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.

Related on EcoSalon

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A Guide to the Most Safe, Eco Friendly Shampoos for All Hair Types

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

Image of woman with blowdryer via Gratisography

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Sierra Nevada Mountains in a cologne, a self-sharpening razor and all-in-one organic hops-based shampoo and soap. These outrageously perfect natural grooming products for men will have you swooning big time and falling in love with the art of shaving.

Yes, men pride themselves in getting out the door faster than an Olympian time clock, but that in no way implies careless grooming. Men still need to look and smell good too! So here is a round up of 3 outrageously perfect natural male grooming products that can make the art of shaving, well, more like an art and less like dragging a dull razor across your neck. And while we’re at it, let’s not forget to encourage them to clean in and around theirs ears, shall we?

Self-Sharpening Razor by Born Sharp

An automatic self-sharpening, self-cleaning razor with a single blade lasting up to five years and promising over 2,000 shaves? Yes, it is true. Arguably the greatest tech invention of the decade within the grooming sector, you can forget about disposable razors and excessive plastic–the Born Sharp razor is quality that lasts and redefines the art of shaving for good. ”I knew there had to be another way and we have to think longer term,” Steve Worthington, founder of Born Sharp told us. “The Born Sharp is a single blade giving you the closest shave possible, and it’s less damaging to your skin.” They’ve just ended an Indiegogo campaign, so keep your eye out when this product hits the market because there is nothing like it!

Born Sharp

Hop Shampoo & Body Bar and Shave Cream by Damn Handsome

“If you’re like the average guy, you’ve probably been getting your shaving cream from a can,” Damn Handsome says about their shave cream. “Well, that chemical filled tin does nothing for your face and smells like a dentist office. Our Old-School Shave Cream, on the other hand, is full of natural ingredients that nourish your face, organics hops that will help calm irritated skin and our fresh blend of lavender & juniper will leave you smelling earthy clean – not chemically.” Right. As if guys needed another reason to support the hops industry! The Damn Handsome convenient all-in-one shampoo/soap is also crafted with organic homegrown hops. Plus, it’s packed with other great stuff for your skin like argan oil, sunflower, aloe leaf and juniper to have any damn handsome mate looking and smelling great without unwanted additives–just the good stuff.

Scout Mob, $30

Yuba River Backpacker’s Cologne by Juniper Ridge

Finish that perfect shave up with a natural cologne. It’s California’s Sierra Nevada mountains in a bottle, literally. The guys behind Juniper Ridge are really just avid hikers thriving on the fresh freedom of the outdoors. For almost fifteen years they’ve hiked their favorite trails along the entire Pacific Coast crafting small-batch fragrances distilled from plants, bark, moss and whatever other botanicals they find along the way. Using old perfuming techniques, these scents never see any petroleum-based or chemical additives, only pure aromatherapeutic nostalgia.

Juniper Ridge, $55

Related on Ecosalon

10 Fashion Finds For The Sophisticated Urban Man 

Perfectly Suited: The 4 Best In Sustainable Menswear

The Promising Future of Men’s Fashion: An Interview With The Discerning Brute’s Joshua Katcher

featured image from Juniper Ridge, images from the brands

Keep in touch with Juliette, @spadesandsiLK

The post The Art of Shaving: Outrageously Perfect Natural Grooming Products for Men appeared first on EcoSalon.

Ever imagine what it would be like to walk into a gigantic Whole Foods and have sample after sample handed to you of all that is good and organic? Last weekend I got that and more when I walked into the Natural Products Expo West. The foremost show of the natural products trade industry, 53,000 industry professionals from across the globe gathered March 12 – 14 in Anaheim, California, to look over the latest in organic products and natural trends. I must admit, walking through it was something akin to twirling through Willy Wonka’s giant chocolate candy room – except this chocolate was organic and to my knowledge, untainted by Augustus Gloop.

Any large gathering of people is going to stamp a carbon footprint bigger than Godzilla’s paw (does he have paws? Claws? Claw paws?), but this convention made an effort to go green. Recycling bins abounded throughout the center. All of the press kits were online (saving 487 fully grown trees) and badges were picked up on site, saving four metric tons of carbon emissions. I was thoroughly impressed, but how about the products?

My duties involve writing a green beauty column, so I made a beeline towards the health and beauty section. I practically went skipping with glee through the aisles. All of my favorite lines were there: J.R. Watkins peddled their lip tint, Nature’s Gate offered up moisturizers, and Lavera showed off their latest mascaras. It was like that dream I have where every question about organic and/or natural beauty was laid out in clean aisles with an expert stationed at every stop.

So what did the experts have to say about what’s new in the organic or natural beauty market?

First I checked out the Dr. Bronner’s booth. Here I met awesome Ariel, who told me all about the latest offerings from this legendary skin care line which she discusses in the video above. Then it was off to Lavera Cosmetics, the BDIH certified cosmetics company which produces makeup and body care. Their representative showed off their newest release, which is the Lavera sun spot Glow Go Self-Tanner for your legs and entire body. This product is 100 percent chemical and toxin-free and claims to provide safe, natural looking color and “subtle shimmer” without harmful ingredients or sun exposure. It contains organic soy extracts which is said to “infuse skin with a natural looking glow.” Before I realized what was happening, my entire arm was sprayed with self-tanner, which left it a bit glittery and well, self-tanned.

Sparkling like a Twilight vampire, I headed over to Thayer’s Natural Remedies. There I spoke with John Gehr, who co-owns the company with his mother. Not familiar with Thayer’s Natural Remedies? Get thee to a Whole Foods immediately – their Rose Petal Witch Hazel holds the title as my favorite all-natural beauty product.  I use this product daily and am now sporting a skin tone I haven’t seen since my early 20s – meaning clear skin and rosy cheeks. As John explained to me, witch hazel is a natural astringent with anti-inflammatory properties. It works great as a gentle cleaners and daily toner by tightening pores.

The key to Thayer’s Witch Hazel is the way they extract it. Tannins are the key ingredient in this product and they extract it without heat from the bark of the witch hazel. And it is the tannins that give you that beautiful rosy hue. As John joked, their witch hazel is not “made by witches, but magic for your skin.”

Newly spritzed with rosy cheeks, I stopped by Tom’s of Maine. Here I spoke with friendly representative Staay, who told me all about their new releases. She showed me the latest development for their deodorant line, a new product called Crystal Confidence. This deodorant offers 24 hour protection with a crystal built right into the device. Staay assured me that the product is clinically tested and consumer qualified – in other words, it was tried by customers. She says this is the closest item to a natural antiperspirant on the market.

I’m already looking forward to next year’s Expo!

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