For a variety of reasons, winter is one of the harshest times of year for our hair. The air is much drier outside and warmer inside due to the outside temperatures. But even though winter may be a hard season to deal with hair-wise, it doesn’t have to be. While our ends unfortunately take the biggest hit during these dry months, there are several ways to help them out! Here are some of my favorite tips to help get you over those winter hair woes.
Start Off Fresh
Now I’m not suggesting that you cut everything off, but I am suggesting that you start off with fresh ends! If you haven’t gotten a trim in more than three months, it’s time to do so. Trimming your ends alleviates some of the dryness of your hair by getting rid of ends that continuously suck the moisture out of your healthy, moisturized hair. When you hold on to dry ends, your products may react differently and you find that your hair loses moisture much faster. Getting rid of those dead ends allows your hair to fully thrive.
Protect Your Ends
Wearing scarves during the winter months keeps us warm, but they can also wreak havoc on the ends of our hair. When our hair constantly rubs against our scarves, it can further dry out the hair and cause breakage. Thus, it’s important for us to keep our ends protected, and I have a couple of suggestions in mind:
- Tucking your ends away can be one of the ways to protect them. This is where buns and other styles come in. Just make sure you moisturize and seal your ends before tucking them away to ensure that they stay moisturized while they are under wraps.
- Leave-in conditioner is extremely important! In fact, it’s the most important step after washing your hair, which is why it’s extremely valuable during drier months. When moisturizing your hair, you should use a water-based leave-in conditioner and an oil or pudding-like product to seal in the moisture. You can always add a little more leave-in conditioner to the ends of your hair before leaving the house. The goal is to keep your ends as moisturized as possible to prevent breakage!
Deep Condition Often
Deep conditioning during the drier months is imperative for healthy, moisturized hair and length retention. Our hair is naturally dry and the winter air and inside heating doesn’t help. Therefore, it’s important for us to deep condition our hair to provide the necessary hydration to keep it looking and feeling its best. My favorite deep conditioners are the Tgin Honey Miracle Mask and Neutrogena Triple Moisture Recovery Hair Mask.
During the winter months, I like to incorporate a heat source into my regimen. I use either a hooded dryer or the QRedew Steamer. The heat opens the hair cuticle, allowing the product to penetrate the strands, providing me with a deeper condition. I prefer steam treating my hair in winter because it allows for fresh water to enter into the hair. Thus, my hair stays moisturized and softer for longer! I also notice that my hair is a lot more luscious and there is an increase in my hair’s elasticity, which is very important on the road to healthy hair.
Co-Wash More
I’m a firm believer in using shampoo, but I prefer to use a conditioning cleanser for my weekly washes during the winter months. Conditioning cleansers have cleansing agents in them that are less harsh than those in shampoos, and are a lot more beneficial to our hair when the air is cooler outside, warmer inside, and dry all around. Using a cleansing conditioner ensures that your scalp and hair are properly cleansed and your hair is still moisturized. Thus, your scalp is able to breathe and your hair continues to flourish. I like to use Mizani True Textures Cream Cleansing Conditioner during the winter months.
Winter is cold and drying, but the effects of winter don’t have to show on your hair. Protecting your ends, the oldest and driest parts of your hair, becomes increasingly important when they are susceptible to breaking easily due to friction against our clothes and moisture loss. Protect those ends and your hair will thank you later.
