The Festive Season is here and winter has already set in! This is a time when our hair needs to look its very best, despite the cold weather outside.

Not only does winter affect your skin it also causes problems for your hair. Therefore, it’s time to talk about winter hair care.

“You may already moisturise your skin during the winter months BUT what to do about your hair and scalp?” 

To help you sparkle this season, we’ve put together TOP 10 TIPS about how to keep your locks looking A-grade all winter!

1. Keep Your Home Warm but NOT Hot

Make sure you don’t get a temperature shock when you get home or when you’re going out. If the temperature inside your house or apartment is much warmer than outside it can irritate your skin and scalp.

2. Turn the Hot Water Down

BRRRR… It’s cold, we know! A really hot shower feels so good on a cold weather day. BUT if you wanna care for your scalp, you should turn the temperature of your shower down. Hot water is neither good for your skin or your hair.

Hot water dehydrates your skin and hair. It’s actually like cooking the moisture out of your skin, creepy right?!

Well, to help temper your use of hot water, keep the water heater at the same position all year round OR even better, see if you can edge it down in the fall and winter season.

3. Wash Your Hair to a Minimum

How often are you shampooing? Well, in the cold weather season we found, that if you’re shampooing your hair two or three times a week, you can prevent your hair from drying out too much.

4. Oil Your Hair

During the winter season, your scalp will be drier and that can lead to dandruff and scalp irritation, which in the worst-case scenario can lead to hair fall.

No matter how busy you are, really don’t forget the oil your hair needs. It’s really important to keep your scalp moisturized!

Use olive or coconut oil, massage it into your scalp and leave it in for 20 minutes, and finally rinse it out with shampoo and conditioner.

5. Double Up On Conditioner

Yup, conditioner is a must! We’ve said it before, conditioning your hair after shampooing should be an important part of your hair routine.

During winter we recommend you to use a deep conditioner plus a leave in treatment, especially for those who are living up North.

6. Dry Your Hair Correctly

When it comes to drying your hair, you should really treat your hair with care.

Even though a blow dryer is the best tool if you wanna style your hair to perfection, it can also be really harmful to your hair as the heat can dry out your hair and scalp.

Therefore, it’s important that you protect your hair with heat protection before you blow dry it. Keep in mind, that heat protection is as important as the actual blow drying part!

7. Allow Your Hair to Air Dry

If possible, it’s a good idea to let your hair air dry and limited your use of tools like dryers and flat irons. Still, be aware that going outside with wet hair in cold weather can cause your hair to freeze and break.

So if you don’t have time for your hair to dry naturally before going out, then blow dry it and use the cool setting. Once again, remember to use pre-styling spray or a leave-in conditioner before blow drying.

8. Have Your Hair Trimmed Regularly

Whether you have long or short hair, winter weather can make the ends of your hair dry and brittle. Regular trims will keep your hair in good condition and reduce the risk of split ends.

9. Throw On The Hat

To be cool and warm! Well, when the wind starts to blow, it’s time to throw on the hat. Yeah, that means saying goodbye to that awesome hairdo you’ve spent all your morning creating.

Still, wearing a hat can add an edge to your look. Just remember to pick a hat that fits your style and face shape!

10. Eat Balanced & Stay Hydrated

Eating a healthy diet full of vitamins is the best way to keep your hair and scalp looking and feeling healthy. Also, make sure you drink plenty of water to keep your hair and scalp hydrated.

Well, are you set for the winter? Make these TOP TIPS a part of your hair care routine. A little extra care will make a big difference!
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This article appeared on SLIKHaar

Hello winter! Colder winter months always mean paying extra attention to our coily tresses. The dry air and cold wind affects the health and appearance of your hair. Just as we fight frizz during humid summer months, you want to prevent any damage to your hair during cooler dry months. Here are 10 winter hair tips for healthy, happy curls!

Add Moisture

Winter hair thrives on moisture. You can’t have too much. Winter can be a great time for curlies, as frizz-causing humidity plummets along with the temperatures. But the cold weather, along with indoor heating, also can wreak havoc on those curls and kinks in other ways, leaving them parched and brittle.

To battle the dryness, it is essential that curlies stick to a strict deep-conditioning regimen. Deep condition at least once a week (twice if you already tend to be very dry) with a deep conditioner that provides moisture only. You can't control the weather, but you can moisturize, adjust your product routine and do your best to keep the dry frizzies away.

Honey, Please

Honey is awesome when used in conjunction with a conditioner fortified with olive oil and avocado oil. If you are worried about the hair being too oily after the deep condition, use a light shampoo as a topper. Honey is a natural humectant and helps your hair retain moisture, making it a great treatment for dry, winter hair. Honey can be added to cleansers, conditioners, deep conditioners and oils. Honey also works well works when combined with other ingredients, so you can look for products that contain honey.
 
Get a Trim

Every 10-12 weeks, trim off what is dead to avoid choking the life out of your hair. When ends are split and frayed, nutrients don't know where to go. Often stylists will recommend 6-8 weeks, but this is not necessary for curly hair (when you get a cut tailored for your type).

Avoid Protein

Drying shampoos that contain too much protein and not enough natural oils are not what winter calls for. When you use products that contain protein, your hair needs extra moisture so it won't become dry and brittle. (sometimes an after-effect of using too much protein.) Since you'll be deep conditioning more make sure to pick one that is not protein rich, as too much protein can cause more frizz. A few great ones to try are: DevaCurl Heaven In Hair or Bumble and bumble Curl Conscious Nourishing Masque.
 
Natural Oils Are a Must

In the cold winter months, make sure to always seal hair with an easily absorbed oil before heading out of the house. Natural oils such as jojoba, rosemary and lavender are so important in the cooler months because they help keep your scalp and hair in good condition.

Avoid the Towel

Never use a regular terrycloth towel after you shower. The coarse texture of a typical bath towel can roughen up the hair's cuticle and cause curl separation, resulting in frizz. Curlies need to use super-absorbent microfiber towels designed to reduce frizz and dry time while creating beautifully defined curls.
 
Wide-Toothed Comb

The wide-toothed comb is your friend; do not use your hands. It's important to use a wide-toothed comb because it works through the hair more easily with less damage. Always start from the bottom and work your way up.

More Product

Indoor air is extremely drying to curls so make sure to use extra product this winter. Listen for hair to squish, to make sure there's enough product in the hair. Remember, most curly hair is dry, so don't be afraid of product.
 
Extra Gel & Scrunch

Since you are using more product on your winter hair, make sure to get the most out of it. Scrunching allows your product and curls to go further. Scrunch with a liquid-y gel to ensure equal distribution of the product. Scrunching product into curls allows for better distribution and removes excess product. Scrunching also defines curls and adds volume.

Diffuse

​Wash-and-go is a thing of the past now so make sure you diffuse to set curls all day. Don't be afraid of the diffuser. As long as it has prongs, it's designed to bring out the best of your curly hair. Set it on high heat, low speed. This may take a while, but if you are patient, you'll love the way your curls look!


These tips are from NaturallyCurly

Winter takes its toll with flying hair, dry scalp and styling problems caused by wearing hats. In the winter months, hair needs a lot of tender loving care. Use our tips to avoid dull looking hair in the cold season

You may wonder why hair is dry and incredibly unruly at cooler temperatures. In the winter months hair tends to lose its silky nature and is not at all willing to submit to our styling efforts.  

The culprits are the low moisture contents of cool outside air and heated inside air. If you wear a hat to keep warm, the hat material will rub against the hair fibres and in the process create static electricity. As a result hair will look dull and resist all attempts at styling. Use our simple hair care strategies to reverse the mulish behaviour of winter hair.

Proper Hair Care in Autumn and Winter

Heat and friction interfere with the natural structure of the hair. This damages the hair cuticles, which in turn leads to brittle, dull-looking hair.

• The solution: Rich conditioning treatments with oil extracts prevent the damage and make damaged hair cuticles smoother. Simply add a few drops of hair oil to your shampoo or work the oil through the ends of your still damp hair. This will keep hair supple and shiny.

Fly-away hair is arguably the most annoying property of winter hair. It is caused by heated interior air and the contact of hair fibers with other fibers such as the fabric fibers of hats, headbands, and clothing. The movement of these fibers against hair produces static electricity, which makes hair stand on end.

• The solution: There are styling products, which help to prevent fly-away hair. Among them are styling mousse, extra-gloss wax, and hair oil.

The lack of moisture also results in a dry scalp. The scalp will produce less sebum, which may lead to dandruff. An itching scalp can be quite irritating.

• The solution: Use a dandruff shampoo.

Few people want to go outside without a hat on a cold wintery day. This keeps the ears warm but the hairdo will be undone. Hats tend to press the hair flat to the scalp.

• The solution: Use volumizing spray or salt spray before you blow-dry your hair while hanging your head upside down. Carry the spray with you to refresh your hairstyle after taking off your hat.

This article is from Schwarzkop

Temperatures are dropping and the cold temperatures of winter will soon be upon us, which can really throw a kink in your hair routine. Colder weather can make tresses brittle and dry, often forcing us to make a simple ponytail our new standard ‘do. (Boring!)

Combat your winter hair woes even before the season starts to keep your mane in tip-top shape all the way to New Year’s. Fernando Salas, hair stylist and creator of White Sands Hair Products, shares his tips for prepping your hair for cold-weather gorgeousness.

Amp up your hair’s moisture level

To achieve a frizz-free texture with any hair type, balanced moisture in the inner structure of each strand is needed. When the hair shaft is balanced with the proper amount of moisture, the environment—in this case, winter—will not cause your strands to frizz. To achieve the perfect moisture balance, first repair any damage caused from color processing, perming, and natural UV and UVB stress with a shampoo and conditioner that can penetrate proteins deep inside the hair shaft, rather than just packing them on top.

Humidity Is Your Friend (unless you’re a curly)

The main cause of dry winter hair is not the temperature but the lack of moisture in the air. “You don’t have to be a living thing to feel it,” said Arash Akhavan, a dermatologist in New York. “Think of how your door may not fit as well in the jamb. You have to exert some control over your environment.” Dr. Akhavan suggested using humidifiers, avoiding space heaters (“they particularly suck out moisture”) and switching to ionic hair dryers (“because they use less heat to get the same effect”).

Stop static at the start

Once your hair is strong enough to withstand the winter elements, focus your cleansing routine on retaining that moisture, which will help prevent those cold-weather flyways. Products with wheat amino acids promote moisture when applying hot tools, while those with silk amino acids have properties that create a positive charge to damaged hair fibers and will keep your tresses polished.

Deep condition the right way

It’s important to close the cuticle layer to define color, texture and shine all season long. Deep conditioners, like White Sands ER Fusion Deep Reconstructive Conditioning Treatment, can bring you some serious hair help. The formula contains amino cystines to repair damage and lemongrass extract to enhance color. The product shows results lasting up to 30 days and takes just 20 minutes to apply and heat-set.

Coat Your Hair

The trick is trapping moisture, which is essentially how hydrating shampoos and conditioners work. The Oribe Gold Lust Pre-Shampoo Intensive Treatment ($68) has a thick balmlike formula. Traditional creams don’t adhere well to the hair, said Michele Burgess, the director of product development at Oribe. The coating works especially well on coarser textures.

For finer strands, a less viscous formula, like Ouai Hair Oil ($28), may be better. It is a top seller in the Ouai line, according to its founder Jen Atkin, known for her work with the Kardashians. “It can double as a both styling product and mask so you can wear it while you sleep or work out,” she said.

Boost limp locks

Since dry winter air can leave hair flat against the scalp, products with style memory are a must to create—and maintain—your favorite hairstyle throughout the day. If you tend to wear hats during winter, a style memory spray can also ensure that deflated hair is a problem of the past. Try White Sands Liquid Texture Styling Spray line, which boasts long-lasting staying power, no matter what the weather’s like. The sprays are actually “thermal intelligent” (as in, they make your locks look even shiner and stronger when you use your hot styling tools) and they’ll help your hair bounce back right into place—even after wearing a beanie.

Schedule that trim

Dry air means more split ends. A simple trip to your stylist is a must as you prepare for the deep freeze. After all, split ends and damaged cuticles will cause your hair to appear thinner and give it that unwanted stringy look. Hair that’s weakened toward the ends is in need of a quick chop.

Treat Your Hair Like Your Cashmere

Hair may not be alive like, say, skin cells, but you still have to treat it delicately. David Mallett, who is opening a Manhattan outpost of his Parisian salons this spring, said it helps to think of hair as a fiber. “You wouldn’t throw your cashmere in steaming hot water, so look after your hair and love it the same way,” he said. Mr. Mallet has noticed that clients often show up at his salons in the winter with dry, itchy scalps because they use hotter water when it’s cold outside. “Lay off the hot water and use lukewarm or even cold,” he said.

Deep Condition Your Hairbrush

It’s natural to reach for intense conditioners and hair masks when the mercury drops, but sometimes those products flatten hair. Instead, Mr. Mallett offers this genius tip: “Get a natural bristle brush, and after you clean it, deep condition the brush regularly with a hair serum, oil or leave-in conditioner. This way, when you brush through your hair, it gives it extra shine but without weighing it down.”

Kick Up the Keratin

If you think a keratin treatment means a mop of stick-straight hair, think again. Keratin has grown up. In-salon services can now hydrate and soften but leave texture intact. “With Japanese hair straightening, and later Brazilian blowout, you stripped the keratin and broke the disulfide bonds in your hair so it became very straight, and then you replaced the keratin,” Dr. Akhavan said. “But keratin can also be used just as a long-lasting conditioner.”

More accessible: Virtue’s keratin-infused shampoos and conditioners, which can be used at home. Adir Abergel, Virtue’s creative director, who works with Rooney Mara, Reese Witherspoon and Saoirse Ronan, particularly likes the company’s Smooth Conditioner ($38) and Perfect Ending Split End Serum ($40).

“In the winter, you’ll want to leave your product on your hair a little longer to really let it penetrate,” Mr. Abergel said, adding that getting ends trimmed more often than usual can also help maintain hair health.

Read the Label

Read up! There may be hidden drying agents lurking in your styling products. Arsen Gurgov, a stylist who often works with Emmy Rossum, advised “staying away from styling products with alcohol as they tend to dry out the hair even more.” If you have a favorite conditioner that contains silicones, you may want to swap it for a silicone-free version.

“Silicones can build up with repeated use and coat the hair too much, making it dull and lifeless,” Mr. Gurgov said. His simple solution: Use pure argan oil before blow-drying to prep the hair and again afterward to finish the style.

This information is from articles that appeared on StyleCaster and The New York Times