NATURAL WINTER HAIR CARE TIPS + GIVEAWAY // CLOSED

This past weekend I had the opportunity to get my hair washed and pressed by Abibat of Tabiba Styles! I've known Abibat for about three years now and have been dying to get in her chair. Not only is Abibat is a celebrity makeup artist and hair stylist who has worked with many big wigs including Prince (...PRINCE ya'll!) but she's also super sweet and talented. 

I rarely ever straighten my hair, but I wanted to switch up my look and see how long my hair had grown since the last time I pressed it. 

I'm currently in the process of growing out the right side of my head from where I shaved it six months ago, so I was a little worried about how the style would turn out but Abibat braided it right on up and I love it!

Lately I've gotten a lot of emails and questions (especially on Snapchat) asking about my hair care routine and what I do to keep my hair healthy. Since we're heading into the winter months I thought I'd share my natural hair care tips with you AND, do a giveaway of my holy grail, staple product. Just for you, 'cuz I love ya-ha!


W I N T E R   H A I R   C A R E   T I P S//  

BE CAREFUL OF WINTER KNITS. 
One of my favorite things about the winter is being able to cozy up in chunky sweaters and scarfs. (If you follow me on Snapchat, you've probably seen this sweater A LOT. It's one of my favorites.) Even though I love my sweaters, scarfs, it's important to protect your hair while wearing them. The fabric used in most winter clothing is comfortable yes, but constant rubbing against your hair can cause it to dry out and eventually break off.  I wear silk scarf around my neck and then put my scarf on top. This way my hair is protected while I wear my scarfs.


MOISTURIZE & SEAL.
Moisturizing and sealing is when you use a liquid-based product to add moisture to your hair and then an oil to lock that moisture in. I use this method year-round but especially in the winter. I tend to switch moisturizers depending on what I have in the house but I always, always seal with organic virgin coconut oil. I love coconut oil because it is one of the only oils that actually penetrates the hair instead of just coating the outside. Coconut oil is great for strengthening your hair and I believe plays a huge role in the overall health of my hair. I wrote a blog post about the 7 ways I use organic virgin coconut oil in my beauty routine. 


DEEP CONDITION MORE OFTEN.
During the winter months I deep condition my hair every wash day. It's been great for keeping my hair moisturized and strong. I typically make my hair mask with avocado, organic virgin coconut oil and a few other natural ingredients. You can find the recipe for my DIY hair mask here.


TRIM THOSE ENDS. 
Trimming broken, split and damaged ends is an important factor to growing healthy hair especially in the winter. Those damaged ends can get caught on your sweaters and hats and will cause the split ends to split up the hair shaft. It may seem a bit backwards to cut your hair when you're trying to grow it out but, in the long run, it's totally worth it.


PROTECTIVE STYLE.
The winter is a great time for protective styling such as braids, weaves, wigs and twists, etc. The idea is that you put your hair into a style that requires little to no manipulation as well as protects your hair from the elements. My go-to protective style is a half wig but I've been thinking about getting braids.


OIL YOUR SCALP REGULARLY. 
Just like you trend to lotion your hands and body more frequently during the winter, you also need to "lotion" your scalp as well. There are many, many oils that will do the job however, my go-to oil is coconut oil and castor oil for my edges. BONUS: massage the oil into your scalp as you apply it. This helps get the blood circulating in your scalp and which stimulates the hair follicles which helps with hair growth. Not to mention, it feels pretty good as well.


DRINK LOTS OF WATER.
Drinking water in general is really important for good health. Drinking water can improve your skin, aid in weight loss and help your hair grow. Why? There are many scientific reasons that you can Google if you're super curious but, the two that I'll mention are: number one, our hair is 1/4 water and number two: drinking water helps to keep our hair moisturized and healthy. I try to drink 6 cups of water a day. It sounds like a lot but if you infuse it with fruits it's not so bad. I like to put cucumber, mint and lemon in my water.



And now for the G I V E A W A Y//

I talk about organic virgin coconut oil a lot on my blog and social media channels and every time I get tons of questions from you asking where to get it and what some brand alternatives are. I've gotten so many questions that I decided to giveaway two jars of organic virgin coconut oil from Trader Joe's. Guys, this is my favorite!

All you have to do to enter is comment below and tell me how you currently use coconut oil in your beauty routine or, how you plan to use it if you win and that's it!

Giveaway ends Dec 8th. 

Good luuuuck! :)


Photos by Candace Molatore for Brittany Siierra