i totally underestimated the beating my body would take by the brutal winter weather in appalachia. i don't know if it's because my last 2 "winters" were in houston, or because it got cold a lot earlier this year, or because this winter has been particularly dry here, but i am on the struggle bus.
my lips are cracked, dried, and split. my skin has been flaking like crazy, even right after adding lotion and oils. unfortunately, it has also affected my hair. and it showed on my wash day.
my hair was extremely dry despite the fact that i had been moisturizing my scalp and hair every night and leaving it alone in its twists (and even under a beanie some days!).
my cuticles seem to be locked down shut and need so much coaxing to open them in order to moisturize my hair. and since i cannot adequately seem to moisturize my hair while in twists (mine now unravel during cowashing/excessive moisturizing), i've had to shift gears.
i never planned to go back to this, but the only way my hair has stayed moist for at least 2 days has been with cowashing and bunning.
so that's exactly what i've been doing since friday.
i steamed with the q-redew, cowashed, deep conditioned, and air dried in 3 large twists (which took FOREVER - still damp at some spots when i woke up. i am sooooo not used to this!). i then bunned it up the next morning, and i repeated this process again on sunday night.
it's crazy how much this head of hair has changed. i mean, it is absolutely drastic. none of my old products work, but all of the techniques i've been avoided seem to be working.
i can't imagine what caused this 180, but i am back to researching regimens like i did while i was transitioning.
needless to say, my 6-month challenge is off for the time being. i am definitely not going to keep wearing any style that will prevent me from adequately moisturizing!
my next few wash day posts will be more regimen trials.
if you know of any low porosity naturals who have medium strands and live in cold/dry climates like i do, i would be forever indebted to you for sharing!
upcoming length check: december 26
linking up with klp
my lips are cracked, dried, and split. my skin has been flaking like crazy, even right after adding lotion and oils. unfortunately, it has also affected my hair. and it showed on my wash day.
my hair was extremely dry despite the fact that i had been moisturizing my scalp and hair every night and leaving it alone in its twists (and even under a beanie some days!).
my cuticles seem to be locked down shut and need so much coaxing to open them in order to moisturize my hair. and since i cannot adequately seem to moisturize my hair while in twists (mine now unravel during cowashing/excessive moisturizing), i've had to shift gears.
i never planned to go back to this, but the only way my hair has stayed moist for at least 2 days has been with cowashing and bunning.
so that's exactly what i've been doing since friday.
i steamed with the q-redew, cowashed, deep conditioned, and air dried in 3 large twists (which took FOREVER - still damp at some spots when i woke up. i am sooooo not used to this!). i then bunned it up the next morning, and i repeated this process again on sunday night.
it's crazy how much this head of hair has changed. i mean, it is absolutely drastic. none of my old products work, but all of the techniques i've been avoided seem to be working.
i can't imagine what caused this 180, but i am back to researching regimens like i did while i was transitioning.
needless to say, my 6-month challenge is off for the time being. i am definitely not going to keep wearing any style that will prevent me from adequately moisturizing!
my next few wash day posts will be more regimen trials.
if you know of any low porosity naturals who have medium strands and live in cold/dry climates like i do, i would be forever indebted to you for sharing!
upcoming length check: december 26
in pursuit of:
treating my hair as my crown and glory
12 comments:
Don't even get me started on the dry skin, lips, scalp. I.totally.feel.you. Have you tried the greenhouse effect where you moisturize your hair at night, covered it overnight with a shower cap, and seal in the moisture in the morning as you are getting ready for the day? I am wigging it now so my hair is not directly exposed to the cold weather (and I don't think I could handle that right now especially with my scalp and skin issues), but I am going to to do trial and error with aloe vera juice/gel for my skin and hair. I do realize I need to drink a lot more water though...that would probably solve 75% of my skin issue. Hopefully you will find an effective regimen to get you through the winter (which hasn't even officially started yet...) for both your hair and skin.
The steamer didn't help with opening your cuticles? I certainly hope you figure out a better way to keep your hair moisturized
My winter isn't that bad but you know how some people do the loc or lco method for their hair, some people do it for there skin as well. I know it may feel weird, but put lotion on immediately after you get out of the shower (don't completely dry yourself with the towel) and then seal with a oil.
I haven't tried the greenhouse method again since my hair has changed, but I definitely didn't like it before. I will definitely be trying it soon!
I think I am going to invest in a humidifier for my room. I already drink a ton of water, and it just doesn't seem to be helping. :(
The steamer definitely helped! But I couldn't adequately steam in twists - that was the issue. And I'm hoping cowashing every other day won't be a necessity once I do some more research, but I know that will be a process.
I will definitely try that LCO method for the skin tonight!
I thought I was crazy for applying the loc or lco method to my skin. I'll try that lotion before oil and see how that works instead of just water
The dry and cold climate can be so brutal on our bodies! My skin could hardly handle winters in Michigan, it would get so dry and flaky, I hated it!
I'm struggling with the chapped lips and dry skin issue too chica! But my semi-normal hair seems to be doing aight. Last week, I clarified and did a protein treatment---something that I haven't done in months---I was surprised at how well it retained moisture post wash. Winter makes my hair a fickle confused beast.
If co-washing and damp bunning is doing the trick---I say stick with it until the wheels fall off!
Thanks for sharing your #washdayexperience chica!
www.savingourstrands.com
That is so funny, my husband and I just talked about using a humidifier for our skin and my daughter's cough. Looking at my hands right now as I type is so pitiful. Hopefully we will find some success with the humidifier. That is weird water has not been as effective in combating the dryness from within, but kudos for keeping up with your water intake especially in the winter. I drop and bury the ball on that one once it gets cold. I should know better by now.
I used conditioner in the shower today and that seems to be working really well so far! Next time, I will put on oil after my show and then some lotion on top.
I just wasn't prepared for winter in Blacksburg! I am hoping I will be able to remedy this soon.
It's so funny because now my hair seems to HATE protein. It is so crazy, because I used to live and die by protein!!!! *sigh*
I think I may have figured out a way to prolong time between cowashes, but I am still experimenting!
I will have lots of contributions to the LU over the next few weeks haha!
It's definitely not an accomplishment - I am addicted to water! LOL!
People are always complimenting me and I'm like, no, it's not a struggle for me, so no congratulations are deserved. I struggle with drinking too much too fast!
I will definitely let you know how the humidifier works out for me!
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