10 Easy and Affordable Ways to Achieve Healthy Winter Hair

October 30, 2018

Laura P.

Cold winter temperatures and manufactured indoor heat dry out even the healthiest hair. Throw in curling and flat irons, blow drying, and styling products, and your hair could be in for a long winter. To maintain strong, healthy hair with bounce and shine during the coldest months, winter hair care routines need special adjustments to hold in moisture and block out the elements.

10 Adjustments to Make for Winter Hair Care

Protect your hair from winter’s wrath with these cold weather hair care tips:

1. Stop shampooing every day. If you have thin strands or oily hair, this can be a challenge, but it’s worth a go. Shampooing strips hair of the natural oil, or sebum, that keeps hair soft and shiny. And some even claim that washing hair less can train your scalp to produce less oil over time. While you wait for that, minimize oily roots by brushing to distribute oils evenly.


2. Pass on the “co-poo.” Popular 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner products can save you a little time (as in 3 minutes), but they don’t condition well, and they cause major build-up on your scalp. Dry winter hair calls for serious conditioners labeled as moisturizing, anti-aging, or thermal protecting. Look for moisturizing ingredients such as oils, humectants, and emollients, too.


3. Try the “no-poo” trend. Cue the heavenly music. Dry shampoo just may be the answer to every time-crunched, sleep-deprived woman’s prayers. And it’s a great way to give your hair a winter break from heat styling because you can re-wear yesterday’s ‘do. Just spray on roots and brush through to soak up oils and freshen hair in seconds.



Careful not to overdo it. Hitting the no-poo trend too hard will cause the absorbent powders in dry shampoo to build up on your scalp and dry out the hair you’re trying to protect. Limit dry shampoo to once between washings. If you have thick or curly hair, you might get away with twice. Regardless, if your scalp gets irritated or starts to itch, step away from the spray and give your hair a thorough rinsing.

4. Use warm or cool water. A hot shower is quite possibly the only good thing happening on a blustery January morning, but hot water is the enemy of healthy winter hair. When you’re ready to soak or rinse your hair, simply turn the temperature down a little. A hand held shower head or hair shower wand will help you direct the chilly spray more precisely. Either way, you can always crank up heat again when it’s time to belt out your favorite song.


5. Apply a deep conditioning treatment. Well-conditioned hair is stronger, more resilient, and less likely to dry out because the product smooths the hair cuticle and traps in moisture. Conditioning also helps with the dreaded static hair winter brings. Slather tresses with a deep conditioner once a week, and twice if your hair is brittle or damaged.


6. Dry your hair in the air. “But air drying makes me look like a mad scientist,” you say. Fair enough. If you can’t air dry, minimize blow-dry time by soaking up as much water as possible from wet hair first. Wrap it in an absorbent towel or a t-shirt. Then let the towel do its job as you brush your teeth or pop a waffle into the toaster. And never head out into the cold with wet hair. That can cause breakage.


7. Stimulate your scalp. Healthy winter hair starts with a healthy scalp. To nourish hair follicles, look for ways to stimulate blood flow. Use a natural-bristle brush or treat yourself to regular head massages. Or try the WATERPIK HairWand. This unique hair shower wand delivers a concentrated PowerComb spray to stimulate the scalp and encourage healthy new hair growth.


8. Wear a hat. Hat head is a lot like missing your front teeth: adorable on little kids but all kinds of bad for adults. On the other hand, exposing hair to cold weather can sap winter hair of moisture for an entire season. To protect your hair and avoid breakage, find a stylish hat that’s soft and not too tight, and slip it on when temperatures plunge.







9. Trim your ends. Getting hair trimmed every few weeks will keep split ends from worsening into a full-scale, hag-hair nightmare. Some stylists will trim your hair between full cuts at a reduced rate or even for free if you ask. Don’t try this at home unless you miss the crooked, mom-cut bangs you wore in third grade.


10. Lay off the heat styling. This is a biggy. Many women use more than one heat styling tool every day, but that’s a sure way to brittle, dry hair in winter. During the coldest months, reserve the extra styling for Saturday nights and give your hair a rest during the week.

Hair Shower Wand for Healthy Winter Hair

Styling products and conditioners are critical to maintaining soft, heathy hair when winter’s wrath dries it out. But all those products can build up on your scalp, block circulation, and leave hair malnourished and dull. The WATERPIK HairWand Spa System features a patented PowerComb spray that penetrates down to the root, rinses out product residue thoroughly, and revitalizes your scalp no matter which winter hair care routine you choose.