Winter Hair Survival Guide

The perfect balance

For frizz-free texture with any hair type, balanced moisture in the inner structure of each strand is essential. When the hair shaft’s moisture is balanced, your chances of remaining frizz-free in any winter environment are increased.

To achieve this, first repair any damage caused by color processing, UV or perming by trying a deep conditioning treatment using a hair mask or after washing by layering on a leave-in conditioner. Look for formulas with specific ingredients to give your hair some extra TLC. Coconut and karanja are great UV absorbers and products containing argan and jojoba oils can give hair the extra nourishment it needs in colder months.

Stop static at the start

When it comes to cold-weather flyaways, it’s all about keeping things positive, or negative. Here’s what we mean.

Think about high school chemistry—opposite charges attract and similar charges repel. Static is the perfect example of opposites attracting. When you rub two objects together, one of them loses electrons (positively charged), while the other gains (negatively charged). That’s why when hats, scarves, winter coats and even dry air rub against your hair it can cause a static effect.

Since hair is loaded with electrons, it’s the perfect conductor of static electricity (and even more so the drier it is!). Conditioner, on the other hand, is cationic (positively charged). Get the two together, and you’ve neutralized your hair, cutting down on winter flyaways.

In general, styling or treatment products are “thermal intelligent”. This means they have properties creating a positive charge to damaged hair fibers. If you have fine hair, a treatment product like a custom leave-in conditioner, will hydrate without overwhelming strands.

Be careful to avoid any plastic combs and brushes, which will only make static worse. If all else fails, you can fall back on a quick DIY trick: a simple swipe of a dryer sheet over hair will instantly rid it of any static.

Schedule that trim

Dry hair means more split ends, but a quick trip to your stylist is a must as you get ready for the deep freeze. Split ends and damaged cuticles will make hair look thinner and give it that unwanted stringy look.

Deep condition your hairbrush

Get a natural bristle brush and deep condition it regularly with your custom hair oil or leave-in conditioner, especially during the winter months. This way, when you comb through your hair, it gives it extra shine, but won’t weigh it down.

Think about a keratin treatment

Keratin treatments are known for keeping hair smooth in the face of humidity, but the smoothing treatment can also be great during winter months. Keratin treatments cover broken cuticles with liquid protein, making hair smoother and less prone to frizzing out.

Since the hair strand isn’t as thirsty for outside moisture, it’s less vulnerable to weather changes. You can walk into a light snow or drizzle on your lunch break and still come back to work with smooth locks.

Take a cold shower

Although it may sound bizarre, rinsing your hair in cold or lukewarm water really helps to maintain shine and keep the cuticle layer down. When you wash your hair with water that’s too hot, it opens the cuticle, dries it out and can dull out colored hair, too.