What to use in cold weather

A couple of months ago, I wrote about cold-weather hair care. I had a few product recommendations, but mostly I wrote in general terms about which ingredients to seek out and which to avoid.

But because I know that a lot of you don't want to be bothered reading labels and pretending to be a scientist, I'm going to make your life easier. I'm going to ask some other curlies to offer their suggestions about what products have worked for them!

I'll begin with myself, mostly because I am the easiest for me to contact.

I live in San Francisco, where dew points don't vary nearly as much as they do in other parts of the country (or the world, for that matter). Dew points here are in the 40s for most of the year, although in the winter there are probably a few weeks where they dip into the 30s. And at unpredictable times, there are days where the dew point creeps up over 50.

But last Christmas, I found myself in New England, where the dew point never went above 20. I was pretty frightened, I don't mind telling you -- I had no clue whether my theories about what would work for my hair would actually prove out. I packed Karen's Body Beautiful's Super Silky, which has no glycerin. I figured I'd use it as a curl creme.

Well, I used it that way and got some very pretty curls (see photo -- but know that the curls were prettier in person). But what amazed me even more was the way I could squeeze a bit into my palms, scrunch it into dry hair, and watch my hair perk up at midday when the dry air started to take its toll. I was very impressed with Super Silky and highly recommend it for cold weather!

But you know what? Not everybody's hair is the same. I know, it's shocking. So I thought it might be fun to ask some other curlies what they use when the dew point is the same as one's dress size. I turned to the fabulous Nikki, of Curly Nikki blog fame, who knows a thing or two about hair -- especially her own! Can you believe how gorgeous this woman's hair is?

"My go-to ingredient/product is Shea Butter, of course! I truly believe that this mystical butter has single-handedly saved my ends from splitting and breaking off during the harsh winter season. I style my hair twice a week (twist-n-curl) using rich water-based conditioners to moisturize (DevaCurl OneCondition + Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment), and Shea butter to seal the goodness in. I also touch up 2-3 day old hair with Shea- it de-frizzes and somehow moisturizes! I also like that the weight of it prevents extra shrinkiness. I hope to continue my love affair with Shea Butter well into the summer."

If you're wondering about quantities, Nikki uses a pea size amount, melts it between her palms and applies it to the ends of each curl with her fingers. She calls it, "tedious, but effective."

And so I'm closing with one more photo of her to-die-for locks. Just amazing.

Tune in tomorrow, when I will be posting yet another curly's secret product for cold-weather hair beauty...