Cold weather hair SOS: Your complete guide to winter hydration
The cooler temperatures bring drier weather for those of us in the inland provinces, or wet weather if living in some coastal areas, but both scenarios leave us battling with dry hair.
You need to make sure your hair is hydrated and moisturised, and these tips will see you through the cold months.
UP THE MOISTURE
Your edges and hairline in particular are at even more risk to the harsh winter weather and can become extremely dry.
Cut back on the shampoo that can dry out your hair even more, and rather wash your hair weekly with conditioner.
Your hair and scalp will remain clean and moisturised.
Use a moisturising deep conditioner at least once a week to help repair your hairline and retain moisture, and apply a water-based moisturiser to your hair and hairline twice a day to keep your hair hydrated.
Braid sprays containing glycerine and oil are an easy and excellent choice to keep your hair moist and soft.
Read more | Essential winter care tips for natural hair
ADD OIL
Hair growth tends to slow down during the winter months, so if you're looking to gain a few centimetres, massage natural oils into your hairline for a few minutes twice a day.
Use oils such as castor and coconut around the edges of your hairline to help increase blood flow and keep your hair hydrated.
Castor oil also helps to thicken hair, which is a great help if your hairline is suffering. Adding an oil will also help to seal in the extra moisture you have been applying regularly.
SILK FOR YOUR HAIR
Your cotton pillowcase may feel warm and soft, but it's a nightmare for your hair, especially in winter, as cotton soaks up moisture.
It's best to sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase all year around, but make sure you do this in winter to keep your hair from breaking and losing moisture.
A satin or silk scarf is also an option for evenings. Be careful, too, of loose hair brushing up against cotton jackets and coats as it could cause split ends.
Read more | 4 Essential tips for long-lasting braided styles
LESS MANIPULATION
Constant styling contributes to a weak hairline, and your hair is at its most fragile during the colder season. Avoid this by wearing easier styles such as braids, twists, weaves and wigs. These styles also keep the hair protected from the harsh winter elements.
But never add extensions to a broken hairline as it will add stress, and your hair underneath will still require regular moisture and conditioning.
Always avoid overly tight braiding along your hairline. If you are feeling too much tension, that means your hair is styled too tightly. You may not notice problems straight away, but over time your strands will weaken and break.
Be sure to remove these hairstyles after four to six weeks, and give your hair a break in between.
Don't add to the extreme elements by applying harsh, excessive heat on delicate edges. Always use a heat protectant styling product and turn down the heat on your hairdryer, flat iron or other tools.
This may mean drying your hair will take longer, but there will be less heat damage. However, if your hairline is already damaged, it's best to avoid heat styling.
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Three months later, in June, he decided he wanted to change some of that and submitted a $9.4-billion rescission request, which the House of Representatives (it has five more Republican than Democrat members) passed on 12 June. When it was the Senate's turn to vote on this, some Republican senators weren't happy with the $400-million Pepfar cut, signalling they wouldn't sign off on the deal unless the Pepfar part was removed. Because there was a danger of them swinging the vote, the Republicans removed the $400 million from the Rescissions Bill and got the House to pass that too. All that's left is for Trump to now sign the Act. 2. What was the $400 million that was removed from the Rescissions Act for? In short, no one really knows, because the Trump administration hasn't said what it was for - or what it plans to do with it. But what we do know is that the US law that governs rescissions, the Impoundment Control Act, says that the president can only request that Congress takes back funding that it previously approved, if the money has not yet been obligated - that means funds hadn't yet been given to a particular recipient, for instance, an HIV project in South Africa. We also know that the $400-million was part of the financial budget for 2025, says Warren, but because the law gives Pepfar permission to spend money over five years, that money doesn't have to be legally spent until 2029. 3. What will the $400 million now be used for? Again, no one knows. We don't even know if it will be used, because over the past few months, the Trump administration's main strategy has 'simply been to illegally impound funds - by announcing a 'funding freeze' or 'programmatic review' with no public notice at all - and force those harmed by the impoundments to pursue relief in court', the Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities explains in an analysis. But we do know what the money can't be used for. Unless the rules of Trump's 'limited waiver' are changed, Pepfar funds can mostly not be spent on any of the evidence-based strategies it paid for before Trump was elected in January. Pepfar used to focus on groups of people and areas where people have the highest chance of getting infected with HIV - that way, the programme got the biggest bang for its buck. In South Africa, for instance, Pepfar worked in the 27 districts with the highest infection rates and groups known as 'key populations' - sex workers, gay and bisexual men, trans people, injecting drug users and African women between the ages of 15 and 24 - that are much more likely to get newly infected with HIV than other South Africans. Now those projects, which studies show stopped many new infections, have been closed down and the Trump administration says it's not prepared to buy HIV prevention medicine for any group other than pregnant and breastfeeding women. 'It used to be all about evidence,' Warren says. 'Now it's all about ideology.' 4. What do scientists and activists want the $400 million to be used for? Ratevosian says this moment should be used to gain Republican support to change the waiver rules, so that Pepfar money can cover more of the populations and services needed for HIV prevention. Lenacapavir, a pricey twice-a-year anti-HIV jab, which scientists believe could help to stop HIV in its tracks if it's rolled out properly, could be used to convince Republican Congress members, says Ratevosian. 'Pepfar has long wanted to get countries to transition to taking more ownership [read: Pay more] for their HIV responses. So now activists are arguing: 'Preventing more new infections with the jab, will make it easier for countries to take ownership because the pandemic will be easier to manage.'' In December, Pepfar said it would join another organisation, the Global Fund for HIV, TB and Malaria to buy enough lenacapavir for two million people over three years. But in July, the Global Fund had to go ahead with the deal by itself, because Pepfar seemed to no longer be on board. Warren says: 'If I were in charge, I would take the $400 million and double the two million people the Global Fund is planning to cover, because that's how you build a market, prevent new infections more quickly and drive the price down.' 5. What will Pepfar look like in future? Trump's funding cuts didn't kill Pepfar - at least not in theory, but it's a shell of its former self. What it will look like, will depend on the size of its next budget (the Trump administration wants to cut it by 40% but, so far, the House hasn't agreed to that, (the Senate still needs to sit on it) and how much support Republicans who believe in Pepfar can gain to have waiver rules changed. But, Warren points out, 'we're not going to get pre-January projects back; we have to build something different. 'This has been the most seismic shift in democracy. We didn't think we lived in an earthquake zone, but January 20 (when Trump retook office) taught us: You need to be prepared for that earthquake and you therefore need a different infrastructure. 'In an earthquake you don't build back the same thing. You build better, something that is more resilient.' Show Comments ()
