Advice

How to Take Care of your Hair in the Winter

After December’s overindulgences, it’s considered normal to enter January looking and feeling a little worse for wear. This post-festive state is usually overcome by cleanses, gym subscriptions, and skincare routines. However, while these old reliables may work wonders for clearing the brain of fog and cheeks of blemishes, often the dry scalp, static strands and frizzy ends don’t budge. This is because although the festive season may have passed, that cold, winter snap certainly hasn’t. Winter hair care is required far beyond December in order to combat frizzy hair and static ends. Keep reading to discover how to take care of your hair in the winter for a radiant, empowered look and feel all year round. 

woman with long black silky hair

How to deal with a dry scalp in winter  

Let’s begin with the root of the problem- the scalp. You can perfect your outfit with sparkling accessories and a red-lip, however, it’s difficult to feel sophisticated and chic with a dry scalp in winter. Often accompanied by flakes of skin, lifeless hair and irritation, a dry scalp can leave you lacking in confidence and feeling uncomfortable. You might be wondering what causes a dry scalp in the winter if, for the rest of the year, this isn’t an issue? The blistering cold temperatures outside and blasts of radiator heat inside are both environments with a severe lack of moisture in the air. Topped off with those piping hot showers on dark, frosty mornings, these are the conditions that strip the skin, including the scalp, of hydration. This is why it is essential to know how to take extra care of your scalp and hair in winter. 

 

In order to restore a healthy moisture balance and nourishment to the scalp, the first thing to do to take care of your hair in winter is exfoliate and remove any build up. It’s important to use a shampoo-scrub that will be gentle to the skin, so look out for naturally exfoliating ingredients such as the sea salt in Cristophe Robin’s Cleansing Purifying Scrub. This scrub has been made specifically to calm and refresh sensitive and oily scalps. Added ingredients like Bisabolol, extracted from the Brazilian Candeia tree, give the scalp a soothing effect whilst cleansing. Here’s how to use it in your winter hair care routine: 

Step 1:  Wet the hair with warm water. 

Step 2: Apply a tablespoon-sized amount of the Cleansing Purifying Scrub. 

Step 3: Gently massage the scrub into the scalp and nape of your neck using circular motions. 

Step 4: Distribute out to the ends of your hair. 

Step 5 Rinse out thoroughly, following with Christophe Robin Purifying Conditioner Gelée to detangle. 

How to avoid static hair in the winter  

Now that the scalp has been tackled, it’s time to deal with another question frequently asked at this time of year: how to avoid static hair in winter. Static hair occurs during the cold months thanks to the friction of taking on and off winter apparel along with dry air conditions. This bad-hair-day concoction builds up an electric charge, leading strands to spray out in random directions. In turn, the hair becomes difficult to style, and no amount of hairspray will tame flyaways.  

woman touching her curly hair

You can avoid woolly hats and scarves as you please, but chilly temperatures and indoor heating will require you to take care of your hair in the winter regardless. The important thing is to add as much moisture back into your hair as possible. This can be achieved with two Christophe Robin essentials, the Hydrating Melting Mask with Aloe Vera and the Hydrating Leave-in Mist. 

Step 1: After shampooing, apply a small amount of the Hydrating Mask onto wet hair.  

Step 2: Paying particular attention to the scalp, massage from root to tip and leave for two minutes before rinsing thoroughly.  

Step 3: Follow with a mist such as the Christophe Robin Hydrating Leave-in Mist with Aloe Vera and spritz throughout the day for hydration top-ups. 

How to stop the hair frizzing in cold weather 

Lastly, there is the common hindrance that is, frizz. Frizz happens when the cuticles of your hair lift to allow your strands to suck in moisture, standing up independently and appearing fuzzy. There are two reasons you may notice an increase in frizz: 

  1. Your hair is dehydrated (why hair frizzing is common in cold weather). 
  2.  There is too much humidity in the air (why it happens on sun holidays). 

If your hair is appearing frizzy in the winter, then similarly to the itchy scalp and static strands, it is crying out for hydration. Frizz is particularly common with hair that is wavy and curly, and it’s important that you are not washing too often and stripping your hair of natural oils. When you do shampoo, try to rinse in cold water to close the cuticles for a smooth finish. To add some definition back into your curls, try the Christophe Robin Curl Defining Butter with Kokum Butter. Simply rub it from root to tip on damp hair and air-dry or use a diffuser to blow-dry. To finish off your winter hair care routine, use a few drops of the Christophe Robin Regenerating Serum with Prickly Pear Oil on the ends to protect your hair from styling heat and re-nourish with omegas and vitamin E.  

Winter may be dull but your hair doesn’t have to be. Focus on your winter haircare routine and wake up to bouncy, shiny locks- what better way to brighten the post-festive blues.



Josie Wilkins

Josie Wilkins

Writer and expert

Josie is an Online Beauty Editor with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. Her passions involve all things skincare and beauty and in her free time she likes to travel, read and get her beauty sleep.