Hair Care | How to Look After Your Hair in Winter

You may believe that hair growth slows down in the winter but actually Hola Coco can tell you that hair growth should be consistent year round, any slow-down in growth is usually down to hair health. 

The reality is, with a healthy diet and a healthy haircare routine in place, hair growth should never slow down, no matter what the temperature! As haircare experts, we do know that the winter months can really take their toll on your hair.  The combination of the harsh, cold weather outside and hot central heating inside plays havoc with hair’s general condition.
That’s why it’s important to look after your hair the same way as you would look after your skin, yet many people neglect their hair, not realising that it needs plenty of TLC to keep it looking fabulous! 

While the summer brings more humidity and of course, those drying sun rays, the winter is famous for encouraging flyaway, static and dehydration.  With so much lack of moisture, hair often loses its mojo, turning drier, brittle with split ends and breakage.

Needless to say, with winter there is usually an abundance of party and social invitations especially with Christmas and the New Year approaching.  With every party comes hair styling – and that means heated hair tools.  When you frequently use heated tools on your hair, there’s even more stress to deal with!  Come March time you might well wonder where you went wrong and that’s why it’s a good idea to really give your hair the attention it needs during the colder months of the year.  We’re going to let you into a few Hola Coco healthy-hair secrets for great looking winter hair!

Keep Hair Hydrated

Firstly, think about hydration. There’s not a head of hair in the world that looks good without plenty of moisture!  Hair just won’t shine without hydration and neither will it bounce luxuriously as you move.  So, don’t stint on good quality shampoo and make sure it’s a really deeply penetrating and moisturising shampoo.  Avoid sulphates (SLS and SLF) as these are drying and completely ineffective.  They’re only used in shampoos as foaming agents and the same sulphates you find in shampoos are also found in household detergents – they won’t do your hair any favours!  

Along with that great quality shampoo, you need a complementing conditioner, one that is rich in creamy, natural ingredients and without harmful chemicals. Moisturising conditioners create a barrier that sits along each strand of hair and that barrier is made up of emollients that seal the hair’s cuticle.  A good quality conditioner will work hard to attract water to hair too, so keeping it hydrated for longer.

Give Hair a Treat!

As well as premium quality shampoos and conditioners, your hair will reap the benefit of weekly nourishing treatments and you can be your hair’s own best friend by introducing coconut oil to your haircare regime.

Something like Hola Coco will work wonders for hair that is damaged as it really penetrates every strand, helping to restore it back to its former glory.  

Using Hola Coco

The hair mask is best used on shampooed hair.  Towel dry first and take a generous amount of Hola Coco, work it through your hair, from mid-length down (unless hair is dry all over) and then wrap your hair in a towel. 

You can leave the mask on for 20 minutes but for a really ultra-deep restoration treatment; leave it on your hair for an hour or more.  Some people swear by leaving it on overnight (and you can apply it to dry hair pre-shampoo too).  Then, if you’ve already washed your hair, rinse it out thoroughly and apply conditioner if you want to.  Even if you have extensions, the Hola Coco Coconut Oil Hair Mask is a miracle worker for keeping them in excellent condition.  Just make sure you don’t place the oil too close to the bond area if you use tape-ins so that your extensions don’t slip out! 

What to Eat for Healthy Winter Hair

So what else can you do apart from using a moisturising, hydrating shampoo, conditioner and hair mask?  Well, you can up your supplement intake and make sure you eat a varied, healthy diet. Now, hair is made up of protein so it’s important to make sure you eat enough protein to support healthy growth.  If it’s cold outside and the radiator is constantly on at home, hair dries out, add that to a diet that isn’t rich in protein and hair will soon show signs of stress.  Low protein diets are also linked to hair growth slowing down and even hair loss.  Nuts, eggs, fish, meat and poultry are all good sources of protein.

As well as protein, you need iron because lack of iron leads to hair loss.  The hair’s follicle and root is fed by your blood supply and when iron levels deplete, the blood flow level is affected which in turn affects the hair’s growth cycle.  Again, stock up on red meat, fish and chicken.  You can also add spinach, leafy green vegetables and lentils to your diet to boost iron levels.  So stock up when you next go shopping. 

Your hair needs Vitamin C as it’s an antioxidant so helps with encouraging cell renewal and fights against disruptors that destroy collagen such as pollutants in the atmosphere.  Hair, like skin, needs collagen as it strengthens the capillaries which supply the hair’s shafts.   Vitamin C is found in colourful fruit, green vegetables and sweet potatoes. Along with Vitamin C, Vitamin A is what the body needs to make sebum and it works as a natural scalp conditioner, keeping it healthy.  Without sebum, the scalp dries out and so does hair too.  Eat orange and yellow coloured vegetables which are high in beta-carotene, carrots, pumpkin and sweet potatoes are excellent sources. The scalp can greatly benefit from zinc and selenium as these protect the scalp.  You can get zinc and selenium from beef, eggs and fortified cereals or wholegrains.

Finally, biotin is a B vitamin and studies show that too little biotin can weaken hair.  Biotin-rich foods include wholegrains, liver, egg, and soy flour or you can buy a supplement to up your intake.

You might want to invest in a good quality hair, skin and nails vitamin too which includes all you need to supplement your diet but remember, supplements are not a replacement for healthy eating!

So there you have it – a healthy diet, good quality hair products and our Coconut Oil Hair Mask are all you need to keep your tresses looking healthy and shiny over the winter and the envy of all your friends at that Christmas party!