Tea Tree Winter Routine | xoxojackie blog

Though the bay area has mild winters compared to the midwest or east coast, I still experience a change in my skin and hair that prompts me to make a change in my daily skin and hair routines. To ensure both stay hydrated, I make sure to reduce any chemicals and add oils and creams.

BENEFITS OF TEA TREE OIL

Tea Tree Oil has a number of uses, both for people and for homes. For people, it is commonly used to prevent dry itchy scalps or skin, applied to bug bites or rashes, and even for cuticles and nails. If you want to learn more about the benefits of tree oil, take a look a great guide all about tree oil by Jen Reviews.

Take a look at how I modify my routine to include more tea tree oil and maximize moisture in order to keep my skin glowing and curls bouncing all winter:

HAIR WINTER ROUTINE

During the winter, my hair is noticeably drier and more brittle. This makes it harder for my curls to clump together as I like them too, and increase the number of tangles I get. So in order to make my curls more cooperative, I started playing with routine changes.

In order to fight all of these winter symptoms, I stick to natural products – one of my favorites is tea tree oil. Using tea tree oil based shampoos is a great alternative to harsh products and still leaves my hair with a tingly clean feeling. I tried Maple Holistics’ tea tree shampoo for the first time a few weeks ago, and have been using it every other week to cleanse my hair. If you’re interested in trying their products, they have an awesome sample products program.

I follow up my shampoo with a homemade deep conditioning treatment, overnight when I can. Mixing one part deep conditioner with one part melted coconut oil, I slather this mixture all over my hair and let it marinate (technical term). To remove the deep conditioning mask, I use a small dab of shampoo when rinsing out the mixture, and have silky smooth, moisturized hair has the final product.

This routine lasts me about a week if I stay diligent with my sleep routine – hair pulled back into a bun – I can extend this a bit longer.

Another way to retain moisture and avoid breakage is to utilize a protective style. I came into the winter with box braids, check out this blog to see more on that style. I’ll probably get braids one more time in Jan or Feb, it’s just such an easy style!

SKIN WINTER ROUTINE

Similar to my hair routine, during the winter I use a tea tree oil based face cleanser. The line from Trader Joe’s is one of the best products I’ve tried, and it doesn’t hurt that it is a super reasonable price, too! It leaves my skin feeling smooth and clean in the same way that the chemical based products do, but doesn’t dry out my skin. During the summer I don’t mind that, I actually appreciate drier skin when it’s hot and humid.

Back to the routine, I follow up my wash with a small dab of Palmer’s cocoa butter lotion. I typically use this on my body, but during the winter, I use it on my face to combat dry skin. It’s a heavy lotion that is thick and creamy – just what my skin craves during the winter.