Show your hair some winter warmth

Winter is not the best season for your hair. Changing temperatures, wind, rain and static electricity mean it’s no fun for hair when the leaves start to fall!

In order to take care of your hair in winter, you need to know your hair inside out to really be able to pamper it. As the chilly weather attacks and starts to ruffle your feathers, show your hair some winter warmth with our helpful hints for looking after your locks.

1. Wash your hair gently

Over winter, go for gentleness above everything else. Your scalp gets upset by lots of different external aggressions, not to mention the moulting your scalp endures in the autumn... It is unhelpful to add to these aggressions even more by using harsh hair care products.

Depending on the nature of your scalp, you need to shampoo hair two or three times a week (if it is greasy) and just once if it is dry.

What hair care products should you be using? You should choose your products according to your hair type and scalp. The idea that hair becomes greasier in winter because of a richer seasonal diet “has not been scientifically proved” points out Catherine Chauvin, director of the René Furterer Institute in Paris. So there is no need to adopt a different shampooing routine in winter, but concentrate more on what hair type you have.

On the other hand, if you are going out on the slopes this winter, “Your hair will be exposed to the sun’s rays, and so you’ll need to use specially formulated hair care for the sun”.

• Apply shampoo to your hair gently. Lather it by massaging the scalp lightly with your fingertips, avoiding using your nails, which will damage your scalp (even minuscule scratches are enough to do damage).
• Rub gently and rinse well so no residue is left on your hair; any left over product will weigh your hair down making it look lank.
• Gentle massage is key for your scalp’s health as Catherine Chauvin emphasises: "It stimulates microcirculation and allows different nutritive elements to reach the hair roots”.

2. Condition your hair deeply

Once you’ve washed your hair, you should nourish it deeply, especially if you have curly or coloured hair, which is even more fragile in winter. With shop shelves absolutely overflowing with different hair care products, it is not always clear which one to go for. Look for products with for a rich formula with active nourishing and repairing ingredients, such Shea butter or almond, apricot oils.

• Over the dark depths of winter, use extra deep conditioning treatments, masks and oil massages to give your hair the extra strength and vitality it needs.
• In winter we all tend to cover our heads with woolly or furry hats, which stifle hair, causing static electricity and even making hair fall out. Don't overdo the hat wearing and make sure you let your mane breathe as much as possible.

3. Extra winter hair care

• Shampooing isn’t enough on its own to get rid of all your hair’s impurities (dead cells, residue from pollution), so you should brush your hair daily during winter. Use a brush with natural fibres and brush downwards from hair root to tip (without scraping the brush across your scalp). Note that you should not over brush your hair, as this will damage the hair shafts – no need for the 100 strokes as granny used to say.

• In winter, going out with wet hair is out of the question so a hairdryer is a necessary evil. Avoid giving your hair too much of a rough time though, and dry it with cool air from time to time, keeping the hairdryer as far away from the hair shaft as possible. It will take a few extra minutes to dry your hair this way, but your hair will thank you for it. For long hair, dry it upside down as this will air it evenly. If you are a straightening addict, use a heat protection product based on essential oils to protect both the scalp and the overheated hair shaft.

Winter hair care product shopping

• Karité Nutritive, René Furterer
  Rich with 12% of nutritive Shea oil extracts, this product range offers nourishing and regenerating qualities in the treatment of ultra-dry hair types.
  Nutritive Shampoo – 150ml, £10
  Intense Nourishing Conditioning Cream – 200ml, £24

• Re-nutrition, L'Oréal
  Elvive Re-Nutrition combines technology with Royal Jelly. This conditioning product range nourishes and replenishes, creating a divine sensation.
  Caring Shampoo – 250ml, £3.50
  Replenishing Mask – 200ml, £4

Thanks to Catherine Chauvin, Director of the René Furterer Institute in Paris.

Jessica Xavier

Copyright © 2011 Doctissimo

Posted 08.12.2011

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