Winter is Coming! Well, this is not an alarm for all the Game of Thrones fans here but yes since winter season is just around the corner what you need to be alarmed about is your hair.
From cold breezes to hot water showers, you might have to face a lot of tough times ahead. Your skin and hair need care all 12 months of the year but you need to be a bit more careful during winters. To prevent your hair from the damage this season can cause, we bring to you some hair care tips that are both handy and effective.
Effective Winter Hair Care Tips
1. Wash Your Hair Less Often
Do you feel lazy washing your hair in winter? Well, there is a piece of good news for you. Your laziness is proving to be a boon for your hair. Yes, the principle of “less is more” applies here too. Washing your hair too often increases the flaking off of your dry scalp as shampoos reduce the sebum in your hair scalp. But that doesn’t mean you won’t wash them for weeks. Washing once or twice a week works fine but don’t wash more than that.
2. Listen to your Grandma When She Asks you to Oil your Hair
You might see your skin getting peeled off near your nails, and dryness on your hands quite often in winters and for that, we use creams and moisturizers for our skin but what we often neglect is our scalp. Yes! Dryness doesn’t spare our heads too. Dandruff, which we generally talk about in Shampoo ads, is small pieces of dry skin flaking off from your head. It is a result of dryness and causes itching. Oiling your hair regularly can help solve this problem in no time.
3. Avoid Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoos have become an easy go-to option. Not feeling like getting yourself a headwash, simply spray some dry shampoo and you are good to go. It might be your favorite, but not your hair’s favorite. Using dry shampoos can damage your hair more than the help they provide you at the last-minute planned parties. If you couldn’t wash your hair due to some reason but still have a party to attend, instead of spraying the dry shampoo, try putting on a stylish cap or try a new hairstyle.
4. Combing your Hair, the Right Way
You might feel combing or brushing your hair is a mundane task. But you may not realize that you might need to apply some science here as well. To protect your hair from falling, you must always comb your hair from the inner side. Also, if you have frizzy hair, use combs with wider teeth or go for a hairbrush. Don’t be harsh on your hair, comb them gently and smoothly. Comb every day so that you don’t have an entangled bunch of hair that seems impossible to detangle the next day.
5. The Right Dose of Vitamin D
Don’t just keep hiding from the sun all the time. A little time in sunlight is what your body craves. Studies show that sunlight helps to regrow hair follicles and prevent hair fall as it provides you with vitamin D. Lack of vitamin D is a cause for hair loss. Both lack, as well as excess sunlight, can harm your hair. Hence, an appropriate amount of Vitamin D is what you require.
6. Keep yourself Hydrated
The benefits of water are innumerable. In winters, we usually find our water intake reduces significantly. One may not notice but the lack of water in our bodies easily reflects in our hair. Dehydration results in dullness and dryness of hair. Therefore, don’t be careless about hydrating your body.
7. Go for Braids
Do you remember how the women from our older generations kept their hair braided all the time? Well! It wasn’t just a fashion trend but a way to keep one’s hair strong and prevent them from falling. Braiding your hair reduces your hair fall by a considerable amount. So next time you go out, try out a new hairstyle by braiding your hair.
If you still don’t feel like going out in a braid, we have another option for you. Oil your hair at night and keep them braided overnight. Braiding helps in locking in the moisture. It also prevents them from getting entangled.
8. Say No to Electric Appliances
Whether you like to straighten your hair or blow dry them, your choices are silently harming your hair. Your hair is already suffering from the winter’s attack of dryness, they can’t take any more heat. Use these electric appliances to the least, especially in the winters. Avoid hair dryers, straighteners, and curlers as much as you can.
9. Get Vitamin C
It isn’t just what you apply, but also what you intake that determines the health of your hair. Vitamins have a lot of roles to play in your hair care regime. Most prominent amongst them is Vitamin C . We all are aware of the role it plays in boosting our immunity. You might have wondered why many hair oils and shampoos contain amla. Well! That’s because amla is one of the biggest sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is present in many face creams as well. It has properties that benefit your skin as well as your hair.
10. Go for a Lukewarm Bath
The idea of having a hot water bath just before getting into clean sheets before sleeping seems quite relaxing. But getting a hot shower isn’t good for your hair and skin. Bathing with hot water can make your skin and scalp dry, which increases dandruff. Try keeping the temperature of the water moderate. Go for lukewarm water to prevent your hair from damage and your body from catching a cold.
11. Be Aware of the Chemicals
We might have not been so fond of chemicals or their formulas in school but it is important to be aware of the impact these chemicals have on us. From shampoos to conditioners, almost all the health and beauty products we use have a ton of chemicals present inside them. Some of these chemicals are beneficial but most of them do more harm than good. Check for the chemicals in your shampoo. You need to eliminate shampoos that have a high concentration of sulfur in them. It is best if you can find something completely natural and organic.
12. Protein Intake
Don’t associate protein just with muscle building. Keratin is a protein present in our hair and nails to help them grow. Lack of protein can weaken your hair and hinder hair growth. Hence, take a protein-rich diet. Eggs are a good source of protein. You can have it in your meals or even apply it to your scalp. Carrots, sweet potato, garlic are some other options that you can include in your everyday diet.
13. Protect your Hair from Heat
A heat protection spray is a spray your hair might be silently craving for. It prevents your hair from the heat effects of electric appliances like hair straighteners, curlers. You have to spray this on your hair before you start using the appliance on your hair. If you spend a lot of time out in direct sunlight, it might also prevent your hair from sun damage (not much effective for sun heat though).
14. Put on a Cap
Cover your head with a cap or scarf. It not only prevents you from getting cold but will also reduce the exposure of your hair to the cold winter winds that might weaken them. Putting a cap will also help your hair from getting dirty.
There is an additional benefit as now you won’t have to wash your hair that often as they are less dirty and remain protected inside the cap.
15. Conditioning your Hair
Your hair might become more frizzy than usual in winters. It is advised to use conditioners in summers too. However, using it in winters becomes a necessity if you want to take good care of them. Conditioning your hair provides them with moisture and reduces the ill effects of shampoo. There are deep conditioners available that you don’t need to rinse off. They lock in the moisture in your hair and prevent them from getting frizzy for a much longer time.
16. Hair Masks
Just like face masks, hair masks are a thing too. Available in different variants like aloe vera, honey, etc, they can give you a hair spa service at your home.
But wait, why spend money on something you can get free at home? Hair masks can be easily prepared at home. They are more of a home remedy for your hair. There are various ingredients that you can choose from. These include apple cider, aloe vera, rice and milk, eggs, etc.
Identify what suits you more and what kind of problem your hair has. Some complaint of hair fall while others of frizzy hair. Every hair problem has a different solution. Identify what your hair needs and accordingly prepare a hair mask exclusively for them.
17. Green Leafy Vegetables
Winters are the time when green leafy vegetables dominate your kitchen. Make the best use of these seasonal vegetables as along with other benefits, they benefit your hair too.
Consuming Spinach can be one of the best gifts that you can give your hair. Rich in iron, vitamins, and minerals, spinach has many benefits to offer. Keeping your hair strong is one of the many advantages it provides.
18. Timely Trimming
As and when the health of your hair deteriorates, it shows signs of becoming dull, frizzy, and splitting towards the ends. Split ends become more common in winters. It isn’t much you can do to get rid of those split ends except for chopping them off. Hence, you need to regularly get your hair trimmed to get rid of the split ends.
19. Head Massage
Head massages improve blood circulation. As a result of increased blood circulation, your scalp gets more nutrients from the body’s reserves. Also, the nutrients reach the targeted points. Massage your head while oiling to get the best result of both. This will help the oil nutrients reach the right place. Use tea oil, olive oil, or coconut oil for massages. Massage gently in a circular motion so that the oil gently seeps inside your scalp.
20. Using the Right Product at the Right Place
Many of us are not aware of the exact place where the product needs to be applied. Sometimes even using a good product can cause damage if the point of application isn’t right. For eg, shampoos must be used more near the scalp whereas conditioners should be used near the ends of the hair strand. To get the maximum results and reduce unnecessary chemical usage, be aware of the right use of the products you are using. Optimum and targeted utilization of beauty products maximizes benefits and reduces side effects.
Conclusion
Just like any other body part, our hair needs our attention too. We must take good care of our skin and hair throughout the year. However, every season has a different impact on our bodies. As the monsoon brings in more humidity, winters bring more dryness. Moisturizing your skin and hair well becomes much more important in winters than in any other season. Along with health and beauty products, one must also closely monitor his/her diet for holistic well-being.
