At the end of winter, our hair needs special attention: sudden changes in temperature, air conditioning, frequent styling dry them out, they lose elasticity and shine. Expert advice on how to fix the situation.
Long cold weather and street smog, office air conditioners and central heating, frequent washing and styling… Good hair care products can help our hair, and most importantly, the care and time we devote to it.
“In winter, this is familiar to many: the scalp is dehydrated, and the hair loses its freshness faster than usual,” says Elena Torchikova, top stylist at the Viaverde image laboratory. – And this is understandable: the less moisture in the skin, the more active the sebaceous glands, and therefore we have to wash our hair more often, and then do the styling with a hair dryer or “ironing”, which dry out the tips even more. Moreover, we often want everything at the same time – significant length, coloring and daily styling, which is not harmless for hair. As a result, they become dry, dull and brittle. “Healthy hair tissue contains 10% water,” explains chemist Sven Fey, Head of Innovation at Nivea Hair Care. “But when the cuticle, the top protective layer of the hair, is damaged, it begins to lose moisture-holding substances.” There are many moisturizers today, but the condition of the hair still does not suit us. How to be? Experts advise following the principles of care that will help curls return to their best shape.
Carefully clean
Frequent washing is not harmful if we take care to restore the moisture level of the hair. To do this, it is better to choose shampoos without sulfates and silicones. “Sulfates create a lot of foam, but dry out the skin,” explains biologist Natalia Lisitsa, scientific adviser to Yves Rocher. “And shine-giving silicones settle on the hair, creating an impenetrable film and reducing the effectiveness of conditioners and masks.” In vegetable formulas, instead of sulfates, derivatives of coconut or rapeseed oil are used: they do not foam so much, but they clean more carefully. And silicones are replaced by guar gum – a resin that is also used in the food industry in the manufacture of jelly.
For a thorough cleansing, you need a little shampoo and a little more time. “After adding water, lather a drop of the product in your palms, apply to the roots and do a three-minute massage: lightly pressing on the skin, draw small circles with your fingertips,” advises Natalia Lisitsa. This strengthens the hair and gives the shampoo time to work. It takes longer to wash it off – from 3 to 5 minutes, adds hairdresser Artem Shishkin, a teacher at the Schwarzkopf Professional Academy: “The longer the hair, the more time should be given to rinsing, otherwise they will quickly lose their freshness.”
Clean, styled hair can really lift your spirits… but you shouldn’t wash it more than two or three times a week.
Today, many of us wash our hair every day. This morning ritual helps you wake up and prepare for a new day. Yes, clean, styled hair can really cheer you up, but it is better to use shampoo no more than two or three times a week, says Natalia Lisitsa. Moreover, it is usually followed by a hair dryer and other hot (up to 200 ° C!) styling tools. Dry shampoo helps keep hair fresh without washing: it absorbs excess oil and adds volume to the hairstyle. From a distance of 15-25 cm, you need to spray the product on dry hair, paying special attention to the roots, and after a minute comb them with a brush.
Why do you need an anti-age shampoo?
No, this wording in the name of shampoos and other hair care products has nothing to do with our personal age. Rather, it is about our way of life. “From each hair bulb, or follicle, about 25 hairs can grow in succession,” says biologist Natalia Lisitsa, scientific adviser to Yves Rocher. “Each of them is able to live in their place for up to 5,5 years, although due to stress and other internal or external reasons, this period can be greatly reduced.” Shampoos and masks labeled anti-age improve hair nutrition, prevent hair loss and prolong the youthfulness of the skin to make every hair long. In general, our hair falls out every day, and new ones take their place – this is a normal physiological process. But if the parting gradually becomes wider, and the hairstyle noticeably loses volume, then you should contact a trichologist to find out the reason and, possibly, use a scalp remedy that stimulates new hair growth. For example, Vichy’s Dercos Neogenic lotion contains the stemoxidine molecule, which creates an optimal environment for follicle renewal: up to 1700 new hairs can appear in three months.
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Less aggression
Leave your styling tools for special occasions and try to dry your hair with a towel. Experts do not have much faith in the effectiveness of ionization, which, as advertised, will help maintain hair shine. “Useful styling tools do not exist,” Artem Shishkin is sure. “To reduce the aggressive effect, reduce the contact time of the device with the strands and use it only on dry hair: they do not dehydrate as much as wet ones.” “It is better to do the styling at least half an hour before going outside to minimize the temperature difference,” adds Natalia Lisitsa. It is worth choosing tools with a ceramic coating: it does not electrify the hair.
Coloring can also be gentle: some dyes do not contain ammonia, which damages the hair structure, and even improve their condition. For example, 100 shades of the KydraNature range are based on extracts of five plants – oak, gorse, coreopsis, madder and logwood. True, with their help it will not be possible to dye, say, purple – but a natural shade is guaranteed. “The principle of phytopigmentation is so different from the usual one that the creators of KydraNature refuse to call it coloring,” says Elena Torchikova, who has been working on this line for two years. “Vegetable dye gives color that lasts longer, and after two or three applications, the hair becomes stronger.”
More care
“It is better to take care of the hair according to the same principle as the skin: the conditioner (like a tonic) will soften them, and the indelible agent (like a cream) will saturate them with nutrients,” says Natalia Lisitsa. “A good leave-in hair product gives them smoothness and shine, while remaining invisible,” adds Elena Torchikova. – It also preserves the brightness of the color, protects against damage during combing and gives a well-groomed look. And here “more” does not mean “better”: if you use too much product, the hair runs the risk of looking stale – just one click on the dispenser.
Regular use of products containing keratin or camellia, jojoba and macadamia oils will help to avoid split ends. “Hair is made up primarily of keratin,” recalls Sven Fai of Nivea Hair Care. “But any careless impact, even a tight elastic band, provokes its washing out.” To make up for its daily loss, Nivea experts have added liquid keratin obtained from sheep’s wool to everything from shampoos to varnishes.
A great habit is to oil your hair at least twice a month before washing. For greater effect, it can be slightly heated in a water bath. Masks will also help speed up hair restoration: you need to apply the product to well-wrung hair (otherwise water forms a protective layer), paying special attention to damaged areas, then wrap your head with a warm towel and leave for 20-30 minutes to act. Even if there is little time, Elena Torchikova urges not to abandon the mask, but to use the express method: apply it, moving from the tips to the roots: “This allows you to literally rub the nutrients under the keratin scales. Wait three minutes and rinse your hair with cool water: washing off the excess, it will close the scales, sealing the beneficial substances inside and restoring strength and shine to the hair.