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Let’s talk about how you can treat dry hair in the winter!
It’s that time of year again! Your heels are cracking, your lips are flaking, and your hair is dry AF. Yep… I’m talking about the winter season.
I don’t know about you, but I get super dry hair in winter. It pretty much turns to straw as soon as the temperatures drop… and typically requires more care during the frosty winter months.
So how do we keep our hair healthy in the winter?
Follow these super easy tricks to keep your hair healthy and happy throughout the entire season. I promise… your hair will thank you!
💡TIP: Pin this post to your HAIR CARE board on Pinterest so you can refer back to it every year! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
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What Causes Dry Hair?
During the cooler months, the outside humidity drops… which means that the natural moisture in your hair tends to evaporate more quickly.
Add that to the time you spend indoors with the heat cranked up… and you’ve got yourself a recipe for dry hair in winter.
The key to combating the dryness and potential damage is to:
- Replenish as much moisture as possible
- Protect your hair
- Prevent more moisture loss from happening
Here’s how you do that…
Tip #1: Use Protection
The sun is one of your hair’s biggest enemies.
I know you’re probably like, “wait, I thought this was an article about winter hair care.”
It is! Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean your hair won’t be exposed to the sun. During the winter season, thousands of people hit the slopes each day, fully-exposing their hair to the sun and other elements.
As a matter of fact, the UV rays reflecting off snow can create even MORE sun damage than the other times of the year.
Olympic Snowboard Gold Medalist, Jamie Anderson, recommends deep-conditioning your hair often, along with using hair products designed to repair hair damage (like Olaplex) if you plan on being out often.
Additionally, SPF hair products exist to protect your hair from the damaging UV rays. Your best bet is to find a product with both sun protection and moisturizing properties (like the Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil UV Primer.)
Last, but not least, if you want a foolproof way to protect your hair from the sun… cover up with a cute beanie or a hat.
► These 14 brilliant rainy day hairstyles will help you get through the season!
Tip #2: Supplement
Fact: you are what you eat.
Everything you put in your body comes out through your hair. In other words, a clean diet is crucial when it comes to preventing dry hair in the winter.
While many superfoods contribute to healthy hair, here are the most important things to focus on in the dry winter season:
- Dark leafy greens (like spinach and broccoli) – These foods are loaded with Vitamin A and C, which encourages the scalp to produce more natural sebum and condition the hair.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids (like fish and nuts) – These nutrients hydrate your hair and promote healthy hair growth (you could also take it in supplement form.)
- Biotin-Rich Foods (eggs, oats, mushrooms) – Biotin is the key ingredient to healthy hair growth. Incorporating it into your diet is a must.
- Water – Nothing will hydrate your body more than drinking enough water every day. Make sure to get at least 64 oz per day.
When in doubt, you can always take a supplement. The SugarBearHair Gummies taste amazing and give you everything you need for healthy hair.
Tip #3: Watch The Hot Water
I don’t know ’bout you, but I love me some hot showers in the wintertime. It’s just too easy to keep turning the knob further and further towards the heat.
BUT…you have to remember that hot water causes damage to your hair and skin. If you want to ditch the dry hair in winter, you have to ditch the hot showers.
First off, hot water strips hair of natural oils, causing your hair to become dull and frizzy. Additionally, the heat opens the cuticle, which eventually leads to overly porous hair. At this point, your hair becomes extremely dry and brittle.
I know people that take their whole shower in hot water, but when it’s time to wash their hair, they turn the temp way down. You can also try showering in warm water rather than hot.
Either way, your hair will thank you.
Tip #4: Good Shampoo Habits
When you wash your hair, you also strip your scalp of natural oils and dry it out. Plus, wet hair tends to be followed by a blow-dry session, which causes even more damage.
I know, I know… there are worse things you can do to your hair than washing and blow-drying, but why do it every day if you don’t have to?
Maybe you can at least skip one wash over the weekend, or try only to wash every other day. You can even use dry shampoo to soak up excess oil and refresh your hair between washes.
There are several trendy hairstyles involving buns and different types of braids that will allow you to wear your hair up the next day without compromising style.
But if you absolutely must wash your hair every day, please invest in a good sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfates are the culprit of dry hair… so just get them out of your life, man.
Tip #5. Hydrate Your Hair
As I previously mentioned, your hair will lose moisture in the cold weather. So here’s a thought: why not put moisture back in?
It’s super easy to do… just look for products that say “hydrating” or “moisturizing” on them. Hydrating products work by utilizing humectants that attract water molecules and promote moisture retention.
These products are formulated to put moisture back into your hair and prevent further moisture loss. Oh, and they also cut down static.
I’m also a huge fan of Moroccan oil, which can be applied to damp hair before styling. It moisturizes your hair, protects it, and adds shine without weighing it down.
Tip #6: Cut Back On Heat Styling
One of the most unfortunate things in life is that beautiful hair requires the use of hot, damaging tools… and you can bet they lead to extra dry hair in winter.
As you can imagine, when you use a machine designed to dry your hair with hot air, you’re gonna lose moisture. Furthermore, pressing your hair between two hot metal plates causes even more moisture-loss over time.
I know it’s a lot for me to ask you to limit your heat-styling, but maybe consider cutting back. Again, if you can skip it on the weekends, do so. If you can alternate days of braided hairstyles and buns, it would help.
Every little bit adds up.
And when you do heat-style your hair, it’s absolutely imperative for you to use a good heat protectant to lock in the moisture and prevent further damage.
Tip #7: Deep Condition Weekly
This may sound like a given, but it’s something a lot of us overlook.
Deep conditioners are designed to penetrate deep into your hair shaft and condition from the inside out. It’s something you should do once or twice a week, year-round, but it’s even more important in the winter.
I’d recommend investing in a good hydrating treatment for the best results!
General FAQ
You really need to focus on preserving the moisture in the hair and preventing further moisture loss. Using hydrating or moisturizing hair products, cutting down on hot showers and heat styling, deep conditioning, and using a moisturizing hair oil will all help keep your hair healthy in the winter!
Yes, the lower outdoor humidity and wind, mixed with warmer indoor temps will dry out your hair and skin in the winter.
You should do the same things you do year-round (trim the split ends, use good hair products, deep-conditioning treatments, etc.), but you have to focus more on hydrating your hair in the winter. Using hydrating or moisturizing hair products, cutting down on hot showers and heat styling, deep conditioning, and using a moisturizing hair oil will all help keep your hair healthy in the winter!
Final Thoughts
Although winter is all about making new family memories, delicious food, and relaxing by the fireplace, giving your hair that extra TLC is crazy important.
Follow my 7 basic tips, and you can kiss dry hair in the winter goodbye!
Until next time,
YOUR TURN: What other ways can you fight dry hair in winter? Are you going to try any of these tips? Drop your feedback in the comments section below! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
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💡TIP: If you liked this post, pin it to your HAIR CARE board on Pinterest! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
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