How do you change your haircare during the winter months ?

[esmeralda80]

Hello -

was wondering how LHC members change their hair care during the winter months. What do you do differently?

also, how do you protect your hair from the cold, dry outdoor air? Do you wear a hat of some kind? I know that my nails dry out in the winter if I don’t wear gloves, so I’m thinking my hair would need some sort of protection too - just not sure what would work best.

thanks!

[lapushka]

I don't do a thing differently. What I do is in my signature. I wash, double condition, and in between both conditioners I oil rinse. Then I style according to a layering method, cream, gel, serum. It's especially great in winter time, but in summer... I mean, why not? My hair is not any different. :shrug:

[esmeralda80]

I don't do a thing differently. What I do is in my signature. I wash, double condition, and in between both conditioners I oil rinse. Then I style according to a layering method, cream, gel, serum. It's especially great in winter time, but in summer... I mean, why not? My hair is not any different. :shrug:

Thanks, Lapushka - that’s good to know - do you wear any kind of hair covering outdoors in the winter?

[florenonite]

It might help people reply if you could give some idea of the climate where you live, as that will affect your hair's seasonal needs. Haircare in the winter in Scotland isn't going to be the same as in Alberta, because the Scottish winter is mild and wet while the Albertan winter is very cold and very dry.

[stephy190]

Protect it more if cold and harsh weather, if wearing it down I'll tuck it into my scarf if outside or just wrap it out of the way! A girl on YouTube who isn't active any more has good videos on winter hair care! She's called coffeeandmakeup

[esmeralda80]

It might help people reply if you could give some idea of the climate where you live, as that will affect your hair's seasonal needs. Haircare in the winter in Scotland isn't going to be the same as in Alberta, because the Scottish winter is mild and wet while the Albertan winter is very cold and very dry.

good idea - it gets very cold and dry where I live - can be below freezing for a good part of the winter.

[esmeralda80]

Protect it more if cold and harsh weather, if wearing it down I'll tuck it into my scarf if outside or just wrap it out of the way! A girl on YouTube who isn't active any more has good videos on winter hair care! She's called coffeeandmakeup

Thanks - I looked her up and she does offer good advice - and has gorgeous hair too!

[lapushka]

Thanks, Lapushka - that’s good to know - do you wear any kind of hair covering outdoors in the winter?

Yep, sometimes I wear my calorimetry (it's a home made winter hat). I'll link the instructions on Ravelry:
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/calorimetry

The most amazing thing about it is that you can wear it with any kind of updo!

[HaMalka]

I don't go outside with my hair wet in the winter unless I absolutely can't avoid it. My hair being wet means I am cold and compounding it with winters chill I freeze. If I go out I will generally wear a head covering of some kind but that is in deference to the cold rather than my hair. In general winter = cold, and I dislike feeling cold so even more scarves and hoods are worn by me than during the rest of the year. I don't change anything product or routine wise other than I might wash my hair less because I have to schedule it around needing to go out but that is not an intentional 'I wash my hair less in winter' and more of a byproduct of my dislike of being cold.

[AmaryllisRed]

Yes, basically what HaMalka said. I try to schedule washing my hair around going out. I hate being cold and don't want to worsen that by having a wet head. I would rather go out with unwashed hair (and keep my hat on!) than go out while it's still wet.
Also less sweating means I might wash it twice a week instead of three times but I plan to work out regularly throughout the winter so there will still be some sweating.
And more conditioner. When the weather warmed up in the spring and the air was less dry, I found I was using too much conditioner and globs of it were falling on the shower floor. I went from a nickel-sized amount in the winter down to a dime-sized amount. I'll probably find I need more again.
Air is already getting drier again. Had to break out the chapstick!

[knobbly]

I definitely change my hair and skin care once the weather changes! Summers here are humid and winters are quite dry, plus when the heating kicks in it’s even more dry and we don’t control how much heat we get blasted with due to apartment living. Plus there’s the going outside in the cold and then coming inside to the warm factor.

In the past I’ve felt the need to use silicone serums on my ends more in the dry winter months, a thing I don’t do at all in the summer. I’m unsure what I’ll do this winter but am thinking of experimenting with MO (mineral oil— well baby oil really) after reading an old thread on here. I also have a wooly hat that is lined with satin that I’ll use when outside as much as possible so that my hair isn’t exposed to the elements. I used olive oil some last winter as well to keep my ends lubricated, that is much too heavy an oil for me to use on my fine hair in the summer.

ETA I rarely go outside with wet hair but I never do in the winter. The ghost of my mother would rise to haunt me if I did and no one wants that.

[esmeralda80]

Air is already getting drier again. Had to break out the chapstick!

And it’s only September!

[Lady Neeva]

In the winter my hair care is about the same (shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, air dry) though the temperature here only goes down to the 50s Fahrenheit usually

[Dark40]

I just make sure it's more moisturized with oils, and I deep condition it with a moisturizing deep conditioner during the winter months. I also do more hot oil treatments as well. No, I don't wear any hats of some sort. I'm not a hat person.

[esmeralda80]

though the temperature here only goes down to the 50s Fahrenheit usually

Lucky you!!

[Feral_]

I don’t do anything different except wear hats more - outside, and sometimes inside if the heating isn’t on! I think I’ve about 10 different hats from beanies, bobble hats to wool trapper ones with braids. A lot were gifts and a hat is always useful if you’re outdoors a lot. Most are fleece lined but I’m going to put a satin liner inside some this year.

[Hedwig]

Usually I wash less in the winter because I'm sweating less, but now that I've started doing Pilates on a daily basis, I'm not too sure if the change in temperature will change anything in my washing routine. I'm also a little bit confused about the difference between summer and winter when it comes to hair - as I understand it, in the summertime hair gets dried out from the sunshine and in the wintertime from the dry air? So both are equally as "hard" on the hair ...? I never really notice a difference in my hair quality.

[Milynn]

I do not really change anything with the routine itself, but for winter months I have a humidifier, which I strongly recommend for those suffering dry winter air.

[sapphire-o]

Winter here is humid and not cold so usually I don't need to change anything. However if we have cold snaps then I put conditioner on (usually I hate slimy stuff, but when it gets below zero there's a lot of static somehow) and use some oils. Now if I go to California to visit my mom then I not only use conditioner, I also use her super-moisturizing shampoo, don't use shampoo bars, put oils on my ends and clarify my hair every week. The air is dry and salty there and sun is brutal, plus the tap water is very hard. Oh ya and I put on a wide-brimmed hat when I go outside. :D Even with all that, though my hair still never feel quite right in CA. Usually I look forward to coming home to have clean shiny hair and soft skin. :) I have to say I'm glad that our climate in BC is lower maintenance for hair.

[Ylva]

I wear my hair up more (as opposed to wearing braids down) as to not have it rub so much against everything under heavy winter clothes. I also have to make sure to schedule my hair washes so that my hair has time to air-dry before I have to leave the house. My routine doesn't change. I am located in northern Europe so the difference between summer and winter is drastic. A strange thing for me is that I don't tend to experience static in the winter, but rather in the spring.

[SleepyTangles]

More than Winter or Summer, what's hard for me are season changes. My scalp is always flakey and out of balance when we transition to a different season.

Hair per se it's not different. It's just my scalp that needs extra care.

[Stray_mind]

I don't do much different. Maybe give my hair some extra moisture.

[Hedwig]

More than Winter or Summer, what's hard for me are season changes. My scalp is always flakey and out of balance when we transition to a different season.

Hair per se it's not different. It's just my scalp that needs extra care.

Same here! My scalp always gets dry and flakey when the seasons change, but usually never during winter or summer.

[leayellena]

my hair and scalp become kinda drama queens if I shampoo less than once ever 3 weeks to a month in winter. probably my scalp is too dry? if I shampoo too much my scalp becomes more flacky. I co-wash mostly.

[sipnsun]

My skin gets really dry in the winter which means my hair does also. It's very humid here in the summer but dry in the winter so I have to do moisturizing masks more often. I wear a hat or beanie nearly everyday if it's cold so I oil pretty heavily underneath since no one will notice. I'm going to try co-washing more often this winter and only shampooing every other week.

[TatsuOni]

I use more detangling spray, aloe vera gel and oils. I also add some hair salve to the lengthsand more aore aloe vera to my scalp.

We got a humidifier earlier this year and it actually made a huge difference during the drier climate.

As for protecting my hair, I wear hair scarves all year round. At work, mostly with my bun visible. When beeing outside for longer periods of time I cover all of my hair with a scarf and if it's really cold I use two, to keep my head warm. I find it much more comfortable and easier to use, than trying to get a hat over my bun/updos.

[esmeralda80]

Lots of great tips here - thank you to everyone who has taken the time to respond - especially my hair twins (you know who you are :)

[MusicalSpoons]

UK here, so wet and kinda cold but nothing compared with the northern part of the N. American continent or Scandinavia, the colder parts of Russia, etc.

I never used to change anything, however this year will be our second winter with central heating so I think the indoor air might be drier overall. My hair is usually up in a bun unless I've been scritching my scalp or occasionally experimenting with styles so that's not a problem; I also don't go out much anyway but I have a very soft stretchy beanie (which even goes over hairsticks or forks :D) for when/if I do and if it's cold enough to resort to a hat. If I went out more I would definitely look into something lined with satin though. This year I also have some fabric headbands so if I find my wispies get caught or roughed up by higher collars I can use the headbands to keep them contained (I mostly wear fluffy, fleecy things at home to keep warm).

In terms of washing routine, I don't tend to make conscious changes due to the seasons; I remain flexible with choosing conditioner(s) based on how my hair is feeling but that applies year-round anyway.

I did put a jar of water on my heater last year as a poor man's humidifier once I figured out the increased nosebleeds and extra dry skin were probably exacerbated by the dry heated air, so I may do that again this year. Unfortunately we've always had a problem with mould in our house and I don't know if that contributed to the recurrence of mould in my bedroom after 2 1/2 years free from it :rolleyes: :brickwall I'll just have to see how it goes :shrug: