In the colder months, your skin’s not the only thing to become dry and parched. Your strands need equal care, and no amount of slathering conditioner daily on your locks will help you unless you have the right products or ingredients to help you.

If you have color-treated or curly hair, hydration is extra important during the colder months because your strands become brittle and lifeless more easily than virgin or straight hair.

Here are some ways you can easily quench your strands’ thirst:

1) Cut or Trim your Hair Regularly: Brittle strands should be a thing of the past, and cutting your hair regularly will ensure you have a healthy head of hair; just the right quantity for you to use your shampoos and conditioners on.

2) Avoid Bleaching Your Hair: Bleach saps the strand of valuable oils and pulls the pigment out of your hair. Over-processed hair also makes it necessary to apply heavy conditioners and masks because your cuticle is compromised and in many case, completely damaged.

3) Air dry if possible: Baby it’s cold outside! We understand if you’re loathe to walk around the house with the Ice Hotel on your head, but just in case you happen to live in Texas where the sun is shining all year around (well, okay fine, perhaps not this year), we encourage you to air dry your hair because heat can sap up valuable moisture.

4) Use Hydrating Shampoos & Conditioners: This one should seem pretty “Captain Obvious” but check your shampoo and conditioner stats to see if they add up in the moisturizer department. One new fave we’re loving include the relaunched Herbal Essences shampoos and conditioners, especially Hello Hydration which uses water to activate the new silkening ingredients. Plus, it smells like the tropics with a blend of orchids, coconut and a rich fusion of moisturizers.

5) Use a weekly Hair Mask: An intense hydrating mask is what your hair needs, at least once or twice a week. We love Phyto’s Phytojoba Mask because it’s like an ICU for your hair strands.

6) Eat Well: This may seem obvious, but what you eat will be evident on your hair strands. A good diet can lead to glossy, thick and hydrated hair, while a diet ridden with junk foods can pluck away what’s left and render it lusterless. Look for leafy greens and snack on nuts because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

What are some of the ways you hydrate your hair in the winter months?

– Charu Suri

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