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Yoliswa Dube-Moyo
IT’S true, when a woman cuts her hair, she’s about to change her life — forever. That was me late 2018. I went for the big chop to the surprise of many around me.

After a few months into the cut life, I decided to switch things up a little and boy, did I surprise even myself! I’ve cut my hair into different styles, it’s been a really fulfilling year to be honest.

Cutting my hair has taught me so many things about myself, specifically the fact that it’s me who makes the hairstyle great, not the other way round. Anyway, since winter started, I’ve been tempted to braid my hair and at some point I’ve even contemplated wearing a wig. I have nothing against wigs, but wearing one felt like a betrayal of sorts to myself.

So, I didn’t wear a wig, neither did I braid my hair. I’ve contemplated wearing woollen hats but again, it didn’t seem like my style. I mean, Khaya looks cute in them, me on the other hand, not so much!

You’re probably wondering what I’ve eventually done. Nothing. I’ve done nothing. I’ve been wearing my hair short the same way I did during summer. And no, I haven’t been freezing as a result, I’ve been snuggling up in warm clothes.

My experience with short hair during winter has however, got me thinking how those with long hair are coping during the winter. I mean, winter is all about protective hairstyles after all, but are your protective hairstyles doing what they should? Are they actually protecting your hair from the low temperatures or are they causing you hairline problems?

You want your hair safe and covered up as the temperatures drop, definitely. Braids have been such a saving grace for me in the past. I didn’t have to worry about standing in front of the mirror for too long in the morning and they also did a splendid job at protecting my hair.

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. By the way, short hair needs to be moisturised too!

Maybe you’re thinking moisturising your hair often will make it dirty quicker than you’d like. 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.

Never underestimate the importance of moisturising your hair. It looks shiny and healthy when moisturised anyway so go for it!

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to catch up with me on Twitter handle @PatternStyleZw or drop me a WhatsApp message on +263774492700.