Why is my hair so dry? 6 Tips to Keep Your Hair Healthy This Winter

By Andy Tseng

Last week Portland-based makeup artist Anny Chow shared some tips with her brides-to-be on how to keep skin hydrated during winter. This week I would like to share six tips on how to improve dryness and to achieve healthy shiny hair. 

Entering the winter season, hair may feel dry to the touch. This is probably due to the colder, drier weather which can strip your hair moisture and make it feel dry, brittle, and dull. You might find your hair gets more frizzy. Frizziness is caused by dry hair that lacks moisture. 

Here are six tips you can start implementing to your hair routine that could help you to get more healthy hair. 


1.) TRIM YOUR HAIR REGULARLY

It’s important to keep up with a regular trim schedule. Depending on the hair, it might even need a reset in the form of a fresh cut. Even if your hair isn’t very long, split ends can make hair difficult to style and make dry or coarse. To maintain healthy hair, aim for a quarterly trim and get a haircut every 9 to 12 weeks. 

2.) AVOID WASHING THE HAIR EVERY DAY

The shampoo is designed to remove dirt and sweat from your hair and scalp, therefore, it also strips the natural oil that your hair produces. I always recommend using shampoo on the scalp area only and avoiding the mid strand to the end. If you are used to washing your hair every day, you can first start with washing your hair every other day to see if your hair gets healthier as a result. If you can’t go a day in between washing, at least use a shampoo specifically for dry hair or even try baby shampoo. Both cleanse your hair gently without stripping hair completely of its natural oil.

3.) APPLY CONDITIONER BEFORE THE SHAMPOO 

Yes, you read that right. Conditioner first then shampoo. If you have very dry hair, this tip is for you. You can apply conditioner from midshaft to end before using the shampoo. This is a great way to prevent dryness that might cause by your shampoo.

4) WRAP YOUR HAIR INSTEAD OF AIR DRYING 

Instead of just air-drying your hair, try to wrap your hair instead to allow the hair to absorb as much moisture as possible before hitting it with a blowdryer. When drying hair, keep the nozzle of the hairdryer around a foot away. Always brush from top to bottom. This does two things. First, it helps to close and smooth the hair cuticles. Second, it prevents the hair from reabsorbing the moistures in the air which causes frizzy hair. 

Another benefit of wrapping the hair as long as you can is that it cuts down the time using the hot tool, which tends to dehydrate the hair. And always remember to spray heat protectant before applying any heat to the hair. 

5.) TURN DOWN THE WATER TEMPERATURE WHEN WASHING YOUR HAIR 

We all love hot baths and hot showers, especially during the winter months. But do you know colder water is actually better for your hair? Hot water not only can damage your hair but also can dry out your scalp drying which causes dandruff. It’s best to wash your hair in lukewarm water. You can even try to rinse your hair in cold water if you can handle it. Cold water helps to smooth the roughened hair surface.

6) USE DEEP CONDITIONING TREATMENT ONCE A MONTH 

hair mask or an intense hair treatment is designed to restore your hair’s moisture levels, reduce hair breakage, and improve hair elasticity. Use it once a month for deep condition treatment. In addition to a hair mask, you can use hair serum and hair oil whenever your hair feels dry. To get the best result hair serum or hair oil when the hair is damp. If your hair strands have been damaged by heat, hair serum helps to fill in the gaps in your hair strands by smoothing your hair strand by strand. 

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