How to Keep Hair Healthy and Manageable During Winter Months

Indoor heating and daily blow-drying, common perils of the winter season, can leave hair deprived of moisture. Plus, winter hats can cause flat and static-filled hair. Ack! Here's how to avoid those bad hair days.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Heat Protectant Sprays
• Blow Dryers
• Body-building Conditioners
• Deep Conditioner
• Hair Mousses
• Leave-in Conditioners
• Moisturizing Shampoos
• Shampoos For Normal Hair
• Deep Conditioner

1. Get a haircut or trim by mid-autumn to remove any damage caused by the summer elements. Follow with a deep-conditioning treatment to replenish moisture loss, and repeat once or twice a month throughout the season.

2. Alternate your regular shampoo and conditioner with a moisture-rich formula to combat seasonal dryness. Since you're likely to blow-dry your hair more frequently in the winter, use a heat-protectant spray before you flip the switch, and dry on a low setting whenever possible.

3. Add volume to hair flattened by hats or scarves by styling it with mousse. Reactivate it with moist fingertips when you reach work in the morning, flipping your head and lifting your roots for added fullness.

4. Combat hair static by switching to a leave-in conditioner. Towel-dry freshly shampooed hair, then evenly distribute a dollop of the product before styling.

5. Give your scalp a nice massage a few times a week to keep oxygenated blood moving to your roots. It will relax your senses and promote hair growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Lack of sunshine can dull or seem to darken hair. Keep summer highlights vibrant with a chamomile tea rinse or color-enhancing shampoo.
• Styling products that contain alcohol can further dry hair. Consider switching to alcohol-free formulas.

Who Can Help:

• Are you tired of cakey makeup? Try RawMinerals Free.

on 12/30/2005 Before showering, I comb my hair one last time. This helps to distribute the natural oils in your hair. When in the shower, I usually comb my conditioner into my hair paying special attention to the tips because this is where your hair has less moisture. When I'm done I usually blast cold water onto my hair. This helps with keeping the hair moisturized since it closes the hair shaft and it makes your hair extremely shiny.

on 11/22/2005 My stylist told me that when you rinse out your conditioner, you should use colder water. When you look at a piece of hair under a microscope, it looks like the shingles of a roof. When you use colder water to rinse out your conditioner, it closes those "shingles" and makes your hair smoother.

on 11/22/2005 I have super long (3 1/2 ft. from crown to tips), super thin, super straight hair and static in the winter is a nightmare for me. I have learned 3 good ways of combating it however. #1 Keep a trial size bottle of a leave in spray conditioner with you at all times (you can buy these in drug stores for pennies). #2 Run a dryer sheet over your hair. #3 Spray something like Static Guard over your hair (this may stink but it's effective).

on 11/22/2005 Keep your hat on till spring, maybe early summer.

on 11/22/2005 If you are having trouble with fly away hair try this. Rinse hair, after shampooing, every now and then with a good liquid clothes conditioner. It greatly cuts down the static in your hair.