Winter. Think cute trench coats, cool black boots, cosy nights curled up reading a book and… the dreaded dry skin. You may have dry skin all year round or, struggle with producing more oil than giant, Shell. Either way, it’s typical in winter to see your skin dry out and need much more hydration than usual. You're likely busy chasing after the latest shade of Adidas Sambas, loading up on Body Lotion and fussing over your next snow trip. So, it's totally fair that you may have overlooked the major beating your hair and scalp have taken over the winter months, before it’s (almost) too late.

Scalp a little itchy? Noticing dry ends straight after a trim? Struggling with a bad hair day, every day? We’ve been there, and we’re ready and waiting to get you out of the winter hair trenches! Follow our top 5 winter hair do’s and don’ts to get your hair back to health just in time for hot girl (and guy) spring. ‘Cause you should feel confident all year round, not just in summer!

Listen up - These dry scalp treatments are all about rehydrating your hair and scalp as the dry winter weather can expel the moisture from your roots. If you have notoriously oily hair, no matter how tempting it may be, be sure not to skip on these dry hair treatments. Oily hair needs to be nourished too! By boosting the hydration in your hair, your body will eventually and naturally balance out the oils in your roots.

1. DO: Extend hair wash day.

With the cool, dry air wreaking havoc, the natural oils produced are liquid GOLD! When we shampoo our hair, we’re cleansing the scalp and roots. Washing away excess sebum. In summer, with sweat and humidity, you may likely need to shampoo every 2-3 days instead of every 3-4 days for example. While the air is brisk outside, stretch out your hair wash day by a day or two. It’s a moo point* to wash away your natural oils and then add some in after.

If you’re feeling a little self-conscious with the extra shine, add in a sprinkle of natural Dry Shampoo to absorb the excess oils. Stay away from alcohols and aerosols though, they’ll just be adding fuel to your dry hair fire. Ours is made with Bentonite and Australian Olive Clay to subtly absorb the excess oils without going overboard.

There’s another win to this ol’ ‘do’. Less hair wash days overall equals less of a fuss and more time for funsies. Win!

*Moo point?! - See “Friends” Season 7. Episode 8.

2. DON’T: Get too steamy in the shower.

With steam and infrared saunas being all the rage right now, a piping-hot shower at home makes sense, right? Wrong! Here at A bit Hippy, we’re just that, a bit hippy. We love hot showers as much as the next person. No cold plunges in the local lake as a freshen up thanks, we like the privacy of a domestic shower too.

Warm water is great, it’s gentle on our nervous system. There’s also literally no need to be shivering while washing the day away. Saying that, just like overfishing, overproducing textiles and overdoing it in the gym, it’s a natural human behaviour to take things too far. We'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, but scalding hot showers count as taking it a little too far.

Scalding hot water no matter how delightful it is after a cold day out in the elements, can damage the hair cuticle and also break protein bonds. Which in turn can trigger inflammation and negatively impact hair texture and growth. It can even be responsible for hair loss. Apologies for getting all doomsday-esque on you, but we are here to provide the facts.

Next time you go to hop in the shower, turn on the heat lamps (if you have the luxury) get a warm towel and dressing gown at the ready and turn down the temp’ in there to a comfortable ‘warm’ level where the mercury isn’t spilling out the top of the thermometer. Over time, your hair will be much healthier and happier, you’ll even see an improvement in your skin. Another win! Woo!

3. DO: Audit your routine and product collection.

Ahh routines, we’re absolute suckers for routines. See our blog “Level up your skincare: 5 routines for any skin concern.” to see how granular we go with a good routine. When you start to see a plateau in your gym performance, you take a step back, review what you’re doing, make adjustments and get back to it. In summer, your morning routine may change with the extra daylight. In winter, you say "goodbye" to the cute crop tops and "hellooo" to those warm jackets that you’ve had hidden in the back of your wardrobe.

The same goes for your hair care go-to's, what works for you at one point in time, won’t at another and that’s okay. Just take a step back, look at what’s missing, make changes and get back to it.

Here are some common switch-ups you can make in winter:

• Are you a double shampooing sheila? We’re a BIG fan of the double shampoo. It really gives gals and guys with thick, oily hair the chance to give their scalp and roots the cleanse they deserve. Saying that, the dry winter weather strips your scalp and roots of their natural oils. So, a double shampoo may not be necessary right now.
• Oil those ends. Did you know our 100% natural Jojoba Oil is a 1000-in-1? Okay, that might be a slight over exaggeration but oh boy, it’s got a multitasking mind of its own. Add some Jojoba Oil to the ends of your hair when the frizz factor starts to feel a little too much. You can even massage some into your scalp to promote hair growth if that’s one of your hair goals! (See, it truly is a multitasker.)
• Your skin loves a treatment, and your hair does too! Don’t tell the team that I’m spilling some major tea, but a Hair Mask may be coming your way sooner than you think! 👀 In the meantime, treat your hair to a little extra love and use the A bit Hippy Conditioner as a pre-wash treatment. An hour before you get into your warm (not hot) shower, slick your hair back with Conditioner. The Jojoba and Rapeseed Oil will fast-track hydration, while the Vitamin B5 will help address hair breakage.

4. DON’T: Wet & forget.

While we LOVE, productivity, efficiency and all things “smarter, not harder” be sure not to cut corners with your hair care. Washing your hair and jumping into bed or washing your hair and embracing the great (but cool and dry) outdoors is enough of a hair care sin to get Chris Appleton knocking on your door in despair.

We don’t make claims like this lightly, science backs us too. Did you know that wet hair is 3x more fragile than dry hair? If hair breakage, brittleness or weak, dull hair is of concern to you, it’s time you leave the ‘wetting & forgetting’ to your herb garden. Perhaps you could wash your hair first thing when you wake up and it’ll be dry after you’ve finished your morning routine indoors, or maybe it’ll be best for you to run the hairdryer on the lowest and coolest setting with some protectant before jumping into bed? We’re not here to boss you around, but we are here to tell you that wet hair ain't it!

5. DON’T: Excessively heat and style your hair.

Hey now. Don’t raise your inner monologue reading voice with us! Yes, we did just recommend that you run the hair dryer through your hair here and there. We did not say that it’s okay to apply heat to your hair day in, and day out.

We all know that excessive heat and styling are notorious for causing unnecessary damage to your hair, so this is just a gentle reminder to avoid heat where appropriate. Got a fancy event coming up? Go crazy on the hair curler! Love straightening your hair for work? Maybe it’s time to embrace the natural wave. We recommend following the 20,80 rule. Heat-free 80% of the time, and style your hair with a gentle, low heat setting for the rest!

Now you’ve got all the hacks to achieve happy, healthy hair this winter. Be sure to check out our natural hair care range when you need a little top-up.