With the weather in Britain liable to change from bright sunshine to blizzard conditions on the same day, your hair has a lot to deal with in the space of 24 hours. Here’s our guide to solving all those hair weather woes.
COLD
Cold weather can have a number of adverse effects on your hair - frizz can once again rear its unsightly head, with intense cold liable to leave hair dry and lacklustre. Dehydration can also lead to even more serious problems, including breakage. And with Britain’s unpredictable climate, there’s no guarantee the end of winter will also mean no more chill factor.
The Solution
One thing to always avoid when its bitterly cold is to leave the house with wet hair. You run the risk of ice particulars forming on the hair shaft, weighing it down and potentially leading to breakage. If you choose to cover your head, opt for a silk scarf rather than a woollen or manmade fibre hat. Silk won’t cause static like other materials, plus it’s lighter, so when you arrive at your destination you won’t be tackling flatness or frizz.
Also, opt for styling products with moisturising properties. Hydrated hair is less prone to frizzing and breakage. Rescue Crème is a great collaborator in the battle against the cold. A treatment and blow-drying crème in one, Recue Crème also repairs and hydrates hair, locking in moisture, while repairing damage and sealing split ends, helping make it resistant to the effects of even the coldest temperature.
WIND
Apart from the obvious problem of it blowing your hair into a state of disarray, wind can play havoc with hair health in all sorts of ways. By the time you’ve walked through a gale, your hair can become knotted and tangled, making it harder to brush or comb, and a nightmare to style. Too much exposure to harsh winds can also dry your hair out, leaving it lacking in moisture, brittle and more prone to breakage.
The Solution
Reach for homecare and styling products that offer moisturising and smoothing benefits.
Creating a clean foundation can be half the battle won when it comes to combatting the effects of wind. As we’ve stressed before, not all shampoos are the same. Some of those cheaper supermarket bargains will actually do more harm than good, coating your hair with silicone to give it a fake appearance of health, when all its actually doing is weighing the hair down.
Opt for shampoos and conditioner that are designed to hydrate and nourish hair from the inside out. Healthy, smooth hair is less likely to tangle and knot. Also, avoid shampoos that are packed with sulphates. They may produce a great looking lather but they can also dry your hair out, making it weaker and more prone to breakage in particularly windy weather. The other nasty ingredient to watch out for is Sodium Chloride (salt). This abrasive chemical will do nothing good for your hair, indeed it will suck out the moisture and potentially do damage.
Think about the styling products you are using too. Clog the hair up with heavy pastes and waxes and you’re asking for trouble – hair will be matted and part way to becoming a tangled mess before you even leave the house. A lightweight styler like Moisture Mist could be the perfect partner on those windy days – it will hydrate and revitalise dry hair without weighing it down. It’s handbag sized too, so perfect for restoring hair after a battle with the elements.
HUMIDITY
You might think a spot of humidity would be good for your hair – it’s just moisture after all - but it’s actually a major cause of frizz. If your hair is dehydrated and dry it will drink in the moisture from the air on a humid day, resulting in wild frizzing.
The Solution
The answer to controlling frizz resulting from humidity is to ensure hair is healthy and hydrated before you step outside. Try Introducing a hydrating hair mask to your hair regime to up moisture levels. Look for natural ingredients with moisture capturing properties like the carob bean extract found in our Moisture Mask.
Your other close ally when fighting frizz should be a high-quality hair oil. Look for ingredients such as argan and coconut oil, which are known for their nourishing properties and jojoba and avocado for effective hydration. Ultimate Oil contains all these, plus five more, all with specific benefits for your hair.
HEAT
Just as the excessive use of heated styling tools can damage hair, if you don’t use the right protection, so can the sun. Direct heat from sunlight can dry hair out leaving it lacking in moisture, and therefore prone to an array of unwanted effects, including frizz, split ends and breakage.
The Solution
Obviously keeping your hair covered is one way of protecting it from the sun, but then you create a raft of other potential problems, including the adverse effects of sweat and static. Plus, that sun hat that looks fabulous on the beach, might not go down quite so well during your morning commute. Keeping moisture levels high using the products and treatments we’ve already mentioned is part of the answer, but protection is also key. Look for styling products that contain UV protection – and remember, the evening when it’s not blazing sunshine, UV rays can still cause damage. If you have UV protection in your everyday styling products you can relax in the knowledge that your hair is protected without having to fork out for extra products.
You could try Heat Protection Spray which not only offers light hold for natural looking styles, it also protects your hair against the effects of heat, forming a shield around the hair shaft, locking in moisture. Root Lift Spray Gel is another styling product which offers added heat protection while delivering strength and hold thanks to its heat-activated proteins.