Cold Weather and Hair: 5 Tips How to Deal With Dry and Difficult Hair

Hair dishevels due to the lack of moisture, but the humidity can contribute to the bristly hair problem too.

“During the day, your hair loses moisture, so around noon cuticle (outer layer of the hair) opens up and lets the moisture from the outside to get inside of the hair, so this is how we get bristly mess” – says Mark Townsend, celebrity hair stylist.

He, altogether with the New York stylist Mark Garrison and Ursula Stephen, who were hairdressers of Rihanna and Kerry Washington, reveal a few tricks, how to deal with difficult day during colder days.

1. Choose shampoo without sulfates and with glycerin. Look for a shampoo containing glycerin which is mentioned as close to the beginning of the list as possible. As close to the beginning of the list means that the ingredient’s concentration is greater in the product. Glycerin helps to fight dry and difficult hair, penetrating and moisturizing it from within. It also creates a protective film on the hair and prevents it from cracking, says Townsend.
2. Do not forget conditioner. The key is to hydrate the hair from the inside. Otherwise, the cuticle will open in order to obtain moisture from the outside, and smooth surface of your hair will soon become all ruined. Thus, look for a conditioner containing glycerin and other moisturizing components (as shea butter). Use the conditioner from the middle of the hair towards the tips. If you do not want to make your hair heavier, try to use it further away from the roots.
3. Once a week, use a moisturizing hair mask. By pampering your hair, especially during the cold months, when the weather is dry, you will help to fill up the hair cavities and avoid absorbing moisture from the environment, which, let’s not forget, makes hair bristle. Choose a mask that, again, has glycerin, intensifying silk proteins and vegetable ceramides which make hair smoother. Those masks might not be that cheap, but since there always are some budget friendly options or online discount codes to use, you can afford even the priciest mask for sure.
4. Before drying the hair with a hairdryer, let them dry for at least 90 percent. Directly to the hair directed hot air accelerates their dehydration, and so the hair starts to get dry and all tangled – especially in the winter months when the air is drier. If your hair is straight or slightly wavy, let them dry by itself up to 90 percent, says Garrison, and only then use a hair dryer.
5. Carry the product in your purse to fix the situation instantly. If your hair is thin or slightly wavy, use a light spray serum. Spray it from the tips of the hair to the middle. Do not use it at the roots otherwise, they will get all oily. You can also bind the hair into a bun – to control them then you don’t have products right now next to you at that moment.

If your hair is thicker, coarse or curly, and it is their natural texture, Stephen recommends fast drying sparkling waving lotion, because such hair needs a lot of moisture, so that they will be hydrated from the inside. If you straighten your hair, a serum is the best tool to fix hairstyle if it gets seeded. Apply it from the roots towards the tips.