Ever notice that your hair and skin suffer during the winter months? It’s a completely normal and common problem. As the temperatures drop and the air becomes drier, our hair and skin face tough conditions that can keep them from looking and feeling their best.
So how can you protect your hair during the colder months? Read on for our best winter hair care tips.
Why Does Our Hair Struggle During Winter Weather?
Let’s start with some background. Why is it that our hair seems to suffer during the winter? Mostly, it comes down to these two points.
Dry Air
The first is physical. In most environments, when the temperature drops, so too does the moisture. Winter dryness is a common issue for many, whether it means you’re dealing with scaly, dry skin, or dry hair.
Cold air and cold weather can be especially damaging to your scalp, preventing your hair strands from getting the moisture they need to look their best, especially if you have curly hair. This is unfortunately also the case inside, as heat from radiators tends to be very dry as well.
A smaller scale side effect is one you’re probably familiar with — static. If your hair tends to stick out in a million directions during winter, it’s because the electrical charges in your hair have less moisture in the air to move towards. As a result, they get stuck to your hair and you get the frustrating issue of static.
Holiday Stress
This next point is more related to internal wellness.
The winter can be a challenging time for many of us, as the holidays and limited sunlight can increase stress levels. It’s important not to discredit just how impactful stress can be on our hair and skin.
Alopecia Areata and Telogen Effluvium, two of the three types of hair loss, are both caused or exacerbated by severe stress. Stress can be due to physical traumas like surgery or injury or emotional traumas like grief and feeling overwhelmed. If winter is a difficult time for you and your mental health, it’s possible that your hair can reflect that internal strife.
How To Keep Your Hair Happy and Healthy
The good news is that there are lots of steps you can take to protect your hair during the holidays and through the winter months.
Nourish Your Body
Our first recommendation and the most important, honestly, is that you give your body all the nourishment it needs. Eating healthy foods, staying hydrated, and giving yourself a balanced diet are all behaviors that will positively impact the appearance of your hair.
But it’s not uncommon in the winter to face certain vitamin deficiencies. With less sunlight and cold temperatures outside, many people encounter a vitamin D deficiency during winter. Vitamin D plays a key role in the health and happiness of our hair.
To maintain your hair in the winter, seek out a daily supplement that will ensure your hair gets all the nutrients it needs to not just survive the cold weather, but to thrive in the cold weather. Our clean and vegan formula helps support hair growth by delivering vital vitamins and increasing the production of collagen, elastin, and keratin. The result? Gorgeous hair, full of life and volume and balanced vitamin levels and hormones.
Take Extra Care to Condition It
There’s no better way to take care of your hair than by focusing on your internal wellness, but there are some additional steps you can take to support that wellness.
As the air in the winter is so dry, it’s likely that your hair is not as hydrated as it is during the summer months. The natural oils on your hair can only go so far, especially if you’re doing frequent hair washes. If you’ve dealt with split ends and breakage during the winter, then you’ll know what we mean.
To keep your hair hydrated, build in a few extra conditioner steps, whether that means using a hair mask, a leave in conditioner, or just conditioning it more frequently. When conditioning, focus on the ends of your hair, as the oils from your scalp are often unable to travel that far down the hair shaft.
All in all, keeping your hair moisturized is a great way to offset the dryness that causes static.
Protect it From the Elements
To that end, it’s also a great idea to protect your hair from the elements. We know, the dreaded hat hair can keep you from bundling up, but trust us, it’s worth it.
If you’re the kind of person who always lets their hair air dry, this is an especially important tip for you. When wet hair or damp hair meets cold air, we often see damage in the form of brittle hair and split ends.
Hair strands are at their most vulnerable when they’re wet, so if you’re heading out after a shower, make sure to tuck your hair in a scarf or hat and protect it from direct exposure.
Ease Up on Heat Styling
Relatedly, you should consider using heat styling tools a little less often during the winter. That means your hair dryer, straightener, and curling iron should be reserved for special occasions.
The thing about hair health is that it’s cumulative. If you’re facing vitamin deficiencies, cold air, and doing damage to your hair and scalp with heat styling, then you’re essentially fighting multiple battles. Don’t underestimate what heat can do to your hair follicles, and by effect, your future hair growth.
There’s no better time than the winter to rock your natural hair texture and style with simple hair oil and serums.
Destress and Take Care
We’ll circle back around to internal wellness for this last point.
Like we said, severe stress can seriously impede your hair growth. As the winter can be such a challenging time, it’s a good idea to prioritize your mental health and wellness.
Destressing can take many forms. You can do daily meditation or yoga, go for a walk, or pick up a therapeutic (and cozy!) hobby like knitting, painting, or reading. It’s also important to make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Try to take some time away from screens every day, especially before bed, to relieve your body of cortisol and to stay grounded.
Our best advice is to get into this habit before things start to build up. When you’re totally overwhelmed, your body is probably already experiencing the effects. Hair health truly starts from within — take care of yourself.
Last Thoughts on Winter Hair Care
As is the case with everything, consistency in hair care is key.
Developing your winter hair care routine is a great way to hit multiple birds with one stone. You can build a weekly deep conditioning hair mask into your destressing and self care routine. While your hair is getting the moisture it needs, your brain is getting the rest it needs. You can help address seasonal vitamin deficiencies while also helping your hair grow long and strong. Hair care and self care go hand in hand.
In any case, make sure you protect your hair — and yourself — during the cold weather and short days. When you have happy, healthy hair and skin during the summer, you’ll be glad you did.
