Dull, damaged & dry hair? Not this winter!
How can we take care of our hair this winter?
Hydrated and nourished hair through the winter months in undeniably a challenge. As we brave the harsh natural elements and watch the temperatures plummet, our hair can become dry, frizzy & prone to breakage.
Hair becoming drier over the course of the winter months is down to a variety of factors, however the most common causes are the combination of cold weather and our warm household heating. Keeping our homes too warm removes essential moisture in the air, this can cause our hair to noticeably break more often as the follicles become weaker and brittle while also just looking a little dull.
Remove the Heat
A hot shower is one of life’s simple pleasures however exposure to high temperatures for an extended period of time will not only dry out the hair but it will also impact the health of your scalp. Heat will strip the hair and scalp of natural, essential oils that are designed to protect and nourish. Once these are removed, the scalp can become itchy or flaky while the hair strands appear weak and may begin to split.
When our skin is dry, our body recognises this and overproduces oils in order to replace the moisture loss. Washing your hair with lukewarm/warm water will still clean the hair but it won’t be as harsh as extreme heat. If you’re brave, hit the cold for the last 30 seconds or so of your shower to seal the cuticle and reduce frizziness. Maybe start with 15 seconds if you haven’t done it before, it’s a bit of a shock…
If you are an avid heat styler always use a thermal protector, this creates a barrier over your hair and prevents it from being too damaged from the heat. Alternatively, look up some easy & heat free hair styles that you could start doing one or two days a week to reduce the amount of heat your hair is being exposed to!
Hydration!
Switching to a moisturising shampoo full of natural nourishing oils will replenish the moisture and put it back into the hair, helping to protect the hair and prevent it from looking dull.
One of the best tips I have is to swap to a sulphate free shampoo! Sulphates are added to many cleaning products to amplify the cleaning effects and to strip away as much dirt as it can. When used in products such as shampoos or cleansers it can be too harsh, stripping away our natural oils. If you colour your hair, sulphate free shampoos also help to maintain the colour and prevent it from looking dull.
Hydrating Cream Shampoo: Innersense
Boost hydration with this luxuriously rich & nourishing InnerSense shampoo, a hydrating natural shampoo for thick, dry and damaged hair. The sulfate free natural shampoo uses raw shea butter, avocado, sage and tamanu oils to restore the hair cuticle and leave it feeling soft & smooth.
Olive Oil Shampoo: La Saponaria
This gentle shampoo contains purely natural ingredients that will help cleanse the hair and scalp without stripping the scalp of its natural oils. This shampoo is ideal for anyone with a particularly sensitive scalp, the high amounts of oils in the formula will be soothe and replace moisture loss in the hair.
Treatments & Conditioners
Hair masks are a great way to nourish the hair from root to tip in a short amount of time! If you have severely dry hair then try leaving it on for an extended period of time, overnight, as this will really boost the hydration. Follow up any mask with a good hydrating conditioner as this locks in all the moisture.
Creamy Coconut Hair Mask: Flow Cosmetics
This luxurious, creamy mask is the answer to our winter hair dilemmas! Ideal for all hair types, this mask combines the holy trinity: coconut oil, coconut milk & argan oil. These fatty acids, vitamins, minerals will penetrate into the hair and moisturise the hair while reducing split ends & frizziness!
Hemp Oil Conditioner Bar: Flow Cosmetics
A rich & intense hydrating conditioning bar is ideal to follow up a hair mask! Infused with cold pressed hemp oil, this conditioner bar is rich in vitamins and minerals to nourish the hair and reduce breakage.
Nourishing Hair Elixir - Evolve Beauty
This all natural treatment will nourish and smooth the hair while the intense organic argan oil & baobab oil strengthens and reinforces the hair. Apply this product to smooth fly aways, split ends & finish off your hair style.
Psst...this oil is an essential to help naturally define soft & beautiful curls.
Argan oil is another great treatment to use on the hair and scalp. Rich in natural antioxidants, vitamin E as well as omega 3,6 & 9 will intensely nourish and repair dry or damaged hair & scalp. To use as a hair treatment, either apply 30 minutes before hair washing or for optimum results leave overnight!
Hair Accessories
How could accessories like scrunchies or brushes really make that much of a difference to the health of our hair? Cheaper hair accessories will use lower quality materials in order to manufacture their products at a lower cost, the only one that misses out is us! Low cost scrunchies tend to be made with extremely tight elastic which is perfect to hold a style but it is too constricting and harsh on our hair.
Pure Silk Scrunchie: Easy Livin’
Hand made in Poland, Easy Livin scrunchies are made with the highest quality pure Italian silk. The flexible elastic will still hold your style but the silk texture means that it will glide effortlessly over the hair which reduces the chance of damage or frizziness.
Jade Healing Comb: Easy Livin’
This 100% natural jade comb combines function with well-being! Massaging the scalp daily with this comb stimulates hair growth, promotes stimulation of hair roots, balances the sebum production and reduces dandruff! This magical comb reduces stress, tension and is a perfect way to unwind at the end of a busy day!
Beauty Starts From Within
Constantly bombarding our hair with blow drying, curling, straightening or colouring obviously damages that hair and while it is important to nourish our hair with hydrating products, it is also a good idea to increase your intake of essential vitamins, minerals and proteins in your diet in order to help restore your hair from within!
Alternatively, hair supplements are a fantastic way of getting in all of the essential nutrients for happy hair!
Formulated with unsaturated fatty acids & organic sea buckthorn oil, this hair supplement is the ultimate natural booster for healthy hair! The nutrient dense formula has been created to nourish the hair and scalp while supporting shiny, beautiful hair! It is 100% plant based and certified organic & natural so rest assured you will only be getting the best of the best!