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Anyone who takes vigilant care of their hair knows how much of a nightmare hot and humid weather can be. Hair doesn’t play well with humidity, and the cold seasons might come as a warm welcome after a summer of frustration. That being said, it’s important to know that cold weather affects your hair in totally different ways, not all of them positive.

If you want to keep your hair healthy, lustrous, and beautiful, it’s essential to learn about the best winter hair care practices. At Progen Probe, we develop high-quality hair analysis machines, so we know a thing or two about hair. Here are some tips, tricks, and important facts to remember about hair health and cold weather:

1. Cold Weather Dries Your Hair Out

As if it wasn’t obvious enough, cold weather tends to dry out your hair. This is the crux of almost all the other points on this list, but it’s important enough that it warrants its own section at the top of this blog post. Above all else, remember that cold air is correlated with a lack of moisture, and be sure to act accordingly.

In other words, if you’re ever having problems with your hair in the fall and winter months, ask yourself: Is this a result of my hair being too dry? If it is, consider which aspects you might be lacking in — is your shampoo and conditioner not strong enough? Are you getting enough fluids? Above all else, keep this fact fresh in your mind during the cold seasons.

2. Don’t Go Outside With a Wet Scalp

First and foremost, your hair is fairly vulnerable when it’s wet, so you generally want to avoid going out and about with a moist scalp no matter what the weather is. But in a cold climate, things get worse because chilly air has the potential to freeze your beautiful hair strands.

It is admittedly fun to play around with your hair when it turns into a mess of tiny icicles, but the added weight and tension is probably going to cause tension and breakage. 

3. Be Careful With Heating Products

Because the air is cooler, hair should be less susceptible to being overheated, right? Well, not exactly. In fact, heating products such as straighteners, dryers, and curling irons can actually damage your hair more during the cold months. The reason is fairly simple: because your hair is already more dry and brittle, it’s more susceptible to the damages that are often associated with heating products.

Winter and fall are a good time to be less dramatic with your hair styling. You don’t need to write it off completely, but it’s best to keep your use of heated hair products to a minimum.

4. Shower In Warm, Not Hot Water

This one stings a little bit because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as taking a steamy shower amid a freezing cold winter. But when you do so, you’re actually hurting both your hair and your skin. Hot water can strip your skin of important and necessary oils, which bodes poorly for your scalp. How water will also dry out your hair faster than warm or cold water would. While it feels great, the after-effects are more trouble than a hot shower is worth.

Does that mean you can never, ever take hot showers? Of course not, but it’s important to be aware of the effects. Winter wouldn’t be winter without a nice steamy shower every once in a while, but it’s probably best to avoid doing that regularly.

5. Wear Hats and Scarves, But Be Careful

This one is a bit of a double-edged sword — on the one hand, it’s good to wear scarves and winter hats during cold months, as it protects your hair from the elements outside. On the other hand, this leaves your scalp vulnerable to the damages of hats in general. The bottom line? Be sure to wear hats and scarves when it’s necessary, but take proper measures to ensure that you’re not hurting your hair more than you’re helping.

Specifically, avoid wearing your hats too tight — this can restrict circulation in your scalp, which means that your hair isn’t getting the nourishment it needs from your body. Hats can also cause a buildup of sweat, which can be irritating to the scalp. If things are getting too toasty, consider taking it off for a while. Finally, hats can lead to tangling, which causes tension and breakage. Have a brush handy when you’re wearing a hat so that you can take care of tangles before they become a problem.

6. Schedule a Hair Analysis Appointment

Finally, the best possible thing you can do for your hair is to get a custom blueprint about its specific needs. Everyone’s hair reacts to stimuli in different ways, and a hair analysis machine can examine it at a level that exceeds the human eye. In a hair analysis appointment, you can find out what your unique haircare problems are, and with that information, you can walk out with custom-tailored treatment options.

Whether you want to learn more about our scalp and hair analysis machines, or you’re considering implementing them into your medical practice, click here to browse our selection. Happy holidays!