Winter is a tough season on our hair but today we are going over the top tips you need to know about winter hair care. Follow these healthy hair habits to keep your hair looking and feeling nourished even when it already feels dry!
My clients are always complaining about their hair feeling extra dry during the winter months. When the season changes from warm to cold our hair and skin are where we feel it most.
Cold breezy air and being exposed to a running heater throughout our day literally strips our hair of moisture faster than most of us are putting it in. When the hair is dry it is more prone to breakage and split ends and nobody wants that!
First I want to remind you that your particular hair is unique and if you change up a product or routine and you aren’t loving how it is feeling, try tweaking it a little. using a little less product or more might be necessary. I will talk more about this below.
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Stop shampooing. I know, its a part of our regular routine and the thought of not washing for a day or two might make you cringe but I am telling you, the natural oils that form after a day or two are so good for your hair.
Not to mention the less you are washing the less you will be tempted to put hot tools on your hair every single day!
If the thought of skipping REALLY is just not gonna happen, I am begging you just to try, on your next day off, skipping the actual shampoo and just massaging your scalp with water! I do this often after a workout when I have just drenched my hair and want to cool off. It always makes my hair feel clean and refreshed!
Another way to help you skip your daily shampoo is trying a dry shampoo. Dry shampoos are loved by many for their ability to make your style stretch out an extra day or two (or sometimes 3, shhh…I don’t judge you). My favorite dry shampoo right now is AG Hair Care Dry Lift. It is super easy to massage into your scalp and instantly gives your hair a lift without feeling gritty and full of product.
Weekly Deep Conditioners. I tell my clients all the time that they need to be using a deep conditioner on their hair. They will all tell you my favorite way to deep condition the hair is with oils, like coconut and jojoba. Olive oil and argan oil work great too!
Click here to read my post about The Top 5 Deep Conditioning Treatments.
When you apply a deep conditioning treatment to your hair, you always want to put it on clean hair that has been towel dried. Removing the bulk of the moisture helps the product absorb into the hair and is not diluted.
Start with a hazelnut size amount of deep conditioner and add it to the hair starting midshaft and working toward the ends. If you need more use a little more but you should not need more than a walnut size amount.
For an even deeper treatment, cover your head with a plastic shower cap and wrap in a towel. The multiple layers will help to retain heat opening the cuticle of the hair and giving the treatment the opportunity to go even deeper. Leave for 10-20 minutes. Do not exceed time on product directions, be especially careful with products that contain protein.
Go natural! Using hot tools is the WORST thing you can do to your hair. High heats laying directly onto our hair is so tough on it. Learn how to work with your natural texture and do fun new styling techniques that don’t require an intense blow dry or curling iron.
When you are going to use a hot tool make sure you are applying a small amount of a heat protectant so your hair has some kind of a defence against the heat like Alterna’s Caviar Repair Multi-Vitamin Heat Protection Spray.
Braids and twists are a great way to style your hair that can mask unwanted waves and frizz. The beautiful wave your hair gets after taken out of a braid or twist is EVEN BETTER!
If you live in an area that is also still sunny be sure to use something that has SPF in it like Aveda’s Sun Care Protective Vail.
Add moisture back into your air. Nope, I didn’t forget the “h” there…I actually mean, add moisture to the air. I use a diffuser for this.
Nope, not the spikey bowl looking thing we use for curly blow dries. I’m talking about the little machines that sit on your countertop and add a mist into the air.
You could also use a humidifier for this but I like to be able to add essential oils as well. You may already know this but diffusing essential oils is the easiest way to treat an array of different ailments.
Feeling tired, add a drop of citrus essential oil to give yourself a boost of energy. Feeling under the weather, oregano oil and peppermint will help clean the air while healing your lungs and soothing a headache. I love to diffuse lavender during a stressful time of year. LIke tax season or the holidays!
I also love the way a diffuser adds a special little touch to the decor in a room. At home, I use this Real Bamboo Essential Oil Diffuser!
Adding moisture to the air to help keep your hair skin and nails more moisturized feels like a bonus when you have results like these!!
The biggest take away from today’s lesson is to do everything you can to add more moisture to your hair and stop doing things that remove moisture!
Thanks so much for reading!
