Winter is upon us. This means colder temps, blowing snow and ice, and a raging desire to stay at home and snuggle up in a blanket on the couch, drinking a warm cup of hot chocolate (with marshmallows, please). However, it also means something else. The onset of winter hair.
Winter hair encompasses all sorts of hair issues, from dry hair to hair that is filled with static. It can be difficult to tame, leaving you to wonder how you’re going to make it through the next few months without constantly fighting with your locks to get them to behave.
What makes winter so hard on the strands that grow atop your head? Nick Chavez, owner of Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Salon, told WebMD that both winter and summer can bring about damage to your hair, “but in winter it’s often worse because people generally don’t take precautions to protect their hair.” Maybe this is you?
If so, you don’t have to neglect your hair any longer because you’re about to learn seven different extremely simple things you can do to protect yourself against the dreaded winter hair phenomenon that occurs every year. Just follow these tips and you’ll have a luscious head of locks that will make others question what you do to keep your hair looking so fabulous—despite the cold weather.
1: Condition, Condition, Condition
Just as your skin gets drier in colder winter months, the same thing happens to the strands of your hair. This is what causes it to frizz and become all full of static, making you want to wear a hat until spring. However, you can combat this by conditioning your hair with a product that contains ingredients that help your hair retain moisture. Some to consider include essential fatty acids, humectants, soy protein, and panthenol. If your hair is thin, use a dry oil spray instead so you don’t weight it down.
2: Give Your Hair the “Clothes Dryer” Treatment
What is the “clothes dryer” treatment you ask? Well, it is when you grab one of your dryer sheets and rub it over your hair to get the static out of it. That’s right, in an article titled “10 new uses for dryer sheets” posted on Real Simple, the author recommends rubbing a dryer sheet on your head to deal with the static. Does it work? Honestly, I’ve never tried it myself but if you Google it, it appears to work as there are tons of articles that say it does. Look at it this way: at a minimum, your head will smell nice.
3: Get Regular Cuts
It’s not uncommon for people to forego winter haircuts in an effort to keep their head warmer by keeping it covered with hair. However, taking this route can increase the number of split ends you have, which only makes winter hair worse. If you want to grow your hair out, that is fine, but don’t skimp on your hair appointments to do it. Just go and get a little cut off so it stays healthy while you grow it out.
4: Wear a Hat
Before you start panicking and thinking about hat head, at least be willing to consider this option. Wearing a hat can protect your hair from the harsh winter elements, keeping it from frizzing and losing even more moisture yet. Besides, you can fight hat head by following the advice of celebrity stylist, Ben Skervin, who, in his article titled “5 Things You Should Be Doing This Winter For Healthy, Beautiful Hair” suggests wearing a silk scarf between your hat and your head. Another option if your hair is longer is to put it in a bun on top of your head, under your hat as this will help enhance its volume without drying it out.
5: Nix Your Daily Shampoo Habit
While it is great that you want to suds your head every day when you shower, doing so can leave your hair dryer than ever because you’re stripping its natural oils. Therefore, you might want to consider shampooing every two to three days to keep your oils at healthy levels. You can also add a little more moisture by putting olive or coconut oil on your hair once a week and letting it sit. If you use a flat iron, you can put some on it as well to protect your hair while styling it.
6: Wear a Ponytail Until You’re Dressed
If you tend to change your outfits a lot this time of year, then you likely know what it means to have a head full of static. It’s much like rubbing a balloon on your head (didn’t we all do that when we were little?) as your hair stands even taller with each shirt that you pull on and off your head. The best way to protect your hair from this, if it is long enough that is, is to keep it in a loose ponytail until you’re dressed and done changing shirts.
7: Eat Hair-Healthy Foods
Perhaps the best way to care for your hair in the winter is to do it from the inside out. Eat foods that promote hair health, which means foods high in protein, vitamin D, vitamin A, and vitamin E. Some options to add into your menu are salmon, nuts, spinach, sweet potatoes, peaches, beans, and Greek yogurt.
There you have it, seven ways to tame your winter hair so that it looks lovely all year long. Now if only we could find a way to tame the winter weather itself, then we’d be all set.
