Anti-Freeze! Protecting Hair Against The Cold
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It's that time of year when you can be forgiven for wanting to hibernate with a log fire and box set and wait for the daffodils to stick their head's above the parapet first. Nevertheless, unless you have staff, or are genuinely determined to live of your accumulated fat reserves in the back of a cave, there's no avoiding stepping out into the cold sometimes. January in particular is notorious for a delightful range of weather conditions, from bone-scraping, raw northerly winds to uninterrupted days of freezing drizzle.
We all understand the damage winter does to our skin (you can feel it as you slather on the Norwegian Formula), yet strangely, far fewer of us are as mindful of the negative effects that freezing wind and rain have upon our hair. Which is why it might be a good time to offer a few key tips for keeping your tresses free from the worst of winter's icy clutches.
Best to start with the most basic, but undoubtedly the most important. Even if it does seem pretty obvious to most of us, the bottom-line remains never go outside with wet hair when it's cold! While you won't catch pneumonia like your mum said, the fact is that even slightly damp hair can freeze in below-zero conditions. Quite simply the moisture your hair has absorbed will expand as it freezes causing damage and making it vulnerable to breakage. The solution is straight-forward, make sure hair is completely dry by blow-drying thoroughly before you even think about opening the front door.
Of course, sometimes the very things we use to protect our heads from the chill can also be detrimental to our hair, at least in terms of styling. Most of us have suffered from flat 'hat hair' at some point, and jacket hoods and ear-muffs are equally effective at squashing out style. However, invest in a silk or satin head-scarf to wrap around your locks before applying your head gear, and you'll be amazed at how effectively this barrier against rougher fabric like wool works to keep hairstyles intact.
The same wooly outdoor wear, not to mention the cosy sweaters we tend to embrace this time of year, can also contribute to hair building up static charge, creating frizz and those frustrating fly-away strands. Silk head-scarves are once again the perfect answer to combating static outdoors, while a light misting of hairspray will do the trick for keeping hair smooth when inside.
Lastly, when making the frequent transition from cold exterior to warm interiors, often where the air has been entirely dried out by central heating, it's essential to keep hair moisturized, and one of the best methods for this is to simply use a good leave-in conditioner, possibly in tandem with an anti-frizz serum that will help protect follicles by keeping moisture locked inside. It's certainly not brain surgery, but your head will to thank you for following these practical tips - and no matter how chilly you feel you're sure to look smokin' hot!
