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View Full Version : Anyone else have to change routine with seasons?



chen bao jun
December 14th, 2013, 07:21 AM
When I joined LHC and found a routine, the best one for me included a ton of humectants to keep my hair moisturized--SMTs with honey or molasses and aloe vera gel, a spritz with aloe vera gel and glycerine in rosewater and flax seed gel with aloe vera gel in it as part of my leave ins. Last year I kept using all those humectants through the winter, with my hair crownbraided and under a satin cap when I went out (to keep it away from contact with my wool hats).

Suddenly this winter (about two weeks ago), my hair started breaking off like crazy, one to two inch pieces jsut coming off the bottom, without me having changed anything. I saw that the dewpoint has been very very low, so tried cutting all humectants out of my routine. the breakage has completely stopped and my ends are fine again. My new routine is just oils with leave in. Has anyone else found that the weather makes them change routines, and that what works doesn't always work?

jacqueline101
December 14th, 2013, 07:35 AM
I don't have to do a complete change of routine but I have to add oil to my ends when they get dry and tangly. I've done this for a while. I use a leave in but it's not enough.

kganihanova
December 14th, 2013, 07:49 AM
I go through coconut oil like a crazy person in the winter. I also typically can't wear buns if I'm gonna wear a hat.

Saldana
December 14th, 2013, 07:53 AM
3 caveats:
1. I'm not a curly
2. My hair *was* TBL, but isn't right now
3. I've moved to a completely different climate (hot and dry, to cool and very damp)

All those things being said, yes. I had to provide my hair MUCH more moisture and oil in the cold dry winters of NM. I washed only 2x per week (usually on Wednesday, and then one of the weekend days), did SMTs a couple times a month, oiled the bottom half of my length (usually with jojoba), and misted every time I thought about it.

In the summers, I washed more frequently, applied light oil only to the ends, and misted only a couple times a day.

Remains to be seen what long hair care for me looks like in this climate. :)

embee
December 14th, 2013, 08:36 AM
Indeed. In summer I will rinse out my hair when it gets sweaty from garden work. Occasionally I'll even use very dilute shampoo. In winter I hardly ever rinse out the length, only once in a while the scalp. And no shampoo.

So in summer I am pretty much WO. But in winter I'm pretty much NW/SO.

Never dreamed I would go this direction - my entire youth was spent combatting major greasiness! ;)

meteor
December 14th, 2013, 08:55 AM
Yes, definitely! Where I live, changes of seasons are extreme and my hair dries out incredibly in winter.

I am scared of using humectants right now due to dryness, so thank you for sharing your experiences, Chen bao jun!

Some people on the LHC suggest doing SMTs and humectant-rich treatments while enjoying the steam in the shower, BUT won't some humectants stay on hair after hair dries and won't these humectants dry out hair at low dew points?

Another thing I notice, all humectants I use (glycerin, honey, aloe, sea kelp bioferment, panthenol, etc) are kind of sticky/tacky to the touch and I am afraid they cause tangled, matted hair in dry climate... Am I right?

Occlusives like oils are the best solution in winter. But I have to be careful with saturated, solidifying oils, like coconut or palm as they turn my canopy hair into brittle sticks in cold weather.

I definitely need to shampoo and even wet my hair a lot less in winter, and I need to be careful with wool/flannel textiles around hair, as they cause tangling.

Anje
December 14th, 2013, 10:16 AM
Absolutely. My scalp goes nuts with oil production in the winter. While others complain of dryness, evidently my scalp is thrilled to compensate for the dry conditions by making absurd amounts of sebum. I go from washing roughly every five days the rest of the year to needing to wash every 2-3 days in winter, depending on how much greasy piecey hair I'm willing to put up with.

Crumpet
December 14th, 2013, 10:28 AM
Yes, my routine changes in winter. I need to wash less and I need much more oil. I usually wash twice a week (once CO and once with Poo). Its been almost a full week now after a CO and I'm wondering if I can make it to Sunday or not.

I've been misting a lot and then coating the length in coconut oil quite a bit. I've also changed my SMTs to being condish+oil+AVG, leaving out the honey. I use honey only in the shower when I think of it during the winter.

snakes&stuff
December 14th, 2013, 11:07 AM
I have to use loads more leave in & oil during the winter. Winters here are wicked cold and bone-dry, and my naturally dry hair hates it. If I don't use copious amounts of oil everyday in the winter it will split like crazy, which means cutting off all my progress :(

Sterlyn
December 14th, 2013, 02:28 PM
I have a different routine for dry/cold air in winter and the more humid summer months. I never use much conditioner anymore after a wash, just enough to detangle as my hair weighs down easily. Right now with the air extremely dry, after a wash I rub a little aloe, maybe some light oil and end with my own butters concoction, all very small amounts for my fine hair. In the summer I stop the butters and go back to my moisture rich leave ins or a bit of oil, most of the time I skip the oil in the summer because it is too much.

My understanding of humectrants (from my CG routine days) is that they can sometimes draw moisture out of the hair when it the air is extremely dry and I have found that to be true for myself. My hair is a fickle and tempermental thing at times, sometimes things that worked well for a long time, suddenly don't and leave me searching for solutions.

HintOfMint
December 14th, 2013, 04:25 PM
Chen, yup, similar to your situation. I replaced my humectant-laden leave-in conditioner with just regular extra virgin olive oil. I still use humectants like honey, but only in my conditioner in the shower, so it's used in a steamy environment, and I end up rinsing it out and topping it with a sealant (the olive oil).

julee
December 14th, 2013, 04:35 PM
I was only thinking about this earlier this morning :) it's been raining here and my hair is so soft. Moving recently from a drier, Mediterranean style climate to a cool coastal climate had a great effect on my hair. I don't use coconut oil as often now either.

YamaMaya
December 14th, 2013, 04:41 PM
Hm, that may be why my hair has been so dry lately, my conditioner has panthenol in it, I think I'll need to stop using it over the winter and find a more winter friendly humectant free conditioner. For now it's oiling oiling and more oiling. Switched from grapeseed to olive because the lightness of grapeseed just wasn't cutting it for moisture.

sourgrl
December 14th, 2013, 04:51 PM
The only change I've had to make is to add cones during the winter. Without cones the dry winter air seems to suck the moisture right out of my hair. Every few weeks I clarify then do a SMT, going so far as to plan around a fluke warm day so I can give my hair a cone free day before the SMT. Then it's back to cones.

allycat
December 14th, 2013, 10:12 PM
I've been really struggling with my hair this winter. My ends have become very frazzled. I broke down and trimmed a bit off, and though oils don't usually work for me the rest of the year, I thought I'd give them another go. Coconut oil was a slight improvement, but olive oil on damp ends after washing seems to be the miracle I've been looking for. Silky, happy ends again.

Mayflower
December 15th, 2013, 07:40 AM
Yes, my hair gets very static-y in winter (especially with all the wool sweaters and beanies and scarfs) and my scalp gets dry and flaky. I oil my scalp a few hours before a wash, and condition it twice. When it's almost dry I put in a leave-in. I have to detangle it more often too.