More Damaged Hair Tips

Can your damaged hair survive the winter AND look great this spring?

The natural hot oil treatments mentioned in the previous post will not only help your damaged hair survive winter, but will also help it look beautiful and healthy in the spring. But there's more…

If you’re looking for additional cold weather hair protection, try incorporating the following tips into your daily hair care routine:

• Wash your hair with lukewarm water, not hot water. Hot water can strip your hair of moisture, and during the winter you need all the moisture you can get!
• Keep your blow dryer a foot away from your head when drying your hair. Most of us put the blow dryer as close as we can to wet hair when drying. This places the hair at the hottest point of the dryer and in strongest wind current – causing the most stress on the hair from high heat and dry wind. If you move the dryer further away, you can reduce the impact these harsh elements have on delicate hair. Surprisingly, it doesn't take hair any longer to dry.
• Air dry as often as possible. If it's warm inside and you don't have to go out, air drying is much easier on your hair than blow drying.

• If you use conditioner, use a quality conditioner. If you have dry hair to begin with you may want to look for a hair conditioner that is made for dry hair, such as Young Living’s Rosewood Moisturizing Conditioner. (Rosewood essential oil is restorative and helps hair and skin stay elastic.) Conditioner is usually not necessary for oily hair as it can weight it down too much.
• Use styling tools designed to lock in moisture. Using hair tools such as ionic hairdryers and ceramic-plated straighteners will style your hair without unduly drying it.
• Don’t go outside with wet hair. Exposing wet hair to cold winter weather runs the risk of your hair freezing, which leaves it prone to breaking and getting severely damaged.
• Use a deep conditioner or hot oil treatment at least once a week. Your hair needs this extra attention to help repair and undo winter damage. Check out the end of this post for some essential oil-enhanced recipes for home hair treatments!
• Protect your hair by wearing a hat or other head covering when outdoors … or wear your hair up as much as possible. Choose a hat or covering that will not flatten your hair completely, but one that will just cover up most of your hair. Fortunately, there are lots of attractive style choices that can make your hair covering stylish as well as functional. Wearing your hair back and up will also help reduce exposure to the cold. This doesn’t have to be just a boring ponytail. Experiment with cute updos or sleek chignons to help protect your hair – remember Michelle Obama's stunning updo. Try some large-sized hair clips that hold your hair up with one clip.
• Rub an unscented dryer sheet on your hair brushes and combs to minimize static electricity. Sounds silly, but it works. When the heat is on all winter and the house is closed up, static cling builds up and causes a huge problem for hair. This simple little trick will save you that highly undesirable frizz frenzy. But don't use scented dryer sheets – they are loaded with chemicals that can seep into your scalp and get into your brain.
• Use the right shampoo. Too many shampoos strip the hair of moisture and its natural elasticity and cause product buildup. Instead, try all-natural Rosewood Moisturizing Shampoo™ for damaged hair, which gently cleanses dry or damaged hair. The botanical herbal extracts, vitamins, and essential oils remove buildup from commercial hair products while supplementing moisture and maximizing body.
  
  

  Fine hair especially benefits from Lavender Volume All-Natural Shampoo™ which gently cleanses and volumizes fine hair while nourishing and restoring balance. The secret is in the lavender oil, long known for its ability to improve the appearance of hair and skin. Here it works its fragrant magic to enhance the natural beauty of your hair.