Winter is here and for many of us, the dry cold weather does a number on our hair, especially our ends.  The rough, brittle, crispy feeling on your ends can leave you worried about the health of your hair.

Here’s a few techniques you can try to moisturize your rough, brittle, crispy ends.

Pre-Poo - What a funny name that is! Pre-poos are very popular pre shampoo treatments that naturals with longer thicker hair incorporate into their regimen to make wash sessions easier and faster.  Pre-poos are done BEFORE you shampoo your hair.  Section your hair into as many sections as you need.  Moisten your hair with water, add lots and lots of oil, then add conditioner.  Detangle thoroughly with whichever tools you choose.  Two strand twist the section, and repeat. Put on a plastic cap for about an hour (or more if you choose).  When its time to wash your hair, you can leave your hair in the twists and you don’t have to detangle (again)! Click HERE to watch my Pre-Poo tutorial.  I personally like to pre-poo my hair because it makes my wash sessions so much faster, I get less shedding and my hair is uber soft after I shampoo.  I like to go under the huetiful steamer to give my pre-poo an extra boost!

Hot Oil Treatment - Start incorporating hot oil treatments to your weekly hair regimen if your ends or rough, brittle and crispy (otherwise 1-2x a month is fine).  Incorporating the hot oil treatment before your shampoo, gives your hair a boost of moisture before a cleansing with a shampoo.  In general hot oil treatments add shine, body,  and softness to the hair. Click HERE to learn how to do an easy hot oil treatment.  I don’t do hot oil treatments often because I like to pre-poo, but the few times I have done hot oil treatments I was very satisfied.

Deep Condition - If you don’t deep condition after you shampoo and condition already, you are truly missing out on the wonderful benefits this process does for the hair. The cuticle is composed of tiny, transparent cells that overlap, like on the shingles of a house. When this layer of hair is damaged, the scales don’t lie flat and give the appearance of frizzy, dry hair. A deep conditioning treatment will condition the cuticle and help the scale-like cells to lie flat, giving the hair a smoother and shinier appearance.  Deep Conditioning will moisturize, strengthen, and prevent split ends. Click HERE for my top 3 deep conditioners.  I deep condition after every single wash session. If I don’t have lots of time I will put on my plastic cap while in the shower and rinse out the deep conditioner after about 15 minutes. If I have lots of time, I leave my deep conditioner in my hair overnight. The results are AMAZING!!

Baggy Method - The baggy method is used to keep your hair moisturized and to prevent breakage of your delicate ends.  You can baggy your ends only or your entire head.  Click HERE to learn how to do the baggy method.

Co-Wash - Many naturals wash their hair with only conditioner (ie co-wash) weekly, using shampoo minimally or not at all.  Co-washing adds moisture and softness to your hair.  If your ends are rough, brittle, dry and crispy, incorporating an additional co wash session to your week can do wonders! If you wash your hair on Saturday, try doing a co-wash on Tues or Wed, you will notice a difference in your hair almost immediately.  Click HERE to learn how to co-wash.  When I first went natural I would co-wash all the time. However, now that I’m a wife, mommy, and teacher, this has become more difficult to do mid week.  But every now and then I do co-wash because I work out often.

Moisturize Properly - If your ends are rough, brittle, dry and crispy moisturizing your hair and ends properly will do wonders.  After washing, use a good leave in conditioner, then apply an oil to seal in the moisture, then apply a moisturizer to soften your hair. Add extra on the ends of your hair. If your hair starts to feel dry a day or few days later, mist your hair with water and follow the same steps again.  If you are willing to dedicate an hour or more to moisturizing your hair, refer to THIS post for how I (used to) moisturize my hair.  If your time is minimal, refer to THIS post.

Be consistent! - If you really want to see a difference in how your hair looks and feels, you have to be consistent. If you decide to start doing weekly hot oil treatments and weekly deep conditionings, make sure you are consistent.  Results aren’t always visible over night, but I promise with discipline and consistency, your hair will reap the benefits.

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