Tidbit Tuesday

Did You Know?????


That we do things a little bit differently in the winter?  If you live in a state that gets cold - or brutally cold, you also deal with dryness - or brutal dryness!  There are quite a few things you can do to battle dry skin and hair.  If you recall, one thing we like to do is be sure to drink plenty of water.  Does that really help?  Don't know for sure, but it can't hurt!

I have also come to understand recently that the temperature of the water that you shower in really matters. I have dealt with my acne prone skin ever since puberty.  It has always been a vicious cycle for me.  I use semi-harsh products to fight the acne, which dry out my skin and cause me to need to moisturize.  But my skin is SO sensitive to ANYTHING I put on it that ALL moisturizers cause me to break out.  So, the trick has been finding products to use on my face that WON'T cause me to get dry in the first place.  Well, I have been using Proactive for many years and it has been the one thing that doesn't dry me out.  That being said, in the winter I do occasionally battle with dryness.  I finally figured out this year that if I avoid taking scalding hot showers and especially washing my face in scalding hot water, it makes a HUGE difference in how dry my face gets!  This has been a life saver.  I have only used moisturizer on my face once so far this winter!  I know it can be hard, since when you are cold to the bone, a nice steamy shower is sooooo tempting, but it really makes a difference.  Go for warm water instead and be quick about it!

I have applied this new found knowledge to how the kids shower/bath in the winter months also.

Another thing you can do is double up!  If you normally lotion up or spritz hair once a day, you can do it twice a day.  Maybe not every day, but whenever you feel it is needed.  My kids, especially V, get super dry hands in the winter.  So I set an extra bottle of lotion by the sink and tell her to lotion up her hands after EVERY hand wash.

I have definitely been able to see V's hair getting dryer looking faster this winter.  So in between hair styles, you can throw in a hot oil treatment for a boost of moisture!  After you have taken out the current style and detangled the hair, get a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave, and apply it section by section to the hair and scalp.  BE CAREFUL not to get the oil to hot.  You will be applying it directly to the scalp and you don't want to burn your little one!  There are a number of methods you could use to do this, but I just use my fingertips.  I scoop a bit of oil up, apply it to the scalp and then use my fingers/hand to run it down and through the length of the hair.  Then put that section in a braid and move to a new section.  Let the oil sit for about 20 minutes and then rinse out.  Then wash or cowash as usual and be sure to add your normal form of moisturizer after the wash!

Young Man C is terrible at taking care of his hair and he is too old for me to have to be on his case all the time.  Since he doesn't want to take the time to add the needed moisture to his hair in the winter the answer is simple - we cut it off!  If you have a boy, do you go with short hair in the winter?  It probably doesn't keep their heads as warm, but it sure looks a lot nicer than a dried out little afro!

The other Katie over at Happy Girl Hair had some great posts about their winter hair and skin routines about a month ago.  Check those out for some more tips and tricks! (those are two separate links so click on each of them!)

Katie