02 Nov How to Prevent Dry Hair in Winter
If you want to learn how to prevent dry hair in winter, this winter hair care tips blog post is for you! Dry hair can be a problem any time of year, but in winter, you may experience more “bad hair days” than you do at any other time of year.
75% of men and woman say that their confidence has been affected by their hair. 40% of those say that dryness, frizz and a lack of hair health were the main problems – “Dry hair most common reason for lack of confidence”, Harvey Water Softeners study.
While water softeners can help dry hair caused by the mineral film that makes it difficult for moisture to penetrate hair, because Metro Vancouver has “soft water” , water is usually not the cause.
Why Does Hair Get Dry in Winter?
Any time of year, but especially in winter, hair becomes dry because the cuticle gets damaged and is stripped of its protective, natural oils.
Hair is dry in winter because:
- You spend more time inside your heated home or workplace. More heat can cause drier hair.
- On cold, dry days, your hair loses moisture.
- Your hair is constantly getting wet and dry.
Daily wetting and “air drying” make the hair repeatedly swell and contract, damaging the cuticle and its layer of protective natural oils. - You towel dry rain-wet hair. Rubbing your hair with a towel causes frizzies.
- Rain strips the hair of some of the conditioners or treatments you’ve applied, and of course, ruins any styling you’ve done that morning.
Over washing, chemical ingredients in hair care products, home hair colouring or perms, overuse of curling irons and hair dryers, can all cause dry, frizzy hair any time of year.
Learn about other reasons hair can become dry.
10 Winter Hair Care Tips
Below are ten winter hair care tips that will help your hair look its best this winter.
- Don’t wash or shampoo daily. Three or four time per week is plenty.
- If you towel-dry hair, don’t rub the towel on the head, pat the hair with the towel.
- Blow dry on a warm setting, not hot. Hold the blow dryer approximately 15cm away from the hair and keep it moving. A study showed that this method of drying hair causes less cuticle damage than natural air drying or towel drying the hair.
- Use conditioner after shampooing and leave it in for several minutes. Apply with fingertips, not by rubbing. The friction of rubbing your hair can damage the cuticle.
- Apply a hair masque formulated for dry hair once a week or every two weeks.
- Use shampoos and conditioners that contain natural ingredients, not chemicals.
- Avoid home perms and hair colouring.
- When it rains, use an umbrella or cover your hair with a scarf or loose fitting hat.
- If your home is dry, purchase a humidifier.
- Book a salon hair treatment or purchase quality hair masques and other treatments. From Hair On Salon uses and sells Surface hair care products.