Winter hair care tips – Stay smooth, soft and hydrated
How’s your hair looking? Has it turned into a nest thanks to the cold, the damp and the wind? Are you suffering from hair loss, split ends, static, dullness, dandruff, brittle hair, weak hair or a dry scalp? If you’d like your locks to stay luscious, smooth and soft over the winter months, what can you do to battle the impact of the nasty weather? Here’s our winter hair care guide.
Tips to keep your hair looking fab all winter – Wash it less often
Our first tip is to give your hair a break by washing it less often. Excessive shampooing makes your scalp dry and flaky in winter and reducing the number of washes helps protect the hair’s natural oils. Use a gentle formula shampoo and avoid shampoos with ingredients that dry your hair, things like alcohol, dyes, sulphates and scents. The simpler and gentler the shampoo, the better.
Protect your hair from the cold
Covering your hair with a hat or scarf helps protect it against the weather. Silk or satin are the best fabrics because they’re smoother and softer than cotton or wool, both of which can cause friction and lead to split ends. Satin and silk also feels luxurious and lovely. Don’t go outside with wet hair in winter either, the cold will weaken it.
Banish flakes and dryness
Dandruff loves the cold weather, a common problem in the winter. It can be caused by a fungal infection or simply because your scalp is dry. A good quality anti-dandruff shampoo containing active ingredients like salicylic acid, zinc pyrithione, selenium sulphide or coal tar will help keep it at bay.
Say no to the frizz
Frizzy hair? Dry winter atmosphere can take the moisture out of your hair leaving it with rough open cuticles. The heat from hair styling tools, including blow dryers and straighteners makes things worse, leading to broken hairs and split ends. At this time of year try to use heated tools less often and treat your hair to frequent deep conditioning with moisture-rich hair products. Rather than styling it, put it up in a messy bun, twist it up or try a variety of updos. And use a good hair serum or oil overnight.
Pick a quality hair serum with lots of proven hydrating ingredients, lovely things like aloe vera, green tea, shea butter. Hot oil massage your hair with scented coconut oil, olive oil or almond oil too for an extra treat. Olive oil is particularly good for dry hair. All you do is massage your hair once or twice a week with an oil to boost the circulation and help achieve healthy hair.
Sleep on a beautiful silk pillowcase, wear a pure silk hair turban
Next, a tip that comes highly recommended by stylists and dermatologists. A cotton pillowcase might feel soft but it’s actually very rough compared to silk. Avoid breaking tired winter hair by sleeping on a silk pillow, which’ll also help keep your skin smooth and soft. We sell stunning silk pillowcases made from 22 momme 100% Mulberry Silk, the finest silk available. Our award winning silk pillowcases are designed to reduce friction and eliminate bed head and frizz. The silk won’t absorb your hair serum either – it’ll stay on your hair where it belongs and your locks will feel silky smooth every morning.
The same goes for our luxurious Pure Mulberry Silk Hair Turban, loved for less frizz and fewer split ends. This is also 100% silk and has been expertly designed and constructed to bring the many beauty benefits of Mulberry Silk to your hair. Unlike others the most effective glossy side of the fabric sits against your hair to naturally control hydration and it’s as comfortable as it is stylish. Wear it indoors to relax and sleep, outdoors for a fantastic 1940s-style look. And if you use hair scrunchies, make them pure Mulberry Silk as well.
Buy the right hairbrush
The cold can make your hair static and frizzy, made worse by the friction from hairbrushes and by pulling layers of warm winter clothing on and off. A vented hairbrush with a mix of natural and plastic bristles helps. You can also buy special anti-static hair wipes.
Think warm showers, not hot
Did you know hot water can take the natural oils out of your hair, leaving it dry? A hot shower feels lovely, especially in winter but dial down the temperature for well conditioned hair in cold weather. Because cotton towels can make your hair rough, causing it to frizz and flyaway, use a microfibre towel to dry your hair instead. The material is very soft, very absorbent, and helps reduce friction.
Follow the science around ‘hydration’
Do you need to ‘stay hydrated’? While it’s important to drink enough liquids there’s no need to force yourself to drink two litres or eight glasses of water every day. Experts say the long-term trend for staying hydrated is actually junk science. Our bodies are set up to take care of being hydrated without having to count how much we drink. As Tamara Hew-Butler, an exercise scientist at Oakland University, Michigan, says, “The gene that governs water balance, it’s been conserved in nature for 700 million years”. Just drink some liquid whenever you’re actually thirsty and all will be well. It’s more important to eat a healthy, varied diet which promotes overall good health, including great hair.
Have frequent cuts
Finally, get your hair cut regularly to get rid of split ends. Trimming 2cm off every six weeks will work wonders for its condition.
We wish you wonderful hair through the winter and into next spring. Visit our haircare collection for sumptuous luxury goods for treating yourself. They also make fantastic gifts for the people you love.
