Proven Healthy Hair Tips That Will Save Your Locks this Winter

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: You wake up on one of the coldest winter mornings and get ready to start the day. You throw on a warm hat before walking out the door, only to find electrified, static strands when you reach your destination. You’ve tried passing your portable GHD flat iron over your hair, but instead of smoothing everything down, your hair turns in to a dry, fly-away mess. Welcome winter weather—you’re not the only one!

You may associate summer’s sun and heat with hair damage however, winter can be just as bad. In many respects winter is much worse for your tresses. High winds, lack of moisture in the air, low temperatures, torrential downpours, central heating, and friction from hats and scarves all work against us throughout the cold season. Winter makes even the most low-maintenance of us work harder to take care of our strands. Cold, dry air causes the cuticle layer of the hair to lift and going into a heated environment takes the moisture out of the hair, leaving it dry and frizzy. So, what’s a gal to do to protect her hair as the temperature drops? Winter-proof your hair with these 6 tips for healthy locks.

Use Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner

The best way to combat dry, frizzy winter hair is moisture and then more moisture. I recommend using a clarifying shampoo only once or twice a month, but a moisturizing or hydrating shampoo during the rest of the season. Olaplex No. 4 and 5 is my favorite, and great for all hair types including fine to wavy hair. Briogeo is another great option for those with thicker tresses. Best splurge shampoo and conditioner is Oribe Gold Lust Repair. It not only hydrates but strengthens the hair, add tons of oil, balances the scalp, and repairs damage.

Shampoo Less Often

One perk of cooler winter temps is that your hair tends to be less greasy, which means you can wash it less often. In fact, frequently washing your hair strips off its natural oils, causing further dryness and irritation. Try to extend the time between your washes by shampooing only 2 times per week. If you need a little pick-me-up in the interim, a quality dry shampoo like Living Proof or Moroccanoil formulated for either light or dark tones, removes oil and odor without weighing your hair down.  

Use a Moisturizing Mask

If you’re working with some majorly dry or damaged strands, a weekly deep moisturizing mask is an excellent preventative measure to ensure your overall hair health. Briogeo’s deep conditioning mask is a great choice for all hair types (and pairs well with the moisturizing shampoo). Ouidad’s Curl Reboot Leave-in Mask are lifesavers for those with thicker strands. If you have thin tresses, give Ouai Treatment Mask a try. It moisturizes fine strands without weighing them down.

Moisturize Your Scalp

During winter, your scalp can get dry and itchy due to the extreme lack of moisture. This tends to lead to dandruff, scalp irritation, flakiness, and in some cases—hair fall. A massage with nourishing hair oils improves blood circulation to the scalp and nourishes hair follicles, stimulating hair growth. Some of my favorite oils to penetrate the hair shaft and keep the hair moisturized are Kérastase Elixir Ultime, Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil and Vegamour GRO Hair Serum.

Limit Heat Styling Tools

This may seem like an obvious one, but regularly applying high temperatures is never a good idea. Especially since your hair is already delicate during winter. Using heat styling tools draws moisture out of your hair and can make it more brittle. I’ve just treated myself to the new Shark FlexStyle Air Drying System, and let me tell you, it lives up to the hype. It has different interchangeable attachments including auto-rotating curlers, a styling concentrator nozzle, a paddle brush, and an oval brush. And the best part is that it’s fast drying while maintaining low heat. Shark literally minimizes heat exposure and it’s a fraction of the price of the Dyson Airwrap.

Protect Hair from Static

Static hair is the most annoying thing in the winter. Lack of moisture, combined with the friction caused by sweaters, scarves, hoodies, and hair brushes, makes your hair frizzy and static. To handle this situation, use a hairbrush with a combination of boar and plastic bristles. Remember to wear a hat at all times during the winter months too. Not only will it keep you warm, wearing a chenille or faux fur hat minimizes frizz due to rain, snow and wind.

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