Winter Protection Help Plz

Hey Everybody!

I live in the FRIGID north! Canada!! Brr!!! And I need some help! My hair is in need of some protection for the winter and I wanted to do something cool and low-ish maintenance. A few winters ago (maybe 4) I did my hair in braided extensions and I liked them and they lasted quite a few months before I started to get frustrated with them and they frizzy self and took them out, so I was thinking about doing them again or maybe trying some yarn braids. If anyone has any personal experience with yarn braids or even other similar ideas for how I can keep my hair safe this winter I'd LOVE some help.

A bit about my hair:

I have natural 3b/c mixed (black father/white mother)hair, the last chemical to touch it was highlights in July '09 and I am working on growing out that hair so I can cut it off. Thankfully its only a few spots that were highlighted on a whim- I found a streak of grey in my 23 yr old head and freaked. Caramel highlights to hide it seemed like a good idea at the time- In hind sight maybe not considering the delicate hair on the front of my head could barely stand it and is now straw...but I persevere! My end goal is to have all or mostly all one length hair as long as it will grow.

Umm, ya so anyways thanks in advance to you all for suggestions and here is a picture of my hair as I am typing this so you have an idea. This is day 7 twist and curl treated BAD all week (use your imaginations my lips are sealed LOL) Haven't touched it yet today so this is just I dunno what...YIKES!
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This is my hair on a good day..prolly this is day 3/4ish...I usually sleep in rollers but winter is my enemy and I can't make myself do it regularly enough and early enough to keep my hair from going outside wet..[img][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][/img]

I dunno, its looking like braids of some kind... unless some of you curly girls want to come and be like my hair probation officer or somethin'

your hair is too pretty for yarn braids! as soon as i can get a good inch of grip im gettin braids for the winter and to take a break from buying so much product for a good 3 months, lol. i've found that pre-pooin w/oils like jojoba, castor, evoo n etc has helped combat my hair bein dry in the winter so far. i grease my scalp w/coconut oil when its dry. im new on the scene so im also a work in progess and experimenting!

First off your hair is beautiful.
I live in the north it's not quite as frigid in New York and Philadelphia as in Canada. I do however have very, very parched hair. After I deep condition my hair, which I do weekly, I rinse with trader joe's nourish, then I apply a generous amount of organic virgin coconut oil and shea buttter. I've been doing this for about a month and have been able to keep my hair extremely moisturized. Since it is winter I keep my hair in twist 99% of the time. This keeps my hair protected and I still get to wear cute styles.

I hope this helps.

@NubieNattyTwn-kisha: Yeah I feel you on the product buying, I totally need a break..or at least my visa does... gonna try the pre-poo though!

@wild curls raquelle: Good call on the deep condish. Usually I just use a leave in... Wish I could get my twists to stay in... the rollers are usually the only thing that gives the dead ends any shape at all. YIKES,

I dunno, maybe I'll just do a protective braidstyle until I can figure out if I am willing to cut off the damaged hair (most of my length at least 4-5inches of it) That's a whole nother issue there... me...winter....short hair...brrr! Could it really be that bad to leave braids in until spring? LOL

Thanks for the comments and advice ladies!
Also now having some strategic thought. That's good! Yay!

Techne I have the same problem getting my hair to stay twisted, much worst before I got rid of the damaged hair. I do 1 of 2 things like Chrs said, I braid part of the way down and twist from there. 2. I use shea butter or any butter from root to tip to put weight on the hair. I dont personally like gel so I prefer the butter. After you consistently do this your hair will more than likely follow suit. I also used to use KCKT to help with the hold before the shea butter application. It did wonders. Now I use coconut oil & shea butter and this works. Every few days I reapply the shea butter as needed. In the past I have also used castor oil on the ends to keep them closed.

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the tips and advice. I'm so grateful to have other curly haired women to talk to about it. I totally felt like my hair was the ultimate evil for a long time and now I feel like there are actually possibilities for it to be healthy and not drive me insane:)

So I have made a plan! They say when you transition to have a plan.. I din't until now....

Last night I deep conditioned with a avocado and coconut mixture my sister who is also natural curly (type 4a though) recommends, sat under a cap for 30 minutes, rinsed with balsamic vinegar (yuck stinky!) but my hair felt nice after...
I sealed my ends! (thank you so much ladies) with shea butter mixture from Sally's and then I put it in 2 french braids.

This morning I did the yarn braids and I plan on keeping them in until my hair appointment before Christmas, where I have decided I will go for it and just do the chop. I think most of my problems stem from the amount of damaged length I have, so I am taking the plunge. BC TIME..in 3 weeks...

I am loving the braids better than the fake hair braids, and I have been playing with styles all day.. right now I have a sort of vintage bride style going... unfortunately its too dark in here for pics so maybe I'll post tomorrow.

Cheers to health and happiness!