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Yoliswa Dube

MY sister and her husband just finished building their home and decided to move in before doing a few final touches.

One of the loose ends is the ceiling. They’re yet to get the ceiling done but until then, she’s feeling the pinch as her house is much colder without the ceiling.

Added to the missing ceiling are ceramic tiles. Now, I can so relate to this! My house has ceramic tiles all around and boy is it cold!

But forget the ceiling and the ceramic tiles, think about having to sit on the toilet seat in this weather! We laughed about it the other day. If the toilet seat is such a pain, think about stripping to bath — it could be a chore for most!

But that doesn’t mean we dodge the shower. Rule number one, we bath twice a day, even during winter! Winter is all about protective hairstyles.

You want your hair safe and covered up as the temperatures drop.

Braids have been such a saving grace for me. I don’t have to worry about standing in front of the mirror for too long in the morning. Besides them being easy to manage, they protect your natural hair from the low temperatures.

When it’s cold, your hair doesn’t hold moisture as well as it does when temperatures are warm. The moisture quickly diminishes leaving your hair hard, brittle and susceptible to breakage.

That’s never a good thing. If anything, it’s stressful watching your hair fall off your head, onto your bathroom floor or comb. You may not necessarily like braids but have your hair plaited in, one way or the other. It’ll protect it from the dropping temperatures.

Having your hair covered up doesn’t mean you pay less attention to your head. You need to religiously oil your scalp and hairline. Doing so will keep it moisturised, protected and healthy. A healthy scalp will result in a healthy head of hair. As you wash your face every day, the oils on your hairline are also washed away. Make sure you apply some hair moisturiser onto your hairline every other day to replace these oils.

Maybe you’re thinking the moisturiser will eventually cake and start looking like dirt. It won’t if you use an aqua-based hair moisturiser. This usually comes in liquid form so you can spray it onto your scalp. A petroleum-based moisturiser will eventually cake and leave your hair dirty and smelly because you might not be washing it over at least six weeks. Petroleum-based moisturisers tend to make hair smell when it’s not washed regularly because they’re a bit on the heavy side.

Also, because you’ll have to use your fingers to apply the conditioner, it’ll make your hair-do look scruffier earlier than you want because of the excessive touching and massaging during the process.

Your skin needs to be deeply moisturised during winter to prevent wind burn. Yes, there’s such a thing as wind burn! Instead of investing in a high SPF sunscreen as you would during winter, find a good moisturiser for your face. Remember, it’s easy to offend your skin but it can take a lifetime to repair it.

Never make the mistake of applying your fragrance onto your coat, jacket or jersey. Because these are not necessarily washed as they’re worn, they’ll reek of alcohol. Nothing smells as bad as old perfume. The fragrance settles onto the fibres of your clothes and doesn’t mix with the chemistry of your body.

Invest instead in a good roll and apply your fragrance directly onto your skin as you would during summer. Because of the fragrances’ chemistry with your body, it’ll diffuse through the outfit and still come through perfectly well. Avoid wearing sleeveless pieces underneath your coats and jerseys. You do sweat a little during winter. Once you sweat directly onto your coat or jersey, it’ll be difficult for you to wear it a second time without washing it first. Instead, wear cotton pieces with sleeves – cotton is very absorbent.

For years we’ve been told to wear dull colours during winter. The season is gloomy enough; a little colour never hurt anybody! To break the darkness of the dull coats and boots, wear small pieces that will brighten things up a little bit. A colourful scarf or woollen hat could be all you need to add some oomph to an otherwise boring outfit.

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to catch up with me on Twitter handle @Yolisswa or drop me a WhatsApp message on +263715666227.