'Tis the season of our follicle discontent.
There's a lot to celebrate about the cold weather months …except how those brisk winds and chilling temperatures wreck havoc on your midlifer hair.
Personally, I don't care if it's 100 below outside. I will never wear a hat even if I see my ears freeze and break off. I'm sorry, but even under those circumstances I still want to avoid hat hair.
I can't avoid walking into those overly heated rooms where I actually sense my hair crisping. Even worse is being out in the windy elements in both Nevada and Chicago where my hair takes flight…and lands in positions that they never even tried on "Sex and the City."
Time to get some expert help, ladies! I went to the Hair Club for a few tips. Founded by Sy Sperling, they're the leader in hair loss solutions and now have 100 locations across the US and beyond.
"In winter, moisture is the biggest key to maintaining the health and style of your hair," said Tina Lewis, director of technical training with Hair Club®. "Whether spending time indoors or outdoors, the air is dry and not only causes frizz but can easily cause damage and breakage."
Here are her tips on gorgeous hair and dry hair tips. A few tips will even help you when it comes to how to regrow hair.
Do a shampoo overhaul.Choose a sulfate-free shampoo: A common ingredient found in shampoos, sulfates help remove buildup and debris. But, especially in the winter, they can also irritate and dry the scalp, strip color and shine, cause split ends, and cause the hair cuticle to become rough and coarse. Sulfate-free shampoos help attract moisture back to hair.
Dump your paddle brush. Use a round brush:We often hide under a hat to protect our head and ears from chilly temperatures, leading to unattractive hat hair. A round brush is a styling tool that helps to create lift, volume, and the appearance of fullness. Choose one that has soft bristles and holes in the barrel to help to circulate air and protect from intense heat.
Multivitamins are your friend:An easy way to keep hair healthy from the inside out and even regrow hair, selecting a multivitamin that contains these four essentials is vital for healthier, stronger hair:
Biotin: The most important supplement you can take, Biotin is vital for hair growth and strengthening both hair and nails.
Vitamin B:Helps to enhance fullness and the way hair looks by promoting blood circulation to the scalp, preventing premature grays and hair loss, and stimulating growth.
Vitamin C:Influences how hair maintains its color and the right level of moisture.
Vitamin D: Working hand in hand with calcium, Vitamin D helps to grow hair and protect it from drying and breaking.
Cool it on the hair care products…and use the right ones:Combatting static, fly-aways, and flatness makes it easy to load up on mousse and hair spray, but ultimately, the overuse of styling products has the reverse effect. Too much of a good thing can limit natural hair movement, clump the hair together, weigh it down, and make it look greasy, increasing the appearance of thinness or less hair. Stick to a dime-sized portion of product, avoiding contact with the scalp so as not to clog pores or cause flakes. Look to gloss drops to help reduce static.
Focus on moisture. Winter air outside is drier due to colder conditions as well as inside due to heating in buildings. When hair is wet it naturally stretches, and as it dries it will shrink. If hair becomes overly dry and lacks moisture it can snap and break during the drying process. For your healthiest winter hair, it is all about deep conditioning. Using conditioners with a lower molecular weight will allow for moisture to be delivered deeper into the hair, and won't weigh hair down.
Don't be too much of a hottie:Many of us are guilty of blasting scorching, artificial heat on our locks each day with a favorite beauty tool. Not only can these tools actually burn your hair, but they also dry it out, leaving it susceptible to breakage and split ends. Winter air is generally drier due to cold conditions outside and heated indoor environments, making this season especially hard on hair.
Make sure to only use a dryer once hair is damp (not dripping wet) and keep it at least six inches away, moving it continuously over different areas. With irons, never leave them on hair for more than 15-20 seconds. Heat protectors and/or a leave-in conditioner are always recommended to help protect your strands from the very beginning and increase volume, but if possible, skip the tools a couple days a week and go au natural.
