There's nothing more magical than a winter wonderland, with soft flakes of snow, twinkling lights and dark, cosy evenings curled up by the fire with a hot chocolate in hand under a soft knitted blanket, but there's nothing worse than dry, damaged, frizzy winter hat hair. Here are our haircare tips for winter to keep your locks glossy, gorgeous, and golden.
1. Moisturise your scalp with hair oil
Often in winter, our scalps can get flaky and dry but applying heavy oils will make your hair appear greasy. To replenish moisture to the scalp, you can use a specially formulated, naturally lightweight oil serum such as Abyssinian Original Oil, applied gently with a Q-Tip directly. Our original oil contains pure Abyssinian oil (read all about the fabulous benefits of Abyssinian oil here), Mediterranean seed oil, and rose extracts which nourish, regenerate, and protect the scalp from those wintery months.
If you need a little detangle, use our Abyssinian Oil Silk Milk which restores elasticity and shine to damaged, brittle hair. It works well for fine hair too as Abysinnian oil is naturally lightweight and mirrors our natural scalp oils more than any other seed oil on the market.
A replenished scalp will serve you well all winter. Be sure to apply to the ends as well to keep your entire hair shaft moisturised and glossy.
2. Avoid overwashing your hair
Washing your hair too often--and with harsh cleansers--can dry out your scalp, upsetting the special balance and microbiome of your hair. Overwashing can lead to bacteria and fungi buildup, causing inflammation of the scalp. Our Antipollution Protein Treatment contains Abyssinian oil, which is naturally antifungal and antibacterial.
As a general rule, wash dry hair no more than twice a week with a sulphate-free shampoo. Oily hair should be washed daily with an extra-mild sulphate-free shampoo that doesn't have silicone or anything to strip the hair. Normal hair should be washed when needed with a mild, sulphate-free, moisturising shampoo.
No matter your hair type, try and go at least two to three days between washes and protect your hair with the right products on the days you wash.
3. Protect hair when heat styling
Most people know that the heat from styling tools such as hairdryers, curling irons, and flat irons is damaging to the hair, which is why it's important to protect hair when styling.
Abyssinian oil has natural heat-protective properties that protect the delicate protein-rich strands of the hair from harsh heat, leaving your hair healthy, shiny, and glossy. For the best protection, our Abyssinian Oil Hair Serum is an excellent product to treat split ends and breakage, guard against heat, cut down on drying time (reducing further damage), and taming frizz.
4. Dry your hair before rushing out
The hair structure is an outer connective layer around a cortex, which determines the shape of your hair and the cuticles are around the side like roof tiles. When hair is wet, it puts pressure on the cuticles (like water logging loose tiles) and hair loses strength. Wet hair is half as strong so it's important to dry your hair before going out. Contrarily, heat styling and drying do cause damage, so it's recommended to dry your hair seventy to eighty per cent by squeezing excess water out of the hair and using a product such as our moisture-wicking microfibre Self-Care Hair Towel. Then, you can apply some Abyssinian Oil Hair Serum, dry and style your hair (without worrying about damage) and go!
5. Use a weekly conditioning mask
If you wash your hair only two to three times per week, it's a good idea to use a weekly conditioning mask to help maintain your hair's health in the winter. Masks like our Abyssinian Oil Hair Mask and our Antipollution Protein Treatment restores the health of your hair within minutes without weighing it down. Restore natural oils and shine with a nourishing mask.
6. Colour your hair darker
Lighter colours require more bleach and are extra damaging to the hair. For winter, it's a good idea to strip back the chemicals and go darker so that you can provide added protection without damaging your locks. Save the platinum colours for summer and go darker or at least dye your roots darker for winter. If you do want lighter hair this winter, try something like our Superfood Recover Shampoo to ensure you don't cause further damage as the air gets colder.
7. Defend your hair from the elements
Abyssinian oil naturally protects the hair from the damaging effects of pollution and the environment, but in winter it's especially important. Leaving your hair damp in winter can cause your hair to dry more slowly and put it at risk for freezing. You may think you've dried your hair all the way, but if you haven't you could cause extra damage, which is why our Antipollution Protein Treatment and our Abyssinian Oil Conditioner can help protect your hair from the harsh weather.
8. Get regular trims
A regular haircut is beneficial for the hair and some experts recommend you cut off at least half an inch every ten weeks. That way, you can keep your fresh growth whilst getting rid of any thinning, fragile, broken, and split ends. Regular cuts will keep your hair in good shape but use speciality products in between cuts to keep your hair healthy.
9. Use a sulphate-free shampoo
Sulphates are surfactants that reduce surface tension between your shampoo and your skin, which allows shampoo's active ingredients to clean off dirt, oil, and dead skin from your scalp and hair; however, they do 'too good' of a job and amplify the cleaning products, allowing them to strip away the natural and beneficial oils in hair and irritate the scalp. Sulfates are also used in dish liquid and laundry detergent and shouldn't really be used for hair. The great news is that all of our products are sulphate free and are excellent for your hair, increasing your hair's quality over time.
10. Apply Supergloss Hair Serum
Supergloss Hair Serum, as you've read, is a super-food for the hair. The best way to protect against the winter is to apply this oil for its antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory properties as well as moisturising, protective, and gloss-inducing features.
Stay protected this winter!
Taking care of your hair in winter is more challenging than other times of the year with the extra-drying effects of the icy cold and wind, but using our haircare tips for winter will help protect your locks and keep them in great shape all year round. Protect your hair in any season with the benefits of Abyssinian oil products with no pigment, silicone, sulphates, phosphates, and parabens. For a chemical-free, enlightening experience always choose Abyssian Haircare.
