WINTER HAIR CARE.

First published on Couturing

With the arrival of winter, our mood is not the only thing that will be dulled. Hair will suffer the same from the drier conditions, meaning that our hair regime may need an overhaul.

Winter brings with it its own set of weather-induced frustrations on your locks, with dryness, breakage and dullness being just a few. The most persistent struggle our tresses will encounter will be a loss of moisture, mainly from dry heating and the disparate temperatures experienced indoors and out. All these combine to leave us with dry and potentially frizzy hair.

In order to combat the effects imposed by the change in weather, our shampoo and conditioners should be switched those for dry hair, being rich in moisturising ingredients and nutrients. Conditioning your hair is also very important in the cooler months, and you should not be scarce with product like you might in summer time.

During winter we are also more prone to use heat on our hair with straighteners, hot irons and blow dryers. Although these practices make us look and feel a million dollars, the downside is it puts stress on our locks and may make our hair look and feel damaged. To remedy this issue, invest in a quality conditioning treatment to use once or twice a week. Most treatments are very high in moisturising elements that enable the damage to be reversed and give hair a natural, healthy shine.

Another change you should be making to your hair care regime for the next few months is regular trips to the salon. Generally in summer, a 6-week interval in between haircuts is sufficient. However in winter you will need to up the ante and make a visit to the salon every four weeks to ensure dead ends are taken care of to revive hair.

To help you keep your locks healthy and happy, we bring you our top picks for your winter hair beauty regime.

1.     Kevin. Murphy Born.Again.Masque ($39.95)

2.     Eleven Hydrate My Hair Shampoo and Conditioner ($20.95 and $21.95)

3.     Redken Diamond Oil Deep Facets Masque ($31.95)

4.     Kevin. Murphy Born. Again. Wash ($34.95)

5.     Eleven 3 Minute Repair Rinse Out Treatment ($24.95) 

SUMMER HAIR CARE

First Published on Couturing. 

With summer in full force for the year, your skin is not the only thing you should be taking extra care of. Your hair also needs to be paid some special attention due to the harsh UV rays we expose it to, the chlorine filled pools we immerse ourselves in, and the salty seawater.

With too much exposure to the rays you hair becomes dehydrated, in turn breaking down the proteins in your hair, leaving it to be dull, dry and brittle as well as coloured hair subjected to fading.

Before stepping out onto the hot sand, spray your locks with a UV protection spray in order to protect against the sunrays and to lock in moisture. L’Oreal’s EverPure Protection Spray ($9.95) is a great lightweight spray that will not only lock in your hairs natural moisture but will also help prevent coloured hair to fade while out in the sun.

Kerastase also have a protection spray, Soleil Micro-Voile Protecteur ($42) that limits the negative effects of the sun, chlorine and salt water. The product not only protects your hair from UV rays and acts like a water proofer, but also adds suppleness and shine to your hair when it has been applied.

Kevin. Murphy’s Born.Again.Masque ($49.95) is a great antidote to hair hydration. The ingredients used in the masque, such as mango butter, vitamin E and B5 are designed to deeply penetrate into the depth of the hair shaft in order to provide it with nourishment and nutrition after a day out in the sun. The babasu oil also included in the product allows your hair to appear glossy and healthy by repairing the damage and building back up the hair’s strength.

L’Oreal have a shampoo and conditioner duo, Absolut Repair Cellular, which is designed for damaged hair namely caused by the sun. The shampoo will leave your hair feeling stronger, softer and smoother and will also give the appearance of being silky and nourished. The conditioner has the same effect, featuring lactic acid that provides deep-down care to revitalise dull and damaged tresses.

Images courtesy of L’Oreal, Kerastase and Kevin Murphy