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Hair survival 101: Preventing dry hair in winter

by Ashley|January 23, 2025
Hair survival 101: Preventing dry hair in winter

We all know the toll that winter can take on our skin, but the coldest months of the year can also deprive your hair of much-needed moisture, leading to breakage, static and frizzy hair. Though, with the right products and techniques, dry hair doesn't have to be such a struggle. We’re here to help you learn how to prevent hair dryness in winter and keep your locks looking smooth and frizz-free this season. Follow along to learn more about:

The best shampoo for dry hair in winter

OLAPLEX No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

OLAPLEX No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

The best shampoo for dry hair in winter is one that will effectively cleanse without stripping away your natural oils and disrupting the moisture balance at your scalp. This daily shampoo from OLAPLEX does just that while also strengthening all hair types with its proprietary ingredient, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, which is formulated to help repair the broken disulfide bonds that contribute to dry, brittle hair.

Pro tip: Hot showers can disrupt the moisture barrier and lead to issues with super-dry skin from head to toe, including dry scalp. The same goes for your locks. “While hair can be damaged from excessive dryness in the air, the scalp is the most important area to concentrate on as it is where the hair is ‘made,’ so to speak, and is essential for healthy hair,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin founder Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “Excessive heat can damage the skin, which then, in turn, leads to weaker, less healthy hair. If you keep your time in the water to a minimum and use lukewarm water instead of hot, that can go a long way to ensure your skin and hair remain properly hydrated in the winter.”

The best conditioner for dry hair in winter

Just as using the incorrect moisturizer can throw off your complexion, using a conditioner not suited for your hair can lead to unwanted side effects. Here are two conditioners that we trust to breathe some life back into dry winter hair:

OLAPLEX No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner

OLAPLEX No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner

In addition to bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate—OLAPLEX’s key ingredient to help strengthen hair—this conditioner also contains vitamin B5 to moisturize and biotin, a form of vitamin H that supports healthy hair. Hydrating glycerin and a handful of nourishing oils—avocado, apricot kernel, sunflower seed, grapeseed—round out the list of beneficial ingredients for dry winter hair. It’s also safe to use on color-treated hair with no worry about fading your salon-fresh look.

The best moisturizing products for dry winter hair

A hair mask is an excellent option for quenching dry hair in winter. Not only will it help infuse your locks with hydration, but a hair mask can also help combat frizz, static and breakage as well.

Rene Furterer Sublime Karite Moisturizing Smoothing Mask

Rene Furterer Sublime Karite Moisturizing Smoothing Mask

Specifically formulated for dry or dehydrated hair, this mask relies on rich, nourishing ingredients like ceramides and shea butter to replenish depleted strands and lock in moisture for up to 72 hours. Dermatologist-tested and formulated with 96% naturally-derived ingredients, this mask restores dull, frizzy or lifeless locks for shinier, stronger and healthier-looking hair.

Verb Ghost Hair Mask

Verb Ghost Hair Mask

The Ghost collection from Verb is all about infusing your hair with weightless hydration and luminosity. This hair mask is a deep-conditioning treatment featuring moringa oil and glycerin that you can use once or twice weekly after shampooing. For times when your dry winter hair can use some extra repair, mix this mask with a few drops of Verb Ghost Oil and leave it on overnight before rinsing in the morning.

The best dry hair products in winter for heat styling

Since hair tends to lean on the dryer side in the colder months, you may need to add some additional products to your regimen. Dry hair is fragile hair, meaning it is more prone to breakage and splitting, so take advantage of protective hairstyling products designed to specially help keep your hair in top form.

Kenra Professional Platinum Luxe One Leave-In

Kenra Professional Platinum Luxe One Leave-In

If you covet your blow dryer and curling iron, a heat protection spray is a must all year round and especially when you have dry hair in winter. This heat protection spray from the experts at Kenra contains colloidal gold to add shine and refresh hair between styles, but it also provides heat protection up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and promotes supreme softness.

Pureology Style + Protect Weightless Volume Mousse

Pureology Style + Protect Weightless Volume Mousse

Formulated with Pureology’s exclusive Anti-Fade Complex to protect color-treated hair, this conditioning mousse creates airy volume with a lifted, soft and shiny finish. Xylose coats strands in a glossy finish while offering heat protection from everyday styling.

PHYTO Phytodefrisant Anti-Frizz Blow Dry Balm

PHYTO Phytodefrisant Anti-Frizz Blow Dry Balm

Though this product is a blow dry balm by name, it will prep and protect your hair for all manner of heat styling, from perfecting your beachy waves with a flat iron to the perfect bombshell blowout using your favorite hair dryer tools. This formula also contains plant extracts, which moisturize hair while guar gum guards your main from frizz and static.

Alterna CAVIAR Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture CC Cream for Hair

Alterna CAVIAR Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture CC Cream for Hair

Delivering ten benefits in one simple step, this leave-in hair treatment repairs split ends, smooths frizz and restores softnes and shine to winter-worn hair. Formulated without parabens, sulfates or phthalates, this rich cream repairs hair’s lipid layer, keeping it shiny and healthy-looking no matter how cold the temps get.

The best dry shampoo for dry hair in winter

Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo

Redken Deep Clean Dry Shampoo

Another way to prevent hair dryness during the winter is to give your hair a breather. If you can, push washing your locks from every day to every other day and opt for a dry shampoo between washes. This talc-free formula absorbs excess oil to refresh hair and also contains vitamin B5, also known as panthenol, to help hair hold on to more moisture.

Pro tip: To get the most of your dry shampoo, apply in small sections starting at the scalp and allow the product to penetrate before brushing through. This will give it a chance to diminish oil and debris. After a few minutes, brush until the excess powder disappears and style as desired for a second-day style that's just as good as the first.

Now that you know how to prevent hair dryness in winter, take your knowledge to th next level by learning more about what oils you can use to benefit your skin and hair.

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About the Author

Ashley is a content writer at LovelySkin and a self-declared beauty junkie. She enjoys trying out new lip products and spoiling her pets.

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