Is winter to blame for the poor state of ethnic hair during the chilly season? According to Remie Johnson, owner of Remie’s Hair Salon on Anglo African Street "Winter has nothing to do with people’s hair breaking during winter. It is just a mindset that people have".
Is winter to blame for the poor state of ethnic hair during the chilly season? According to Remie Johnson, owner of Remie’s Hair Salon on Anglo African Street "Winter has nothing to do with people’s hair breaking during winter. It is just a mindset that people have".
Johnson explains that there are various factors that weaken hair including:
- Excessive heat from appliances such as blow dryers and hair tongs
- Constant relaxing (which straightens and defrizzes the hair)
- Laziness to maintain your hair
While winter may not play such a significant role in the condition of hair, it can probably take the blame for those chilly mornings that cause a lot of people to be too cold to spend enough time on their hair.
Styles
Remie’s Hair Salon client, Lindiswa Mfecane, says that she usually braids her hair during winter.
"Sometimes I wake up late because it’s so cold and then don’t have enough time to comb my hair. When I have cornrows, I just spray them with a braid moisturiser and go. It’s less maintenance," she says.
Another client, Mapule Makgatlhe insists "winter freezes your hair. So when something is cold it can become brittle and can easily break". She spends an average of R150 a month on her hair, so during winter she plaits it to avoid breakage.
Johnson recommends people brush up on their stylish look this winter with weaves, wigs and extensions such as cornrows and single braids. However she cautions, "When it comes to combing the hair, new hair may have grown underneath which will be difficult to comb and you are likely to comb the hair on top which will slowly break away."
She discourages heavy hair moisturising which is then covered on a daily basis by a hat or a scarf in attempts to protect it from the cold and rainy weather.
Conditioning treatments
Conditioning treatment offers another solution for dull, brittle, and damaged hair.
"People relax their hair too often which weakens it. They need to retouch it with conditioning treatments every two to three weeks depending on the hair texture and thickness."
She explains that a conditioning treatment involves a gentle heating of hair which has been covered in a cream containing mild chemicals to repair and strengthen it. It replaces moisture that has been removed by styling products, daily activities, the sun and wind.
Johnson adds that it’s important not to forget about the scalp.
"People should also baste their scalps with hair food to nourish as hair grows from the scalp," Johnson said.
Johnson said that products from the kitchen such as eggs and baking soda can be nourishing and healthier alternative to chemicals.
- between R30 and R60 for a hair conditioning treatment
- extensions such as cornrows and weaves are from R100
- single braiding from R180
- relaxers range from R40 to R100
Plaiting is the most popular, especially during winter.
Johnson says proudly, "Most people say that my plaits last longer and are less painful". Her customer, Mfecane nods in agreement, "someone at work referred me and I have been coming here ever since."
