Even if you don’t see any snow where you live during the winter months, you’ll still experience cold temperatures and challenging weather conditions. It’s second nature to wrap up warm when things start to look frosty and icy outside, but we may not always pay the same attention to our hair. And as you’ll see, a little winter hair care can go a long way toward combating some of the more challenging aspects this season presents us with.

Does the Cold Change the Condition of Your Hair?

Yes, it does. Cold air is drier than warm air, so as the humidity levels drop, you might notice your hair starts to dry out as well. Throw in the heating that goes on indoors and your hair will get even drier.

While this doesn’t lead to hair loss – it won’t start falling out at the roots – it can lead to your hair becoming more brittle. This in turn can make it more prone to breaking or developing split ends. If you’ve ever ended up with frizzy hair during the winter months, that’s how it happens. Colder drier air outside coupled with warmer drier air inside thanks to heating can strip your hair of its moisture.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Hair During the Winter?

First off, take the opportunity to rock some cool head gear! Hats aren’t just ideal for keeping you warmer, they’ll protect your hair too. If you’ve got longer hair, you can tuck it up inside. While wool is great at helping retain heat, it can be rough on your hair. Silk-lined hats are the best for your hair, so look for hats that are lined wherever possible.

This is the time of year to consider moisturizing treatments for your scalp. A scalp care protocol utilizing natural plant extracts, essential oils and plant stem cells will help your scalp from becoming dry, itchy and promote healthy hair growth. At Unique Hair Concepts, our scalp treatment protocols utilize the science of trichology, which focuses on scalp and hair health. A healthy well-balanced scalp will grow healthy hair. If you are noticing that your scalp is dry, itchy and flaky, a scalp care regimen may be beneficial to you.

You may also benefit from utilizing protective hair serums, oils and conditioning hair masks to treat the ends of your hair. A hair care professional can put together a regimen based on your hair type that will protect and condition your hair during these cold winter months.

Air Drying is the Better Option

Styling your hair is a little more challenging during the winter but stay clear of excessive blow drying if you can, along with curling or flat irons. Even if you use protective oils and deep conditioning treatments, you’re going to undo some of your hard work if you take the heat to your tresses afterward. This might require some planning, as you shouldn’t head outside with wet hair either. If you’re keen to adopt natural drying techniques, build more time into your hair care routine.

If you follow these winter hair care tips, you should be able to prevent hair breakage and dryness from occurring during the winter. You won’t lose it from the roots, but you might experience frizzy hair and split ends. Fortunately, these issues will resolve as the weather improves and we leave winter behind, but it’s better if you can avoid them to start with. Some deep conditioning, regular hair oil treatments, and some cool winter hats go a long way toward preventing the brittle hair you might have been left with in the past.

Whatever this winter throws at you, you’ve now got the tools to make sure your hair gets through it in excellent condition. For more information, contact the team at Unique Hair Concepts for a complimentary consultation.