Winter Hair Care: Tips & Tricks

Estimated Read Time:  3 minutes

Summary: Winter hair care doesn’t have to be tricky! Learn tips, tricks, the what’s, why’s and how to care for hair in the winter time at home…

Because of the drop in mercury, central heating, wooly hat wearing and adverse weather like forceful gales and winds, our hair can have a hard time coping in the winter time. Not to mention the drop in a healthy diet over the festive season… Our locks really do take a hit!

To avoid the tell-tale signs that your hair may not be dealing with the seasonal changes that well (dandruff, dryness of the scalp and dullness in shade in particular) here’s a few steps and suggestions you can try, so you can be sure that your strands are getting the support that they need. 

How To Take Care Of Hair In Winter

Switch Up Your Shampoo; Suffering with dandruff this season? If your regular shampoo doesn’t seem to be doing the trick at shifting the excess dead skin cells and build up (dandruff) that winter is triggering, look to a hair cleansing product that contains ketoconazole which reduces the presence of Malassezia fungus on the scalp which can in turn cause dandruff. 

Be Mindful Of Sugar; Hands up who over indulges over winter? Whether that be alcohol or sweet treats, it’s tradition to let go a little over this festive period! But, sugar can worsen inflammatory conditions in the body like dermatitis, acne and folliculitis which in turn can increase hair fall and can cause cell damage via oxidization and hair’s made of cells! So, it’s a wise move to be mindful of how much sugar you’re actually consuming. Treats are of course allowed, but make sure you’re balancing things out if your hair and scalp are showing the affects…

Don’t Go Out With Wet Hair; Anything wet expands in the cold and that includes your hair shaft! If these expand too much, they’ll be more vulnerable to breakage. So, make sure you're drying your hair off properly .

Supplement With Vitamin D; Because there’s less sunlight during winter and we go out less, it’s easy to become deficient in Vitamin D without realizing it! Take a supplement over winter to help ensure your body, skin and namely scalp is being properly fuelled. Vitamin D is really important because it helps the body retain hydration and fend off unwanted bacteria. 

Avoid Static With Hydration; Keeping your hair's moisture levels up is vital for avoiding silly-looking static. Hydrate your hair once to twice a week with a targeted, thirst-quenching hair mask and use leave -in conditioner on hair wash days. 

Swap A Hat For Ear Muffs; A hat, however cosy, can play havoc on hair that responds heavily to the seasons! UV rays slow down the production of Malassezia fungus on the scalp which causes dandruff so blocking the sun rays with a hat isn’t ideal. Switch your beanie for muffs and let the sun shine down on your scalp (but of course, use SPF as normal!).

Sources

Glamour Magazine

Self