Winter Clothes Giving You a Bad Hair Day? Here’s the Fix
Knitted scarves, hats, and heavy, hooded coats might be what’s keeping you from getting a nasty case of frostbite, but these winter clothes and accessories might also be ruining your hair. OK, that sounds like an over-exaggeration, but if you’ve ever taken off your scarf to find a matted, tangled mess at the nape of your neck, you know what we’re talking about. Freezing certainly isn’t a viable solution, and neither is surrendering to a season of bad hair days, so we knew we had to go to the pros to get some answers. Luckily, you can prevent bad hair and stay warm at the very same time.
Prevent hat hair with with volumizing products.
If you know you’ll be topping off your outfit with a beanie, you should prep your hair with a volumizing product to stop it from falling flat, explains PHYTOSpecific National Educator, Ron Williams. He recommends using a product like PHYTO PhytoVolume Actif ($15, sephora.com), which helps create a lift at your root and is actived when you blow-dry.
Another solution to hat hair is using dry texturizing spray and dry shampoo (something we all have in our beauty arsenals) on your roots before putting on your hat, notes Cutler/Redken Stylist, Emily Heser. “That way, when you take your hat off, all you need to do is rub your fingers into your scalp to get some volume back into your hair,” she explains. “The dry shampoo prevents bangs and your hairline from getting greasy.”
Keep curls intact with a loose knot.
However, if you’re wearing waves or curls, Williams suggests twisting your hair into a loose bun and setting it with a light hairspray. When you take off your hat and undo the knot, he says all you have to do is shake your head.
Use leave-in conditioner or moisturizing hair products.
To prevent your hair from getting tangled underneath your scarf, Heser says to apply a bit of leave-in conditioner. She also says you should avoid over-using products like hairspray to keep your hair untangled and smooth.
Another reason to keep your hair hydrated? Besides tangles, Williams says using a daily moisturizer or even a bit of oil can help prevent fly-aways and breakage.
Go for a braid.
While that blowout may be tempting, if you’re really worried about tangles, try hairstyles like low buns and French braids. Heser says these styles will “keep the hair on your neck contained so it doesn’t matt.”
Williams says you can also layer a silk or satin scarf to the collar of your jacket. And if it isn’t too cold, he recommends ditching the wool scarf that may be causing breakage and drying out your hair.
Detangle in the shower.
If you can manage, Heser suggests waiting until you get home to detangle those matted sections in the shower with conditioner. “The hair at our nape is very fragile, and you don’t want to rip through it as this can create major breakage,” she explains.
Although drastic, you can prevent tangles from forming in the first place by cutting off a few inches and rocking a bob, explains Heser. However, you should only go for that fix if you’re truly ready to switch up your style.
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