Over winter yet? Us too. Snow, blustery winds, and freezing rain have not only taken their toll on skin and psyche, but winter hair woes have set in too. These tips to battling blizzard head will ensure good hair days straight through to spring.

Feel your hair care efforts have become futile in the face of blizzard hair season? Ditch the chemical hair products and back away from the blow dryer. A few simple product and technique switch ups will buoy your ‘do straight into warmer weather.

We’ve talked dry winter skin here but the season has its disadvantages to hair too. If you are you tired of dealing with dryness, flyaways, or limp locks, a little TLC will have your tresses back to bouncy before the first tree buds.

7 Winter Hair Tips

Acure Organics Dry Shampoo

1 Suds Less // The most common hair complaint in winter has to be dryness. If you are battling hay head there are steps you can take to banish sapped strands. Enlist the help of a dry shampoo. Rather than suds up each day, don a pretty shower cap and reach for the dry shampoo instead. It will add volume without stripping away hair’s natural oils.

Rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask

2 Moisture Infusion // For added moisture try a weekly hair mask. One made with rich plant oils, like Rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask, hydrates strands and moisturizes scalp. Leaves hair strong, bouncy, and shiny. More the DIY type? Try this homemade natural hair mask recipe.

Jao Brand GOE Oil

3 Cling Control // Those dreaded flyaways. Indoor heating, dry air, coats and scarves all contribute to static. Tame stray strands with a hit of oil. GOE Oil by Jao Brand provides instant control when smoothed over hair. Remember, a little dab’ll do ya. Too much oil will cause limp locks.

Yarok FEED YOUR ROOTS Mousse

4 Amp It Up // Fine-haired women tend to go flat in dry weather. If winter has sucked the life out of your hair, pump up the volume with a root lifting product. Yarok FEED YOUR ROOTS Mousse provides body without drying hair. Another tip? If you are prone to lifeless locks, ditch the hat for better hair days.

Widu Elite Bubinga Wood Boar Bristle Brush

5 Dry Hair Brushing // Are you making the most of your scalp’s natural oils? Be sure oils are reaching the ends of strands with a proper brushing. A boar bristle brush (ethically sourced, of course!) is gentle on hair and scalp, while invigorating skin and distributing oil. Feels great too.

Twitstband

6 Winter Up Do // The pony isn’t only for summer, you know. This classic style is a year ‘round hair saver. Just be sure you aren’t doing more damage. A sure way to look stylish while going easy on strands is with Twistband hair ties. Perfect for no wash days.

Image via Shutterstock

7 Mane Food Group // You know how what you eat shows up on your skin? This goes for hair too. Be sure to up your healthy fats intake during winter months to keep hair shiny and at its best. Good sources include ghee, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.

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9 Alternatives to Elastic Hair Ties for Adorable Up Dos and Pull Backs

Image of woman with blowdryer via Gratisography

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7 ways to moisturize your hair in the dry, winter months.

It doesn’t matter if we are raven-haired, red-headed, blonde or brunette. It doesn’t matter if our hair is thin, thick, textured or kinky. During the dry winter months, we might as well hook our heads up to outlets for all the static electricity we produce. The cold, dry temperatures of winter can siphon the moisture from our skin and hair like a sponge. So how best to fight back against winter?

Stop washing your hair every day
We live in a world where most people make best friends with anti-bacterial wipes. Dirt is the enemy. But so is washing your hair too much. Over-washing can strip important oils from your scalp, resulting in dry, over-stimulated tresses. Plus, what’s better for dry hair then your own, natural oils? At the least, try to skip a daily washing.

And when you do wash, consider a homemade shampoo like this one from beauty expert Narine Nikogosian: Combine one tablespoon of dried jasmine with one teaspoon of honey with two eggs yolks. Boil the dried jasmine with one cup of water for five minutes. Steep for ten minutes, then strain. Blend the jasmine, honey and egg yolks. Apply to your hair, and then rinse with cold water.

Install a water filter on your showerhead
Municipal waters contain drying chemicals that can strip your hair of its essential oils. Chlorine and other chemicals used to clean our water supplies can wreak havoc on our hair. Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in a swimming pool knows that hair follicles will eventually make hair like a Brillo pad if not properly rinsed. Here’s more information on shower filters.

Wash your hair backwards
Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients, is also famous for this hair care tip. First, apply half a teaspoon of your favorite oil to your scalp and work it through. You can use jojoba, olive, or sweet almond oil. Second, apply your conditioner and let it sit for a few minutes. Third, use a small amount of shampoo to wash out your hair. Finally, if your hair feels tangled, put a little remaining oil on your fingers and comb through your hair. The oil treatment helps loosen and attract dirt which the shampoo then washes away.

The avocado: not just for salads
The avocado is a triumph of moisturizers, oils and vitamins. But before you add some to your salad, you might want to consider treating your tresses to a homemade avocado mask. Take one small avocado, mash it together with one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of olive oil. You can even blend them together. Apply to damp hair for at least 30 minutes, then rinse. This recipe works on all hair types.

Rinse with olive oil
You can give yourself a fancy “hot oil” salon treatment with a mere tablespoon of organic olive oil. First, rinse your hair with warm water. Then work the olive oil through your tresses with your fingers. Let it sit for twenty minutes. Then rinse with cool water, following up with a bit of shampooing if your hair feels too oily.

Sooth your scalp
An irritated, dry scalp can throw your hair out of balance. Organic stylist and expert Felicia Howe recommends Simply Organic Scalp Spa Treatment ($23.99) to tame your irritated head. As Felicia Shares, “I’ve been using this all season, it’s been saving my hair and scalp. It’s amazing.”  This professional-grade product contains olive leaf extracts.

It’s all about serums
Sometimes you need a serum to act like the really great sequel to your favorite conditioner. Serums can leave your hair extremely hydrated while giving you the fresh out of a spa smell. Basically, a serum delivers the goods to your hair in a concentrated punch. So you want to make sure you use one that has clean, green ingredients.

Yarok Hair Care offers a serum entitled Feed Your Youth ($25) containing hydrating Yarrow and avocado. John Masters Organics has their Dry Hair Nourishment and Defrizzer ($16.00) which combines certified organic jojoba, lavender and rosemary. Both can be used in a “set it and forget it” fashion where you work the ingredients into your hair in the evening, only to be washed out in the morning.

Image:Erintaylormurphy, hulagway, wordridden, [g] [e] [r] [y]

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You should never have to apologize to your hair. Even if you’re soaking in gobs of sea salt, sun and chlorine, your hair will understand. After all, don’t you deserve to enjoy your outdoor-sy time after six months of snow, sleet and rain? Should you be guilt-free about dipping your scalp in the water, no matter how salty or filled with pool chemicals it may be? (Yes and double yes!)

But your hair can be like your mother-in-law – you shouldn’t have to make her happy, but in the end it makes it a lot easier to just get through the day. The fun of the sun can turn our hair drier than the 5,500 year old hair filling out the shoe of this ancient Carrie Bradshaw. It’s all about the sebum. (Isn’t it always?) Sebum is the natural lubricant in our hair that keeps it moisturized – and chlorine, salt, and sun essentially suck this straight out of your hair. This causes your hair sheen to diminish and the cuticle to possibly crack, causing split ends.

Luckily, there are some good natural products on the market that help wash away dry hair with a mere rinse in the shower. One in particular? EO’s Products Repair – Deep Conditioner Wild Lime and Ginger. EO is a fantastic company and I’ve always had good luck with their products. Their certified organic products “use the highest grade natural and certified organic ingredients” and they are sustainably sourced and free of parabens, artificial dyes, and fragrances. Oh, and their signature blue bottles are made from recycled PET plastic.

So yes, their deep conditioner does well in terms of keeping things natural. (Here’s a complete list of the ingredients in the deep conditioner.) But how does it work? The directions call for you to leave the product on your wet hair for ten minutes. I lathered up for a little less but was still pleased with the outcome.

The conditioner works well – I have fine hair and felt like I was walking around with a pleasant ball of fluff on my hair after using it. It has a non-descript scent that is fairly pleasant. It didn’t weigh my hair down like a lot of deep conditioners can do – but I did have to spend an extra minute or two rinsing it out of my hair. Use just a little at a time and rinse well. It’s $9.99 for four ounces, and you can find online here.

Image: Môsieur J. [version 3.0b]

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