Monday, October 25, 2010

Five Expert Tips on How to Protect Your Hair this Winter

The weather in New York City has been just gorgeous lately--crisp fall climes, with lovely blue skies and no humidity. But I know what's around the corner: frightful snowstorms, crazy hair-snapping cold, and dare I say it--hat hair. Eek! This year, I plan to head of bad winter hair by being, as the Girl Scouts would say, prepared! Here, some top tips from Nicholas Penna, Jr., owner of Boston's SalonCapri, on how to best winterproof your locks.

1. Stock up on leave-in conditioners and protective oils: These act as a cozy coat between your hair and the heat. During the cold dryness of the winter months, damage from a curling or straightening iron can be worse than usual. If you're straightening out or curling up, coat your hair with a leave-in oil such as Shu Uemura's Essence Absolue. This product contains camellia oil, so it really works to protect your locks. Camellia or tea seed oil is often used as a rust protectant for woodworking tools . . . so it means business!

2. Air-dry: If you're not freezing post-shower, try to let your hair air-dry before blow-drying it completely. The less hot air you infuse into your locks with the dryer, the more moisture you'll seal in from your shampoo and conditioning products.

3. Stay moisturized: Go to a salon for a professional deep-conditioning treatment at least once a month. This is a great way to keep your hair healthy and shiny in the winter months. If this isn't in your budget, use Shu Uemura's Art of Hair Moisture Velvet Nourishing Treatment. The product can be used daily on thick hair or once a week as a deep treatment on fine hair. Apply the product to clean, damp hair. Leave on for five to ten minutes and rinse out.

4. Keep frizz away: Frizzy hair is one of the worst things about the winter's dryness (think static cling, hat hair . . . ew!). Stop the problem before it begins. I love anti-frizz products and swear by them during the winter. My favorite is L'Oreal Professionnel's Gelee Riche, an anti-frizz styling gelee applied to towel-dried, damp hair. Still frizz-tastic? pray a small amount of L'Oreal Professionnel's Freezing Mist or another strong-old finishing spray on a hairbrush, and lightly brush it through your hair from top to bottom. Voila!

5. Be dirty: OK . . . not dirty, but wash your less frequently during the winter. Frizz is a result of dry, broken strands of hair--aka lack of moisture. Washing your hair every day does more damage than good, so wash your hair every third day or every other day if you must.  

http://www.teenvogue.com/beauty/blogs/beauty/2010/10/five-tips-on-how-to-protect-your-hair-this-winter.html                                                                                      

No comments:

Post a Comment