Winter hair care differs from summer or spring maintenance. Your hair loses moisture and turns into a dry ‘stack of hay’. The strands of hair are often damaged by frost and their ends split. Besides, they gather statics and your hairstyle looks unattractive. We suggest several tips for you to get rid of these problems. Try them to keep your hair healthy and hydrated.
Why Change Hair Care Regimen in Winter
It’s not a secret that cold weather is harmful to our hair. Frosty air, harsh wind, rapid change of temperature and moisture are combined into a violent cocktail. This harmful weather mixture negatively influences the condition of your hair. Without proper winter hair care, you will notice quite unpleasant changes, such as:
- hair loss;
- split ends;
- static hair;
- dull color;
- the appearance of dandruff;
- dry scalp.
Nobody wants to have weak, brittle, dry hair in winter! Thankfully, there are strategies to cope with these issues successfully. Here are 10 tips that will help you prevent the negative consequences of nasty weather on your hair and keep it healthy and shiny through all the advent period and beyond.
Pexels / Oleg Magni
1. Minimize Shampoo Days
It is almost impossible to have your hair fully clean without shampoo, as it helps to wash off the dirt and styling products. But it also rinses off natural hair oils, crucially useful to keep hair soft and healthy. This is why you should stop using shampoo daily, especially in winter when hair is prone to dryness.
It is best to shampoo your hair once or twice a week – it will be enough to keep your strands clean and moisturized. If your scalp is oily by nature and you have to shampoo more often, use dry shampoo to refresh your hair or experiment with hairstyles that mask greasiness.
2. Wear a Hat
The attitude to wearing hats in winter is quite controversial. Some people claim that cold weather helps them increase hair growth (even though medical studies show that this hypothesis is wrong). Others believe that wearing a hat can cause hair loss. One more reason against beanies and hooded jackets is that they can increase frizz and statics.
To avoid such undesirable consequences, choose a silk scarf or a satin-lined cap to wear in winter. But do not refuse from headwear completely: even light frost can cause hair loss.
Pexels / Andrea Piacquadio
3. Avoid Going Out with Damp Hair
Washing hair in the mornings is a good habit, but it can be quite harmful to your hair in winter. We all know that water tends to expand on freezing and moisture in our hair is not an exception: the frost expands it and causes hair breakage. That’s why wet or even damp hair can be easily damaged by frost
If you have got used to morning showers, try to change your winter hair care regimen. Wash your hair in the evenings or use protective drying methods that allow your hair to dry fast without much hot styling. In this case, you will be sure that your hair has been perfectly dried and won’t be damaged the moment you go outside.
4. Mind Your Healthy Diet
Our hair needs healthy nutrition and winter is definitely not the time to cut down on vitamins. Take care of optimal vitamin C intake, as it is a vital component for your hair health. It protects from free radical damage and prevents forming split ends. The best sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits, as well as dark leafy greens.
Omega-3 fatty acids should be another component of your diet. They will help your hair grow faster and will give it a perfect shine. There are a lot of natural products that contain a great amount of this healthy ingredient. For hair that shines from within, make sure you have mackerel, salmon, cod liver oil, herring, oysters, anchovies, caviar, sardines, flax and chia seeds, walnuts, soybeans in your winter menu.
5. Get Rid of Statics
Fine strands that lift from the head show that your hair is suffering from extra dryness. You can easily combat this problem with an antistatic laundry dryer sheet. Put it into your bag and take it with you wherever you go, then lightly wipe the strands when you need to and enjoy your ideal, static-free hairdo.
Of course, this static hair hack is a short-time helper. The problem with dryness of hair should be solved at the root. To do so, use conditioners as a compulsory part of the winter hair care regimen. Leave-in conditioners will help to lock in the moisture and prevent dryness and statics.
Pexels / Pixabay
6. Refuse from Heat Styling
Styling helps our hair look perfect, but it also damages hair that is exposed to factors like wind and frost. Heat styling adds to the problem by sucking moisture from the strands, so it is better to air-dry instead of blow-drying your hair to save essential water in its inner structure. You should avoid a curling iron in winter for the same reason; better substitute it with heatless curls and waves.
Instead of heat styling, use winter as a season for experiments with hairdos. For example, why not try some cute sweater weather hairstyles such as buns, twists, and ponytails?
7. Go Darker with Your Hair Color
Even the color of your hair may influence the state of your strands in winter! Lighter tones require bleaching, which causes damage and loss of moisture. Darker brown and burgundy tones are not so harmful to your hair and make a better choice for cold weather periods. Moreover, they are in trend now!
You are lucky if you have natural hair of dark chestnut color. Otherwise, go for black shade diluted with cocoa bean brown, which is one of the most welcomed colors this winter.
Pexels / Binyamin Mellish
8. Apply Nourishing Hair Products
Use winter hair products such as conditioners, masks, oils, and creams. They will make your hair soft, healthy, and hydrated. They will also add brilliant shine, boost growth, and even may help remove scalp infections.
Shop for products you have already tested or make preparing DIY hair masks your new winter evening pastime. A nourishing mask will help you get rid of dryness, split ends, and other damage. Besides, it will create a reliable defense against harsh weather conditions.
9. Leverage Coconut Oil
One of the easiest ways to take care of hair in winter is to use coconut oil. Apply it to your hair and scalp before going to bed. Put a towel on your pillow to prevent oil stains. In the morning, wash the oil off the hair. You will be surprised by the results for sure.
10. Drink More Water
A single strand of hair contains 25% water and your hair needs to replenish this amount to look healthy. If the optimal supply of moisture runs out, your locks will be dry and dull. Despite many hair products that help to keep our hair moisturized, it is vital to remember that hydration begins from within.
Drink water every day to stimulate a healthier scalp, boost growth, prevent dry scalp and dandruff, and reduce itching of the scalp during the winter period. Staying hydrated helps to maintain your hair and combats feeble strands and split ends.
We hope that these tips will help you keep your hair healthy, hydrated, shiny, and soft during the winter period. How do you care about your hair in winter? Welcome to our Instagram page to leave your comments!
