How To Have Long Lasting Straightened Hair During Fall And Winter

If you are natural or texlaxed, straightening your hair may be a part of your hair routine. If it is, then you know the dread that comes with having your hair revert before you’re ready.

There is nothing like doing all that work only to have your hair curl up an hour later. This usually happens during the hotter months of the year, or when it rains and you simply can’t avoid the humidity.

In the cooler months of the year, the humidity is gone, the rain doesn’t play you as much, and it is the best time to wear your hair straight. You get the most long lasting results during Fall and Winter and there are real reasons behind why that’s the case.

Why hair reverts

Moisture causes curls. Plain and simple. When you alleviate moisture from the equation, your hair will remain straight for as long as you like. Cooler and dryer air go hand and hand with the colder months of the year. Because the air is dry, there is no moisture for your hair to absorb.

Adding necessary moisture

You don’t want to leave your strands susceptible to breakage from a lack of moisture. Even though the air is dry and that makes for long lasting straightening results, your hair will still need a balanced amount of moisture to retain its health. You want to infuse your hair with moisture during the prepping phase of your straightening process.

Be sure to use a moisturizing conditioner* and shampoo. You also want to add a moisturizing leave in conditioner* prior to flat ironing. Once you are ready to straighten your hair, mist it lightly with a heat protectant* to further aid with sealing in the moisture. These added steps will ensure that your hair is not only moisturized but also, that it looks shiny.

Retaining moisture

If you straighten your hair during Fall and Winter, you probably wear it straightened for longer periods of time than you would in hotter months. And because your hair is straight, you are also washing, conditioning, and deep conditioning* with less frequency.

This can become an issue if you’re not mindful of making sure that you still give your hair what it gets from washing and conditioning, while it’s straightened. In order to retain the moisture that is added during the prep phase, make sure to add moisture to your hair at least once a day while its straight. You can do this with a light leave-in or even an essential oil. Apply a light layer at night before wrapping your hair or in the morning when you unwrap it and style it for the day.

Speaking of wrapping…you want to do that. Wrapping the hair will keep it stretched, flat and it will prevent tangles. Wrapping also makes it easier to retain the moisture your hair needs while it’s straight.

Preventing reversion

There are still ways moisture can sneak in and wreak havoc on your beautifully straightened hair. Let’s say you have properly prepped, moisturized and wrapped your hair. There is nothing left to do right? Wrong! You still do need to be aware of that pesky humidity in your bathroom shower.

When you jump in the shower, be careful not to jump out with a head full of unwanted curls. There is a technique to wrapping hair to prevent moisture from getting to it. That technique differs from the technique you use to wrap your hair for bed.

Let’s break it down. The main objective is to layer the protection. That way, if any humidity does make its way in, it will only touch the superficial layers of your hair and your roots will still be straight. Also, layering means that the moist air would have to penetrate each separate piece of your layers before getting to your hair.

First off, wrap your hair around your head and tie it up with a cotton scarf. You want to tie it so that it fits snug. Not too tight, but you definitely do not want a loose scarf on the layer of your wrap that is in direct contact with your hair. The cotton is absorbent, which means it will soak up any moisture or water before it can actually touch your hair.

Next, add another scarf on top of the cotton one. This scarf can be silk. This layer is mainly just to add cloth and distance between your hair and the shower water.

The last layer is your shower cap. I like to add two, for added security. If you have a formal shower cap*, that is the best, but a plastic shower cap* (or two) works just fine.

Take advantage of the dryer air of the Fall months. Play around with straight styles and see how long you can rock your straight hair before you have to restyle it.