We have all been waiting for the summer months and high temperatures to end only because of the negative effects they have on our hair. Finally, we can say goodbye to all the damage salty seawater, sun, and heat do to our hair. However, the winter months can stress out our hair as well, so you could use some winter hair care tips.
Rain, humidity, wind, snow, cold, and low temperatures throughout winter can greatly damage your hair. They make it brittle. Nonetheless, with the right winter hair care tips, you can keep things under control.
During this period of extreme weather conditions, your hair requires a special winter hair care routine. Here are some tips on how to keep hair moisturized, beautiful, nourished, and your scalp healthy. Continue reading to learn all about winter hair care.
Best shampoo for winter hair care
During the winter, your scalp gets dry because of the lack of moisture in the air. Drier scalp causes itchiness, dandruff in the winter, scalp irritation, and eventually – hair loss in winter. With the right shampoo, you can avoid the majority of these common hair problems.
The best winter hair tip anyone can give you is to choose a mild shampoo.
The ideal shampoo for winter hair care is a sulfate-free shampoo. This type of shampoo doesn’t contain sulfates that usually strip natural oils from your hair. As a result, it becomes prone to heavy damage.
Sulfate-free shampoos also contain mild cleansers that not only clean your hair well but also keep it moisturized and hydrated. The perfect mild shampoo is the one that washes your hair mildly, moisturizes, and protects it from further damage.
Co-wash to repair winter hair
In this period, a co-wash is a good idea. Co-washing is short from conditioner washing, which means – washing the hair using only the conditioner. It is also known as the “no-poo” method, meaning – not using shampoo. In the winter, low temperatures cause brittle hair, and brittle hair is more sensitive and prone to damage than any other hair type. That is why some regular shampoos, even slightly aggressive ones that you normally use, appear to be too aggressive. Hence, when the summer ends, be sure to switch to a more suitable shampoo and prevent any dryness that might occur when the temperatures suddenly drop.
Nourish your winter hair more than usually
During cold months, your hair needs extreme hair care. Just like skin, hair is prone to dryness and flyaways due to cold, wind, indoor heating, lack of moisture, etc.
Once a week, you can use a heavy moisturizing mask combined with a protein one. The hydrating mask will replenish the moisture while the protein will prevent the loss of keratin and cracking hair under external influences.
At this point, you shouldn’t forget about deep conditioning treatment. In the winter, it is necessary to perform this ritual once a week or twice a month. This treatment will prevent electricity which is one of the greatest hair problems during colder months.
Protect your hair in the winter
Winter is a challenging time of the year for both skin and hair. There is an ongoing debate on how to protect hair from external influences. Some hairstylists believe you should avoid wearing hats, beanies, and scarves because they create hair static which can damage your hair. Others like us, strongly recommend the opposite. You should protect your hair with winter accessories. Even if they do some damage to your hair, they can’t compare with what strong wind, cold temperatures, and humidity will do.
Pro tip: tuck in your hair ends inside the coat or jacket to avoid having it frozen during extremely low temperatures. People don’t think this can happen to their hair, but there is a valid explanation. Your hair contains water, and water freezes when temperatures drop below zero. The wind can also be brutal to your hair; it can tangle it, cause split ends, or even break it.
Winter hairstyles for cold weather
Hairstyles such as braids, smooth ponytails, and buns are great because they help protect your brittle hair from further damage. If you decide to try out any of these hairstyles, don’t forget to wear a hat and tuck in your hair ends inside your coat. You must protect your hair from external influences such as snow, rain, wind, etc.
You may already know this but we can’t stress the importance of drying your hair properly before you leave your house enough. Going out while your hair is half or fully wet is extremely dangerous for your health. Drying long hair does take too much time, especially if you have really long and voluminous hair. Still, you should take care of yourself and never leave your house without drying your hair first.
How to dry your winter hair properly
During winter, you should be gentle with your hair. This means you shouldn’t aggressively rub your wet hair with a towel. You will be creating unnecessary friction and cause a lot of damage to your hair. Instead, try to squeeze the moisture out of your hair as gently as possible. You can also use another dry towel to pick up excessive water before moving to the drying stage.
Before you start drying your hair, remember to put on some heat protecting product. This will keep your hair healthy and heat resistant. Then you can use a blow dryer to dry your hair. Make sure not to set the blow dryer to the maximum heat because it can damage your hair. Instead, use a medium heat setting.
Once you have dried your hair completely, you can turn on hot air to straighten it. However, you should keep one thing in mind – when you turn on hot air – hold your blowdryer around 15 centimeters away from your head and hair.
How to keep hair moisturized and protected with the right products
During the winter months, your hair needs all the moisture and protection it can get. For this reason, you should consider doing deep conditioning treatments at least once a week. Deep conditioning treatments will help you to lock the moisture within your hair. The best thing you can do is a deep condition with heat whenever possible, even during every hair wash.
Furthermore, it is necessary to overuse leave-in products. They will moisturize and protect your hair from external damage. So serums, creams, oils, and sprays should be the backbone of your winter hair care routine.
The ultimate winter hair care tip
Have you ever heard of the LOC method? What is the LOC method when you consider it from the hair care point of view? LOC is an abbreviation for leave-in conditioner combination – L is for liquid, O is for oil, and C is for cream. L – O – C is the order in which you should apply leave-in products on your hair.
The main idea behind this method is layering products on hair to gain extra protection and to lock moisture within the hair. This may seem like too many products, and for thin hair – it certainly could be if you don’t take care of the amount of each product you apply. Be sure to try this method, since the benefits can be a game-changer in your winter hair care routine.
How to avoid hair static?
As mentioned above, one of the hair problems winter brings is hair static. Hats are the only winter accessories that cause static – even sweaters, gloves, beanies, scarves are going to make your hair a mess.
To avoid static electricity in your hair you should first learn how to keep hair hydrated. Properly hydrated hair is resistant to static electricity.
Secondly, you need to change your comb. If it’s plastic, your hair will be all over the place. To avoid this, you should try using a comb made of natural materials such as bamboo, wood, etc.
Lastly, choose natural materials too for your pillowcases and clothes whenever possible. Silky pillowcases are a great choice for fighting electricity. You can also wrap your hair in a silk scarf before putting on a wool hat. This will also stop electricity. People often complain their hair looks dreadful after wearing wool hats, and this is the perfect way to avoid that look.
Best products for removing static electricity from your hair
To avoid static, you can also use special products. All you have to do is choose the right ones. Choosing the right winter hair care products will help you with hair static problems. This includes a mild shampoo, thick heavy moisturizing hair mask, rich leave-in product, and good comb.
Extra winter hair care tips that no one has told you yet
Extending your hair washes or postponing them sound like a good idea throughout the winter. Also, tying your hair in a braid or using a dry shampoo could keep your hair moisturized during cold winter months. It would be best to avoid washing your hair more than three times a week.
It’s easy to forget, but combing your hair can be damaging when your hair is brittle and sensitive. Forget advice from your grandmother who told you you should brush your hair 100 times every evening. By brushing it hard and harshly you will only manage to cause damage.
Additionally, the best time to brush your hair is in the morning. During the night natural oils build up on the scalp, so when you brush your hair the next morning, you distribute that oil evenly from the root to the ends. Make sure to use soft brushes such as no tangle brushes or wide tooth bamboo combs.
One last thing that could help you with your winter hair care routine is to buy a humidifier if you can. It will increase humidity (moisture) in the air of the entire room or apartment. Not only is it good for health in general, but it also does wonder It is good for general health but also works wonders for your hair. Your hair and skin won’t be dry anymore which is incredibly important during the winter months. As a result, your hair will be exposed to less static and damage in general.
The ultimate winter hair care tips summary:
- Moisturize hair and scalp. Since cold weather and dry air lead to dry and brittle hair, this is the most important step
- LOC method is one the best winter hair care tips we can give you
- Win the static – forget aggressive combing, invest in a good moisturizer, choose a silk pillowcase
- Protect head and hair physically – wear caps, hats, scarves
- Try to avoid everyday wash, and postpone it for at least one day.