Preparing Your Hair For Winters

Much like your skin, your hair too suffers persistently from the vagaries of the climate. If the summer heat scorches up the hair strands, the monsoon humidity makes them limp and turns the scalp susceptible to fungal infections. Even as the hair is recoiling from the excesses of heat and humidity comes the winter harshness that rips off all the moisture, and makes hair weak and dull.

Apart from facing the chilly winds, hair is also more exposed to sun's radiation in winters, as we tend to spend more time soaking in the sun. Another factor is the frequent use of caps, mufflers and scarves that lead to friction on the hair.

As you bid adieu to summer season and welcome autumn, do not ignore your hair. As winter approaches, following a basic hair care regime can help you keep your strands healthy and hearty in the season. Winter also means greater use of blow dryers to keep the hair dry. Excessive use again weakens the hair strands, giving you another reason for taking extra precautions and care before winters.

This is how you can prepare your hair for the approaching winter:

Healthy diet and supplements: Nothing reflects on hair more than inner health. If your diet is good in nutritional value and your body healthy from within your skin and hair too will be healthy. Protein rich diet like eggs, chicken, Omega 3 fatty acids and iron rich diet like fish, nuts and almonds besides carrots and lentils which are rich vitamin A and folic acid – they will help keep your hair healthy.

Sometimes, the nutrients in your diet are not sufficient. This is when supplements are needed. If winter doesn't particularly suit your hair, add supplements like vitamin A, follic acid, vitamin B complex, protein and calcium which are good for hair. If you are experiencing thinning or hairfall, do meet a dermatologist who will suggest the right vitamins for you.

Limit the use of blow dryers: If it is autumn season, humidity is not so high. In such circumstances you can limit the use of blow dryers and hot irons on the hair. Limiting this trauma during this period will help the hair prepare and repair better for the winter when use of blow dryers is the highest.

Blow drying can also cause the pores of the scalp to open up and this can lead dirt and pollution to enter, weakening the roots. Remember that blow drying the hair throws a lot of heat on hair and it damages the hair follicles in the process. If we apply a softening mousse, it forms a layer around the hair and protects the hair shafts during blow drying. It work for protection.

Masage your scalp regularly:Use warm olive oil or coconut oil to massage your scalp and hair, it will replenish moisture and prevent dryness. However, too much of oiling is also not recommended. However, do not use too much oil because then you will need to use a lot of shampoo to get rid of it and this leads to a kind of trauma to the hair. Oiling and sift massaging twice a week will be a good thing to do regularly in the pre-winter and winter months.

Use moisturizing shampoos and conditioners: Loss of moisture is a major problem in winters. So, better start using a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. Curd, egg white, henna all act as natural conditioners and can help calm the hair. They will help protect your hair against dryness and coarseness. Use lemon to fight dandruff if any and keep your scalp healthy.

Get some scalp rejuvenating treatments: It is always good to go for some scalp rejuvenating medical therapies like Stem Cell Therapy, Peptide Therapy Laser, LED Therapy and Rejuvenating Orange Light Therapy as these help stimulate hair growth and keep dandruff and other hair problems in check.

Here are some options:

a) Laser light therapy- for hair fall and scalp infections

When the hair follicle suffers from poor blood flow or a hormone by product called Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hair follicle progressively diminishes until it's permanently gone. The LaserComb utilizes laser phototherapy to stimulate the hair follicle. By bathing the scalp with gentle, nourishing laser light, the follicles are infused with the energy necessary to stimulate growth factors, extend the growth phase and help restore a healthy hair cycle. Additionally, laser phototherapy treatment helps to increase blood flow to the scalp and helps to eliminate harmful wastes products such as DHT.

b) Ozone therapy – for hair growth & repair

Ozone is known to liberate free Oxygen when supplied to any part of the body. This free oxygen radical neutralizes the existing offenders in the body. As our hairs roots also has many such offenders so when Ozone reaches the roots either directly or indirectly it starts rejuvenating. When the roots starts becoming healthy hair loss naturally stabilizes and scalp regains the lost hairs as well.