Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Winter Hair Problems Solved



THE BIG HAIR CHILL

Hot chocolate and cozy little fires give this coming Winter season its comfy charm; but as winter moves in and the air gets drier it begins to show in your hair and scalp. Cooler months and lack of moisture make it easy for any ice princess to suffer from dryness and some very chilling hair issues – split ends, breakage, static and frizz, among other things. 
Fear not winter goddesses; Marc Anthony shares his hair solutions for a long winter at its beautified best.

 DRY HAIR & SCALP
Winter’s lack of moisture can cause a dry, flaky scalp and as your scalp dries out so does your hair. The air around you (inside and out) also lacks moisture and as a result sucks it out of anywhere it can find it, including your hair. Hair becomes flatter and also begins to lack shine.

  

  • Know your flakes: Be mindful of a dry scalp vs. dandruff. Dry scalp is caused by dehydration, dry heat and poor products stripping the hair, resulting in white flakes. Dandruff is actually a fungal or bacterial infection of the scalp. The flakes or skin cell clusters are large at times, greasy or waxy and are yellow or gray in colour. Anti-fungal shampoos can be horribly drying to those who don’t actually have dandruff.
  • A winter cut: If you live in an exceptionally dry climate during the winter, speak to your stylist about tweaking your haircut as the lack of moisture makes your hair sit differently than it does in the more moist summer months.
  • Wash less:  Dare we say this? Shampoo less to keep your natural oils where they need to be.
  • Sans sulfate: Since sulfate free shampoos are less drying and less irritating they are much better at all times, but more so when the weather is dry. They are also good for those sensitive to allergies or eczema. Recommended: Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Shampoo – R99.99 - Sulfate Free.
  • Moisture rich conditioner: Use a conditioner that not only conditions but adds moisture to help keep hair supple. Recommended: Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Conditioner – R99.99
.
SPLIT ENDS & BREAKAGE
There are so many more reasons to have split ends in the winter due to the ongoing moisture issue. Hair is more likely to be dry which leads to more splitting and breaking.


  • Quench those ends: The ends are the oldest part of your hair, the most fragile and the most likely place to break or split. Adding extra moisture on the ends is a good idea. A daily argan oil treatment is lightweight and penetrates easily to add moisture without feeling heavy or greasy. Recommended: Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Treatment – R99.99
  • Air dry inside: Though going outside with wet hair is not good for your hair, it is much worse if it ‘freezes’ since it is more likely to break. In winter prep your hair early enough to have it dry mostly naturally. Hot tools can dehydrate hair more than usual in dry weather.

STATIC & FLY-AWAYS
This issue comes back to moisture (surprise). Dry hair rubs together causing static electricity and – as fascinating as that is – it is not conducive to a good look. Those charged particles float around waiting to mess up a perfectly good blowout.

  • Moisture: Deep moisturizing helps to control static. Add a leave-in oil to your hair before putting on your hat. Recommended: Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Treatment – R99.99
  • Spray for static control: Dry shampoo sprayed lightly all over your hair or on the interior of your winter hat is also quite good at helping to control static. 

WINTER FRIZZ
It is important to avoid over-drying your hair at this time of the year. Summer frizz is caused by an abundance of moisture (humidity) that swells the cuticle keeping it open, but winter frizz is caused by a total lack of moisture.  When hair becomes overly dehydrated it becomes brittle causing the cuticle to become raised and appear frizzy.



  • Balance moisture:  Hydration is good for frizz. You need a shampoo, conditioner and styler that delivers moisture and that are gentle. This helps to not only nourish your hair but keeps the cuticle closed, resulting in less frizz and tangles. Overly conditioning your hair in the winter can leave it limper than ever, so the product you use should still be lightweight in order to maintain a nice level of body.  Recommended: bye.bye.Frizz Keratin Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner – R99.99 each
Products are available from Dis-Chem

No comments:

Post a Comment