Beauty Tips for Dry, Brittle Winter Hair

From static cling to dry flyaways and thinning strands, tis the season for winter hair.

With winter you get a combination of bad situations when it comes to your hair,” said Redken Artistic Educator Kellie Diana Johnson. “You’ve got the harsh cold temperatures. AT the same time you have forced, hot air on the hair—dry heat from hair dryers and straighteners.

“You end up with dry, brittle hair. The combination of the dry heat and the cold weather take all the moisture out of your hair.”

The problem is more than an issue of aesthetics. Dry hair means breakage, Johnson pointed out.

And, she added, “Putting on a wool hat is probably not the best thing either because of the abrasion of the wool against the hair. They say you should wear a silk scarf under your hat. You’re supposed to sleep on a silk pillowcase, too.”

But who does that really? “Honestly, I don’t know that many people that do that,” said Johnson, who addition to her work around the country on behalf of Redken also owns Elan Hair Studio in Sea Girt, NJ. Johnson also has worked on hair teams for New York Fashion Week and the MTV and Bravo cable networks.

Instead, Johnson said the key is to use products that put the moisture back into the hair and protect against damage from the winter temperatures and exposure to extreme heat.

“There are all kinds of technology today with hair products so the best thing I would recommend is to really take advantage of these products,” Johnson said. “I would also recommend you not wash your hair every day. I think we overdo that. You can go three times a week just to maintain the moisture in your hair,” she said.

In addition to thermal protection products, Johnson also recommends regular usage of moisture masks and conditioners. Frequent trims to prevent split ends should also be part of your winter hair routine, she said.

“We focus so much on winter skin but the hair is an organ, too and we have to moisturize that as well,” Johnson said. Of course if one is going to add moisture, it’s important not to counteract that effort by overdoing it with the heat one applies to the hair.

“A lot of people turn up their flat irons over 450 (degrees). Use a thermal protecting product is only one part of it. The other part you have to remember is not to turn up the temperature so high. 385 (degrees) is fine for most heads of hair,” she said. “If you have coarse hair you can put that temperature a little higher but remember hotter isn’t always better.”

Even the quality of the bristles in your hair brush can make a difference, Johnson said. Brushes with boar bristles are best; stay away from metal bristles and make sure you don’t pull the hair too hard when blow drying, she said.

Here are some of Johnson’s other suggestions:

• For oily hair you may want to just add moisture to the ends instead of rubbing a moisturizing mask or conditioner into the scalp. People with very long hair may want to follow this tip.
• Stay away from clarifying shampoos during the winter. Your hair and scalp are dry enough.
• If you opt for a hair weave or hair extensions, make sure you condition your own hair as it is growing out.
• If you color your hair, remember that you need to deep condition your hair to restore the lipids.
• Dry shampoo can be a good option if you need to clean your hair between shampoos.

—Karyn D. Collins