I like the festive ambiance that winter brings. However, I don’t fancy winter’s extreme cold outdoor temperatures and drying indoor air because it takes a toll on the health and appearance of our hair.

Improper care of winter weather hair can possibly lead to breakage and lackluster locks. However, by modifying your winter hair care routine using simple home remedies, you can protect the health and length of your tresses during the colder months.

Let’s explore some of the tips for dry hair in winter with natural ingredients that you can use to ensure that your hair survives the winter woes and stays healthy and strong all season long.

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MAINTAIN YOUR TRESSES WITH A HOT OIL TREATMENT

To keep your hair from becoming dry and brittle during the winter months, it is vital to keep your hair well moisturized to maintain its pliability.

Part of my winter hair care routine is to give my hair a monthly hot oil treatment. Hot oil treatments help improve the health of your hair by strengthening your hair strands and follicles to reduce breakage.

The process of giving your hair a hot oil treatment is very simple. All you need is a heating cap, a lightweight shower cap, and about 2 tablespoons of oil. My two oils of choice are either olive oil or coconut oil. Read below to find out why I use either of these two oils for my hair treatments.

FYI, I only use one type of oil at a time. No reason for only using one type of oil. It’s just always been my personal preference. You can combine 2 or 3 oils if you choose to do so.

To begin, you simply wash your hair and towel dry, leaving it wet, but not dripping. Then, massage the two tablespoons of oil into your hair from root to tip. Cover your hair with a lightweight shower cap. Put the heating cap on over the shower cap. Plug it in and turn on the heating cap to a setting that is comfortable for you.

Most heating caps have 3 settings: low, medium, and high. I usually start off with the medium setting until the heating cap heats up to that temperature, and then I adjust the setting down to the low setting to make it comfortable for me to sit under the cap for 30-45 minutes.

Reading a good book during this time makes the process more enjoyable. Afterward, shampoo your hair again to remove the excess oil.

I prefer to leave a small amount of the oil in my hair after shampooing as a layer of protection against styling tools. I also apply a small amount of leave-in conditioner to my hair to make the comb-out process easier as well.

Then, style your hair as usual.

HEALTHY, NATURAL OILS TO USE FOR A HOT OIL TREATMENT

ARGAN OIL

Many hair care products contain argan oil, and for good reason. Argan oil contains vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that your hair and skin need to stay healthy.

Agran oil also has essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-9. These fatty acids purportedly help your hair maintain its pliability and possibly reduce the amount of hair breakage.(1)

Speaking of hair breakage, here’s a side tip: Always take care to gently comb through your hair after shampooing. When you roughly rake through your hair, whether wet or dry, you risk more breakage than you would normally experience.

This is why I also apply a lightweight, leave-in conditioner to my hair after each hot oil treatment to act as a smoother on my hair for easier comb-out.

OLIVE OIL

Olive oils is one of the most versatile oils in hair and skin care. For the hair, olive oil provides a protective barrier against the heat that we sometimes apply to our hair during the styling process.

Also, by applying a small amount of olive oil to your scalp, you help prevent flaking and reduce the appearance of dandruff.

Spend a couple of minutes massaging the olive oil into your scalp. This will help to increase the flow of blood your scalp and possibly promote hair growth.(2)

A great winter hair care tip for naturally curly hair is to apply a small amount of olive oil to the ends of your hair to help reduce dryness and frizz. This will not only make your hair softer, but it will also give your hair style a more sleek and polished appearance.

COCONUT OIL

Due to its lightweight nature, coconut oil makes a great oil of choice for giving your hair a hot oil treatment. It does not weigh your hair down and it provides unbeatable shine!

Because coconut oil is loaded with lubricating fatty acids, it protects the hair from the drying effects of cold winter winds. And don’t forget how dry the indoor air can become during winter, which is due to the need for artificial heat to keep us warm.

Coconut oil acts as a shield against moisture loss to keep your hair more pliable against possible breakage. Its antimicrobial properties make coconut oil an asset for maintaining a healthy scalp, which, in turn, equates to healthier, stronger hair locks. (3)

RICE BRAN OIL

For starters, rice bran oil is rich in vitamin E, which is essential for healthy hair and skin.

Rice bran oil also contains a compound called ferulic acid, which is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants help protect the body from the damage of free radicals that bounce around and wreak havoc on the cells of our body. (4)

So, when you apply rice bran oil to your scalp, it helps strengthen your scalp from oxidative stress. This, in turn, can help lead to stronger, healthier hair. (5)

PROTECT YOUR HAIR BY ADDING MOISTURE INDOORS WITH A HUMIDIFIER

During the winter months I find it necessary to use humidifier when I sleep at night. When I don’t use a humidifier, I feel as though I am gasping for moisture because my nasal passages tend to feel parched.

By introducing moisture into the air, a humidifier helps to create a soothing cocoon of protection that keeps your hair from becoming overly dry, possibly reducing the amount of breakage you may experience.

Another benefit of using a humidifier is that it promotes a healthy scalp by keeping your scalp from becoming flaky and irritated.

USE A SULFATE-FREE MOISTURIZING SHAMPOO

Due to the drying impact of cold winter weather, I believe it necessitates the use of a richly hydrating and deeply conditioning shampoo...versus the type of shampoo you would use during the warmer, summer months.

When choosing a shampoo, it is beneficial to opt for a sulfate-free version. The reason is that sulfates have been shown to strip natural oils from your hair and skin in order to get them squeaky clean.(5)

However, there are many healthy, sulfate-free shampoos on the market from which to choose. Many of them are loaded with natural ingredients that nurture and nourish your hair and scalp.

THE IMPORTANCE OF USING A QUALITY HAIR CONDITIONER

Apart from giving yourself a monthly hair hot oil treatment during the winter, it is also very important to apply a deeply moisturizing conditioner to your hair after each shampoo.

By sheer nature of its cleansing function, shampoos automatically strip natural oils from your hair. However, if you use a premium, quality conditioner on your hair after each shampoo, you will protect your hair from becoming unruly, frizzy, dry, and brittle.

An effective hair conditioner will also help to make the comb-out process easier after each shampoo. Look for conditioners with natural ingredients such as jojoba oil, argan oil, coconut oil, olive oil, or rice bran oil.

Tip for smoother locks: After shampooing your hair, apply a copious amount of moisturizing conditioner to your hair from root to tip. Cover your hair with a clear, thin shower cap. Then, for about 20-30 minutes, sit under a heating cap at a low-to-medium setting to give your hair a luxurious deep conditioning.

You’ll love the spa-quality results after this hair treatment! This is because the heat will cause the conditioner to penetrate deeper into the hair shaft, causing your hair to become more pliable and decrease the amount of possible breakage.

REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF HEAT YOU APPLY TO YOUR HAIR!

As much as possible, I try to reduce the amount of direct heat I apply to my hair. I know how much we love for our hair to be styled beautifully, however, we sometimes sacrifice the length and strength of our hair via frequent use of super hot styling tools.

What I mean by this is that when we continuously apply heat to our hair during our styling sessions, we risk severely drying our hair out and cause tremendous breakage and split ends.

Of course, we can try to mitigate the damage from hot styling tools as much as possible by using conditioners and oils in our hair. However, the direct application of heat to our hair creates a cooking or baking effect which dries our hair out and causes breakage.

To give my hair an occasional break from the damaging heat of styling tools, these are my go-to styles:

• Twist my hair up into a chic bun and wear with a jewel-encrusted hair clip.

• Wear a classy ponytail, pulled down to the nape of my neck with a posh ribbon.

• Wear a blinged-out head band when I have absolutely no curls! 😊

• Do a simple wet set, which involves setting my hair in rollers after I shampoo it. Afterwards, I sit under a hooded dryer until my hair is dry from scalp to tip (about an hour and 15 minutes, while reading a good book!) This way, I STILL get my curly locks without sacrificing the health and length of my hair.

I really don't have a favorite style. I just depends on the occasion as to which one I wear at certain moments.

SUMMARY ON HEALTHY WINTER HAIR CARE

Overall, by reducing the amount of direct heat to your hair, using a weekly moisturizing conditioner on your hair, giving yourself a monthly hot oil treatment, and using a humidifier to add moisture to the air in your home, you can maintain a full, lustrous head of hair throughout the winter months…and all year long!