08 Jun 2023

With the cold setting in and weather getting a lot dryer than the other seasons,  most people have started to change lifestyle such as thier food and skin care.

And we often omit hair and scalp care.   According to hair artist, entrepreneur and educator, Benson David,  hair and scalp care is as important as body and skin care.

Sharing the tips on how to take care of  hair during winter, David said hair could be  easily damaged by the harsh winter weather.

David who started two of the best salons in Gaborone, namely Hair Essentials and Metro Men Grooming said hair regimen usually start with washing the hair in preparation for the styling.

David said it was important to  understand the impact of different shampoos on the hair. Shampoo is the first step in hair regimen. He said when choosing a shampoo, one should consider the weather saying  when it is cold and dry the  hair loses  moisture quicktly.

Because of the extreme dryness, the use of gentle cleansing and moisture-infusing shampoos is of utmost importance, he said

David said because of the ever-evolving hair industry, there were sulphate free shampoos and cleansing creams that had the ability to gently cleanse without damaging the hair and the scalp..

For African hair, he said people tended to use heavy oils and other products not knowing that their hair was prone to product  which also needs to be shampooed or deep cleansed from the hair.

For protective styling in winter, especially women, David said most people believed that they should keep their hair plaited the whole winter. But, he warned that would only further damage the hair especially if the the hair was not treated prior to plaiting.

“I would advise that before you do your protective styling, make sure you do a treatment that is going to boost the elasticity of your hair so that when you apply tension to the hair, it will have the ability to stretch and not snap,”he said.

His advise is simple, “treat your hair before plaiting.”

The hair stylist advised that hair needed moisture-infusing treatments and the use of a good mask was going to ensure prolonged moisture retention. Hair with optimum moisture had the ability to stretch to about twice its length without breaking.

Therefore, he said a  moisture-infusing treatment was a must have.  Concerning hair loss, David  attributed it  to chemical use.

“Some people do not use relaxer but they have this hairloss pattern due to the physical damage of putting too much tension on the hair,” he said.

He advised men to avoid using the same soap they bathed with to wash the hair because the bath soap was solid and will definitely have some residue that would collect on the scalp.

“This build up is usually mistaken for dandruff because it is whitish and makes your hair look untidy.”

He said a good moisture and conditioning shampoos was ideal.  In addition, he said a plant-based oil that would give  hair a grease free shine and also easily absorbed by their scalp is also what he recommends.

“For those who wear bald heads, please make sure that you use products with UV filters to avoid skin cancers and diseases related to too much sun exposure,” he said.

The skin on the head, by design, should always be covered by hair and is very susceptible to complications related to sun exposure, especially for brothers with the fairer skin. ENDS