How to Maintain Healthy Hair During the Winter Months

Does your hair look dull and feel dry during the wintertime? The winter months tend to wreak havoc on your skin, but you may notice that your hair lacks luster too. During the winter months, the air is dry and can easily zap the moisture from your hair and cause it to lose its healthy shine. Your hair is a direct result of what you put into your body.

Dry hair not only lacks luster but it also tends to be frizzy, tangles or knots easily, and unmanageable. The best way to prevent dry hair is to practice a few simple steps and take care of your hair just like you would your skin. Many people don’t realize that your hair is an extension of the epidermis and it is composed of dead protein known as keratin. A typical, strand of hair can stay attached to the scalp for roughly 3 to 5 years before it starts falling out.

How to Maintain Healthy Hair During the Winter Months

Here are some of the most effective and affordable ways to get maintain healthy hair during the winter months.

Have Your Water Tested

Hair that is difficult to style, appears dull or feels drier than normal, we suggest that you have your water tested to determine the type of minerals in your water. Mineral buildup in your hair can cause it to dry out easier, especially during the winter months and take away the natural shine.

Hard water can be very harsh on your hair but in order to determine if you have hard water, you will have to have it tested. Contact your local water department for questions and water testing for your home. All drinking water, including well water, contains minerals. The water treatment process doesn’t remove all of the minerals from the water especially in areas where the water is hard. Minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, silica, or lead in high amounts can cause your hair to become dry and dull.

The fewer minerals found in drinking water in your area, the softer your hair will be. Adding a water softener system to your entire house would be the best way to reduce the number of minerals. Or you can add a filter (we suggest ClearlyFiltered aff link) on your shower head and help reduce the number of minerals in the water. This will help improve water quality and improve your hair. If not try using a clarifying shampoo once or twice a week to help remove mineral buildup in your hair.

Use Your Brush Sparingly

Brushing your hair is good for your hair but brushing it excessively can cause problems. Experts recommend brushing your hair once or twice a day, any more than that can cause damage. Tangled hair can also cause excessive damage and you should use care when brushing out any tangles. Tugging excessively on your hair can cause you to inadvertently pull on your hair follicles to hard. Pulling and tugging can even cause accidental damage to your hair follicles without even realizing it. Pick a brush that is best for your hair type.

Brushing your hair once a day helps remove tangles while stimulating your hair follicles to produce sebum. Sebum is the oil that is produced by the pores on your scalp. As you are brushing your hair, you naturally redistribute the oil near your roots towards the end of your hair strands. You want to pull the oil towards the ends of your hair and help increase natural oils towards the bottom. Keeping natural oil on your locks will help protect your hair and keep it healthier.

If your mom taught you to brush your hair 100 times a day, you can give up this daily ritual.

Are you Brushing Your Hair Correctly?

Not only is it important to choose the right kind of brush but it is just as important to know how to properly brush your hair. Brushing your hair incorrectly could cause hair loss, breakage, and damage to your hair.

Always brush your hair whenever you get up in the morning or after a nap. This helps remove the tangles and helps tame your bed head. Also, it is best to brush your hair before you get into the shower.  Showering with tangled hair can cause further damage to your hair.

Never brush your hair when it is wet unless you are using a brush that is specifically made to be used on wet hair. Always start brushing your hair towards the ends and work your way up. This helps remove the tangles without damaging your hair. Avoid brushing your hair from the scalp down when you have tangles. Brushing through tangles incorrectly can cause additional stress and breakage to your hair.

If you need to brush your hair while it is wet, it is better to use a wide-tooth comb or a brush that is specifically made for wet hair. Even with the right tools, use care when brushing wet hair because it is more prone to damage.

Avoid Brushing Dry, Curly Hair

Curly hair requires a bit more work to keep it healthy. It is important that you never brush your hair when it is dry. Brushing curly hair when it is dry only causes it to frizz out. Instead, use a spray-in conditioner first. Once your hair is damp, then you can safely brush it.

Use Natural Products Whenever Possible

If you feel that your hair needs extra care then try using natural products. Natural products are effective and affordable compared to professional products. Some of the most common natural products that you can safely use on your hair include lemon juice, honey, aloe vera, avocado hair masks, coconut oil, and many more. These products can be found in your kitchen and you can easily make a homemade hair mask. Doing this once a week will help give you shiny and healthy hair.

Do avoid products that contain harsh ingredients or chemicals, you know the ones you can’t pronounce listed on the label. Never use products that contain alcohol. Alcohol will dry out your hair and make it vulnerable to more damage.

Dyeing your hair or using relaxing agents will only make your hair look good for a short period of time. However, it could cause more problems in the end. If you want to dye your hair, look for alternative hair dyes that don’t contain harsh chemicals.

Vary Hairstyles to Prevent Damage

Find a few new hairstyles that don’t require you to use a flat iron or a curling iron. Pinterest is the best way to find new hairstyles to choose from and you can find thousands of hairstyles to choose from so that you aren’t prone to dry, frizzy hair. Skip hairstyles that rely on the use of a straightener or curling iron. These styling devices tend to dry out your hair especially if it is already dry and brittle during the winter.

Get Your Regular Trim

When your hair is lacking proper nutrients, you will notice that your hair is frizzy, it tangles or knots easily, and you may even see split ends. Trimming your hair removes the frizz and helps make your hair more manageable. You don’t have to cut a ton of hair off. A simple trim every 4 to 8 weeks will do the trick.

Split ends also cause your hair to become brittle and easy to break. To make hair stronger, you should opt to get a regular trim. While you think your hair becomes shorter with regular trimming it can actually become longer quicker when the ends aren’t damaged. Tangled hair also causes you to pull more strands of hair out too.

Prevent Dehydration

When your body is dehydrated, your body starts pulling fluids from non-essential areas of your body, including from your hair. Mild dehydration can cause your hair to look dull. However, when your body is severely dehydrated your hair will suffer severe consequences such as brittle, thinning hair, even hair loss. Do your best to drink 8 glasses of water on a daily basis to maintain healthy, shiny hair.

Keeping your hair healthy and soft is easier when you are using the right tools. Remember your hair is composed of dead protein known as keratin. Each strand can stay attached to your scalp for 3 to 5 years. We hope that you find these effective and affordable ways to get healthy hair this winter.

Do you currently use these healthy hair habits? How do you keep your hair healthy in the winter?