Cold winter weather is basically your skin’s worst enemy. Unsurprisingly, it’s not that friendly to your hair either. Just as freezing cold temperatures and excessive indoor heating can lead to dry, irritated, and sometimes even flakey skin, so too can they suck the moisture out of your hair, leading to a host of unwanted hair problems, including static frizz, split ends, and a tight, itchy scalp among other things. It may seem like the only solution is to book a tropical vacation and just call it quits on the whole winter season, but trust us, there are more realistic ways of dealing with your winter hair woes. To prove it, we’ve rounded up five of the season’s most annoying winter hair dilemmas and the quick and easy things you can do to combat them—no expensive plane ticket required. See below for more!
Winter Hair Concern #1: My hair feels like straw
As the temperatures start to plummet, so too do the moisture levels in the air, which is what’s ultimately to blame for your dry, brittle winter hair. The dry air (both the cold outside and the heat inside) essentially sucks the moisture from your strands leaving them parched and prone to damage, which is bad news for all us of (especially those with curly or coily hair, as these types tend to be naturally a bit drier than others).
To help combat this, we suggest upgrading to a super hydrating shampoo and conditioner that will help give your hair the moisture it needs to stay smooth and healthy without weighing it down. The key is to look for clean, sulfate- and paraben-free formulas with nourishing ingredients like coconut oil, avocado oil, and aloe vera, which will help replenish your hair’s natural moisture content and prevent moisture from escaping in the future. Our customizable shampoos and conditioners not only check off all of those boxes, but they also give you the option to add a number of other hair goals to your formula, including deep condition, hydrate, and shine, so that your hair look and feel its best no matter how cold it gets.
In addition to switching up your shampoo and conditioner formula, we also recommend applying a deep conditioning hair mask at least once a week (twice for severely dry or damaged hair), cutting back on heat styling, and using our customizable leave-in treatment whenever your hair is in need of an added boost of hydration and nourishment.
Winter Hair Concern #2: My scalp feels tight and itchy
Just like the skin on the rest of your body, your scalp is also prone to becoming increasingly dry and itchy once the cold weather hits. Unlike the rest of your skin though, you can’t exactly slather your scalp in a rich cream and call it a day (trust us, it’s not a good idea). Instead, we recommend switching up your regular shampoo and conditioner to a more gentle formula that is specially designed for dry scalps. By selecting the “dry scalp” option in our hair quiz, we’ll not only create a one-of-a-kind shampoo that’s individually formulated to help treat and moisturize your scalp, but we’ll also give you the option to select up to five hair goals, including things like soothe scalp, nourish roots, and replenish hair, so your strands can the reap the benefits too.
In-shower treatments aside, you may also want to consider washing your hair less often as this will allow more of your natural oils to sit on your scalp so that the skin there stays hydrated and protected against the blistering cold.
Winter Hair Concern #3: What’s with all of this static
When temperatures dip, the resulting dry, chilly air can create an electrical charge in your hair, causing it to stand up and look a little crazy. You may be tempted to brush out your hair or use your hands to smooth it out, but trust us, this will only make matters worse (especially if you’re wearing any kind of wool scarf or sweater). What you need in these cases is—yup, you guessed it—an extra shot of moisture. Specifically, our customizable leave-in treatment, which can provide an added dose of hydration that will help soften, smooth, and protect your hair from those aforementioned drying elements. Apply a pump or two before heat styling or whenever your hair is feeling a little static-y and kiss those flyaways goodbye!
Winter Hair Concern #4: My hair looks dull and lackluster
During the summer, our manes tend to have a natural, radiant glow about them. That or maybe that’s just how we imagine them to look. Either way, there’s no denying that our strands tend to appear duller and more lackluster once the winter cold sets in. To help bring your hair back to its vibrant, lustrous self, we recommend adding a lightweight serum—like our new, customizable hair serum—to your hair care regimen for an extra dose of healthy, glass-like shine.
Formulated with an optimal blend of argan, annatto, jojoba, and sunflower oils, this lightweight finishing product is designed to help enhance shine, smooth frizz, and increase your hair’s overall manageability so that you can achieve the perfect Insta-worthy glass hair look that you’ve always craved. Best of all, unlike most hair serums on the market today, our hair serum is also safe to use across all hair types—yes, that includes fine hair too— as it’s not only been individually formulated for your specific hair type but is also surprisingly lightweight all on its own.
Winter Hair Concern #5: My hair gets matted and tangled all the time
Between all of the static electricity in the air and the layers of scarves, turtlenecks, and coats, it can seem near impossible to keep your hair from becoming a tangled, matted mess in the cold weather months. The high-neck on most winter clothing rubs up against your delicate hair, causing increased friction, which can lead to knots, tangles, and damage galore. The simple solution to this, of course, is to wear your hair up to keep it from coming into contact with your clothing. If updos aren’t really your thing though (especially in the winter), consider applying a bit of our custom leave-in treatment to your hair instead. It not only acts as a deep conditioning treatment, providing an added boost of moisture and protection, but also as a detangler, as it’s specially designed to smooth and soften the hair so it can remain free of damaging tangles. Try applying a pump of leave-in treatment to your strands either post-shower or whenever your hair is feeling particularly knotty, and slide through those bad boys with ease!
Ready to show your winter hair concerns who’s boss? Start by taking the hair quiz here!
