Hiya Ladies,
As this year comes to a close, we all know that the inevitable is upon us here in Nigeria!! Harmattan! When the weather changes, the sun is at the he all time high, the air is stiff and dry and the leaves fall and ground hardens!!
Lips begin to crack and chap, skin is dry and ashy...
What of our hair? Without any kind of TLC, prepare for some UV damage from the sun causing the hair to dry out and ends to split. The lack of humidity will also cause the scalp to dry out and those prone to dandruff and scaly scalps with have them in excess, your hair line will move a few steps backwards if care is not taken.
So it's Dabs to the rescue!! Here's my ultimate tried and tested survival kit to get by the Harmattan season!!
Spray bottle- This is a must for daily water based hair spritzing. Just add drinking water or Aloe Vera juice or Rose water with a few drops of essential oils, keep the mix light and use as regularly as needed. What you need this season is hydrated hair, so small mists of water on your hair will give it that hydration before wash day....use the spray bottle from a distance, the idea is not to leave your hair dripping wet.
Satin sleep cap- is an essential for ALL WEATHERS but more especially during the dry season to help retain moisture and protect especially the edges.
Hats/scarves- Did you know your hair can suffer from Sun damage?!! Excessive exposure to the sun and it's UV rays can damage the cuticle of the hair and cause it to be dry, brittle and discolored!! If you know you will be out in the sun for a long time this season, I advice you carry along a hat or scarf to cover up your hair.
Light Hair oil for your scalp- This is an essential for the scalp and pre-poos which should be regular this season because you don't want your scalp becoming dry and scaly with dandruff or shampoo drying it out hence the need for the pre-poos. Why light oils? Well because you also don't want to clog your scalp pores with heavy oils like castor oil for instance....lean towards light oils like grape seed oil, jojoba and sweet almond oil.
Whipped butter for your ends- when it comes to sealing your ends, this season demands that you go heavier than usual. So using hair butters like whipped Shea butter, mango butter, cocoa butter etc to seal your ends so they retain moisture more than ever in the dry air is very important.
Detangler Comb- This is the only comb you should use!! Anything smaller in this dry weather is asking for trouble!! Finger detangle if you can...less manipulation this season is key.
Water based moisturizer- This is another essential especially when you want to detangle on any day other than wash day. Any product with water as the first ingredient, shouldn't contain glycerin for this season, doesn't contain mineral oil and all the bad stuff like parabens and sulphates is A-Okay!!
So don't fret!! We've got this!! Harmattan who?
Please share more tips if you have any.
Xxx
Dabs