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Have you noticed that your hair is breaking more often? Is it looking lackluster? Now is a good time to get to know what happens in the winter to cause this extra damage. It's also time to learn what you can do to rehydrate your thirsty hair strands.
Winter's Impact on Hair Hydration
How is your hair feeling lately? Does your hair feel healthy, or is it a little drier than you'd like?
Whether you have fine hair, straight hair, curly hair, or another hair type, you need to think about moisture retention in the winter months. Why?
The cold, dry air around you can cause your hair cuticles to lift. Moisture can easily leave the hair shaft when this happens, creating dehydrated strands.
You add on to that damage with heat styling and harsh chemicals from bleach or other hair treatments. Your hair may look frizzy and fried.
6 Tips to Hydrate Hair
Hydrating your hair can be a process, but there are plenty of options to help you improve the feel of your dry hair.
Treating your hair with coconut oil, aloe vera, or olive oil is an option. Making sure your wet hair is dry before using hot styling tools can also help. Here are some of the best ways to rehydrate your hair and get it looking its best again.
1) Try hair hydration treatments
There are all kinds of hair hydration treatments that help boost the hydration of your hair. To hydrate dry hair, try using a deep conditioning treatment once a week. You can also try hair masks, which keep hair hydrated while providing nutrients to your locks.
If you don't have deep conditioning treatments available to you, go to the salon. Get hot oil treatments done or consider buying hydrating shampoo for dry or damaged hair. Even local convenience stores usually have a hair mask or two on the shelves, so try one and see how your hair responds.
Do you still need more hydration? Grab a moisturizing conditioner to help hydrate your hair overnight for a longer-lasting natural shine.
As a part of your hair care routine, place the conditioning hydration treatment on your hair before putting on a shower cap. If you can, sleep with your hair soaking in the hydrating treatment, and rinse it with cool water in the morning. Your hair should feel much more hydrated.
If you're not a fan of using overnight hair masks, consider moisturizing hair treatments. Try leave-in conditioners that you can use after each shower.
Remember to comb through the conditioners or treatments with a wide-toothed comb to prevent breakage when your hair is damp.
Here's a list of some of the hair hydration products you may want to consider:
- A hydration mask
- Deep conditioner
- Oil-based hydration treatments (coconut, aloe, or avocado oil)
- Leave-in conditioner
- Hot oil treatments
- Shampoos and conditioners with hydrating ingredients
Any of these could be the right tool for helping your hair get its luster and bounce back.
2) Avoid heat tools on damp hair
After you wash your hair, it's going to be damp for a while. This is the time when you want to avoid using heat tools that can cause breakage, like a blow dryer on high or your flat iron at 400° or 450° Fahrenheit (200° or 230° Celsius).
If you normally have frizzy hair, remember that heat tools can cause damage that leads to frizzing. Turning to other options, like air drying your hair or opting for unheated rollers instead of a curling iron, can help.
Wait for your hair to dry all the way if you plan to use heat tools, and use a heat protectant spray when you do. Try not to use a heat style every day, so your hair has an opportunity to recover.
3) Stop washing your hair every day
If you're getting an oily scalp and finding that you're washing your hair and using heat tools almost daily, although it may seem counterintuitive—it may be time to use some oils in your hair.
Depending on your hair type, a few drops of a hot oil treatment or other hydrating treatment could help. These oils rebalance your scalp, so it produces less oil.
Hair gets oily when the body produces too much sebum. By addressing the dryness of the scalp and hair, you can see improvements in oiliness overall.
With good hydration, your hair may not get as oily as it did when it was dried out, because your body won't try to make oil in excess any longer. Ironically, hydrating your scalp more could mean that you can wash your hair less.
4) Eat well for healthy hair
Hair hydration relies on your body being hydrated, too, so one good way to improve the look of your natural hair is to start drinking more water. Drinking water strengthens your hair to prevent damage.
Take a daily multivitamin with biotin and vitamin e, and eat a variety of healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables, to get all your nutrients each day.
Some of the best foods that promote hair growth include:
- Eggs
- Berries
- Fatty fish
- Avocado oil
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Sweet potatoes
Try eating some of these foods to strengthen and hydrate your hair from the inside out.
5) Avoid exposure outside
When you go outside, your hair follicles are exposed to the elements. It's possible that it could get sun damaged from winter rays or dry out from a winter breeze.
The lack of humidity in the air often leads to dry hair in the winter. UV rays bouncing off snow or coming down from the sun can damage even the most beautiful locks as they're tossed in the winter wind.
When you go outside, try wrapping your hair in a scarf or wearing a hat to minimize exposure. Braid your clean hair and wrap it into a bun, or try a loose ponytail to keep your hair from blowing around.
6) Switch to a Blissy Silk Pillowcase
Do you wake up with bed head every morning? Get rid of it with the help of a Blissy silk pillowcase. 100% mulberry silk pillowcases are smooth and help prevent damage to your hair. With silk—split ends, frizz, and hair breakage can all be things of the past.
How does silk help with hydration? Silk is less absorbent than cotton. It doesn't strip away natural oils, which means your hair stays hydrated overnight.
Improve Your Hair's Look and Feel With Blissy
Winter is tough on your locks, but your pillowcase doesn't have to be. Silk helps your hair maintain its natural moisture. It helps prevent breakage and frizzing overnight.
Check out our shop to find the right silk pillowcase for your bedroom. You can also visit our Blissy blog to find all the tips for better hair and skin throughout the year.
