Top 6 Essential Winter Hair Care Tips

Caring for Your Natural Hair & Hair Extensions in the Winter

Winter means holidays and peppermint and family time and plenty of other wonderful things. But, for many of us, it also means cold, dry weather. And cold, dry weather is the enemy of hair, skin, and nails.

Since we’re experts in the hair department, we want to help you salvage your beautiful locks during the cold months. Follow these essential tips to help protect your natural hair and your clip-in or tape-in hair extensions this winter.

1. Try to keep the hair washing to a minimum.

Excessive hair washing can strip your hair of its natural oils and leave it feeling dry, dull, and lifeless. This can get especially bad during the winter, as the cold air will only dry your hair out even further. To avoid more damage than necessary, try only washing your hair once or twice a week. (If you have hair extensions, you’ll want to wash them even less frequently to preserve them.)

2. Use a deep conditioning treatment once a week.

Especially during the winter months, your hair craves moisture and nutrients—as these can be stripped with the dry air or when washing your hair. You can help replenish what’s missing from your hair to make it stronger and healthier by using a deep conditioning treatment once a week.

We recommend trying the treatment when you’ll be at home for a while. That way, you can apply the treatment and let it soak into your hair for a few hours while you relax or get your chores done around the house. You’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone.

3. Protect your hair using a hat or scarf.

Harsh winter elements like dry air wind, snow, and rain can be extremely damaging to your hair. When you’re going to be outside, you can help prevent your hair from tangling, drying out, or breaking by covering it with a hat or scarf. Just be careful not to fasten your headgear too tight or you could end up restricting the blood flow to your scalp and causing even more damage.

4. Drink plenty of water during the winter months.

Just like the rest of your body, your hair needs plenty of water to stay healthy and hydrated. Though it’s not hot outside, it’s just as easy to get dehydrated during the winter as it is during the summer. If you’re finding it hard to drink as much water as your body needs throughout the day because of the cool weather, try drinking hot water with lemon or hot tea instead. You’ll get the warm, cozy benefits of a hot drink while hydrating your body and hair.

5. Don’t leave your house with wet hair.

Not only can wet hair make you feel cold and uncomfortable while outside, it can actually cause a lot more damage than necessary during the winter. If it’s too cold outside, your hair can freeze from being wet, leaving it prone to breakage. Save yourself the damage by letting your hair air dry before leaving the house.

6. Try to avoid using hot tools as much as possible.

Winter naturally puts a lot of stress on your hair, so if you can control it, try not to stress your hair out even more with hot styling tools. Avoid your hair dryer, straightener, and curling iron/wand as much as possible. And if you must use these tools, try to dry your hair on the cool or warm setting (not hot), and always use a heat protectant spray before styling.