5 Tips for Winter Hair Care

Winter is here and it's time when we get back to our to our routines. In the salon, we have a lot of undoing to do. Undoing you ask? Yes... undoing of our client's laid back summer and fall hair care habits.

Summer sun, salt water, chlorinated pools and just plain old neglect can do a lot of damage to ombres, balayages and every other colour service that we do. Damage that can be permanent and irreversible. But there is hope!! Here are 5 simple tips to keep your hair in great shape.

1) PROTECT YOUR HAIR FROM THE ELEMENTS!

Sunlight is the the number one enemy of ANY hair colour... followed by chlorine and salt. See a pattern? Yes, your summer sunning and winter vacation can do a lot of damage to your hair. What can you do to limit the damage? Cover your hair when you're in the sun or one of my fave tips is to use products with sunscreen in them. It's an easy and convenient way of protecting your hair from the effects of sun exposure.

2) PROTECT YOUR HAIR FROM CHLORINE!

Chlorine is trickier because it actually penetrates into the hair shaft and isn't all removed with a regular shampoo. A lot of experts recommend oiling your hair before you go for that swim, but be careful about the amount you use or you will end up with stringy hair. Please keep your head covered if you do oil your hair as the sun will cook your hair. If oiling it isn't your thing, invest in a good chlorine removal shampoo and use it right after leaving the pool.

3) TREATMENTS, TREATMENTS, TREATMENTS!

Hair is like fabric... it is strongest in its natural state. When we chemically alter our hair, we are changing its structure. A good rule of thumb is the farther you from its natural state, the more damage you do to its structure. Obviously this refers predominantly to lightening. Given that balayage and highlighting account for a huge percentage of our clients requests, it makes sense that there is a lot of damaged hair out there in need of treatments. A good salon treatment can undo a great deal of chemical and environmental damage.

4) CONSIDER COLOUR AS A PROTECTIVE TREATMENT!

I cannot count the number of times a woman has come in just before a trip asking to go very light. I usually recommend that they go a little darker than they want so that the sun won't over damage their hair. This involves putting a toner ( a very gentle temporary colour) over their lightened hair as a protective coating. There are a million shades of blonde so allowing your stylist to put a protective colour over your freshly lightened hair will allow you more freedom and less worry during your trip.

5) MOISTURIZE!

Winter means we spend a lot of time indoors. Heating systems dry our hair and skin so the best approach is to add a little more moisturizing to your hair regime. I'm not specifically referring to the trend of oiling your hair as most oils just sit on top of your doing nothing. Yes your skin will absorb natural oils, but your hair needs more than a handful of coconut/olive/grapeseed oil. To have oils penetrate the hair shaft, they need to be refined in a way that will break it down to a molecular level.

These are just 5 steps... there is more you can do... curious? We are here for you, just ask one of our trained stylists which are the best options for you so you can relax and enjoy beautiful winter hair!