winter.   I'm making sure to be proactive over the next several months by doing the following:

When I think of winter, one of the first word that come to mind is "dryness."  My hair gets dry, my skin, lips feet, everything.  Even the air is drier.  To combat this I vow to begin with the basics by amping up my water intake.  One action I took to make this happen was purchasing this nifty super-sized water bottle that hold 56 ounces.  If I drink two of these bottles a day then I'm close to consuming a full gallon of water.  In order to avoid the risk of becoming over-hydrated, I'm adding a pinch or two of pink salt so I can keep my sodium and mineral levels up.  I feel like everything slows down during winter time and drinking lots of water will help keep the nutrients flowing and the follicles happy.

I tried increasing my water intake lots of times before but never been able to consistently drink more than 1.5 liters a day (on good days).  I'd love to get close to drinking a gallon a day on a regular basis. I know how much my skin and scalp would benefit from it.  Of course, internal hydration is only half the battle.  It's also important moisturize our hair heavily.  For me, this means overnight pre-poo sessions and lots of oil for sealing. Nowadays, I find myself reaching for olive oil  and vitamin E oil as my ends begin to dry out and for my evening routine.  And since the air is less humid, I add moisture to my hair by first misting with it water or leave-in prior to adding my moisturizer and sealing with Gleau oil blend.  

Part two of this series will be dedicated solely to managing shedding. I have lots of suggestions and tips on how to manage this problem and I can't wait to share them with you. I'll keep this part brief since I plan on doing an entire post on shedding.

Remember the chart I shared on a previous post regarding slower growth rates in fall and winter.  Well, I do not want to take this information lightly.  Just because my hair is growing more slowly doesn't mean that I just have to sit back and take it.  There are things we can do to promote healthier, abundant growth in the winter time.  Here's what I plan on doing:

• Keeping blood circulation up by exercising several times a week (working on my summer body).  
• Drinking warm, delicious bamboo tea to increase silica levels.
• Massages to keep the blood flow directed at my scalp.
• Water, water, water.  I'll never stop bringing this up.  Even if I'm taking vitamins for growth, the cells are less able to fully access the nutrients if I'm dehydrated.  The cell walls are not as permeable when we're dehydrated which inhibits the flow of nutrients into the cell and toxins out. If nutrients can't enter the cells, they can't be healthy.  We need water to keep our cells healthy.  
• Minimizing my manipulation. Winter is the perfect time to do some protective styling. Plus, we don't want our ends rubbin' all on the back of our sweaters.  Think of winter as a good time to put your hair into hibernation.  Weaves, satin lined hats, and bunning 'till the cows come home.  That way when summer arrives, you'll be more than ready for your big reveal.

Every winter I find myself paying more attention to my scalp than in other seasons. This has everything to do with the shedding I tend to experience if I'm not proactive.  If my dandruff gets out of control, I'll  loose extra hair as a result.  If that gets to excessive, my thickness is compromised.  I can't let that happen so I'm taking it very seriously.


That's it. I'm keeping it simple this year by being brilliant at the basics. So far, I've been able to get my shedding back to normal within the past couple of weeks.  Now that my shedding is under control, I'm all about retaining the this season's growth.  How are you tweaking your regimen for the winter?