Care For Hair

Aashish Mishra

Even though winter is winding down earlier than normal this year, we cannot deny that it is still cold outside. And cold, unfortunately, can damage our hair.

Many people know that winter months are harsh on the skin, hence, take extra care to protect it. However, for their hair, they often think wearing a cap is enough. It is not. Lack of winter hair care can lead to dryness, hair fall and hair breakage which can persist for months, if not years. So, since we still have a month or two of cold left, let us look at a few things we must do to care for our hair.

The first and easiest thing we can do is to wear a cap. Even though the preceding paragraph said it was not enough, it is still an important initial step because it covers the head and prevents the chilly air from robbing our hair of moisture. But here is the thing, wool and cotton cause hair breakage so it might be best to first tie a silk or satin kerchief around the head before putting the winter cap on. 

The second thing is to use hair oil. Many of us shy away from oil as we feel it makes our hair sticky and ruins our style. Well, there are non-sticky kinds available in the market. Hair oil is important because it moistens the hair and locks in its shine. It also prevents friction against the hat which, in turn, prevents hair fall. 

If you are still sceptical about hair oil then choose one with a lightweight argan oil formula. It is not “heavy” and instantly repairs dry and damaged hair. Just as sunscreen is not glamorous but essential for our skin in the summer, oil is not “glitzy” but is super necessary for our hair in the winter.

A third and equally easy thing to do to retain hair moisture is to stay hydrated. Keep drinking water. We do not get thirsty as often when it is cold, so we forget to drink water. 

This makes our skin, scalp and hair dry. Dryness is mentioned multiple times in this article because it is a problem that has many undesirable and long-lasting effects. Dryness may as well be equated to damage.

And dryness can also be caused by long hot showers. We know, warm steamy baths can be tempting during frigid winters but hot water can make our hair brittle and cause it to fall. So, when it is cold outside, the best thing we can do is wash our hair with only mildly warm water. 

Furthermore, after washing, we should not blow dry. Let the hair dry on its own. Heat drying has the damaging effects as hot showers. It also gives the hair an unnatural dryness – we know when a person has used a blow dryer to dry their hair instead of sitting in the sun or letting it dry naturally. If we do not have time to let our hair dry, then perhaps it is best to not take a bath at all. Our hair is already dry in the winter, we should not make it drier with technology. 

But here is where things get tricky. We should not dry our hair artificially and we should also not leave the warmth of our house with wet hair. Setting aside the fact that it can give us a cold, walking around with wet uncovered hair (you cannot wear a cap when your head is dripping with water) can cause it to fall. So, the best thing to do is to let your hair dry completely naturally before travelling.

And to reiterate, if this is not possible and we are short on time then it is best to just not wash our hair. In fact, it is recommended that we not over-wash our heads in the winter because we need to retain the natural oils that keep our scalp and hair moisturised. Washing once every three days, or whatever period we find best for us, is good. Don’t worry about looking unclean, you will be wearing a cap anyway (remember the first point). 

Likewise, while it may seem out of the blue, getting regular haircuts is also good for us. Especially for those of us with long hair, trimming half an inch from the bottom every couple of months will reduce the chances of split ends. Hair trims also provide us with a chance to experiment with our look and find out what suits us. Again, we need not worry about messing up because we will be wearing caps.