Combine frigid winter winds with warm, inside air, and you have a recipe for dry and damaged hair. This season’s conditions are notorious for causing breakage, split ends, and flaky scalps. Instead of stuffing your tresses under a knit cap and waiting for spring, there are several ways to keep your mane moisturized, healthy and vibrant. Here are a few tricks of the trade used by hair salon professionals.

How to Keep Your Hair Protected During the Winter

Use an Oil-Based Moisturizer

Hair desperately needs additional moisture during the winter season, so use an oil-based moisturizer to combat dryness. For this time of year, hair salon experts say it’s perfectly fine to go heavy with the product, which should be applied generously from the root to the ends. Use the moisturizer as you see fit to help curb split ends and breakage while brushing or combing.

Bump Up the Conditioner

Another way to keep brittleness away is with leave-in conditioners, and you can add this in addition to your regular, weekly conditioning treatments. If you’ve noticed your hair randomly standing on end or floating, the culprit could be static electricity. Dry hair acts as a conduit for static to occur. Conditioners will help eliminate the problem and keep your strands moisturized.

Skip Daily Shampoos

Washing your tresses every day during the winter season can make hair drier, and shampoo buildup can also trigger dandruff. Wash your hair a few times a week while the weather is cold. If excess flakes are a problem, opt for a product designed to fight dandruff.

Cut Back on Heat Utensils

Curling irons and hair dryers can zap already-dry hair of moisture. The outcome is unsightly split ends and heavier breakage. Hair salon professionals suggest styling your tresses in ways that don’t require heat. Some styles to consider are ponytails, slicked-back buns, and braids. If you must use your irons or dryers, be sure to apply a hair product that provides a barrier against the heat.

Winter will be over soon, but in the meantime, protect your luscious locks so that they stay moisturized and healthy while the weather is cold and bitter. Jupiter Beauty Academy in Boston, MA, specializes in training students to become licensed cosmetologists. The school has a working hair salon for the public so that students receive hands-on training under the guidance of expert instructors. The school is also accredited by the American Association of Cosmetology Schools and the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences. If you’ve been thinking about an exciting career in cosmetology, stop by today to learn more or call (617) 288-1811 to speak with a team member about enrollment. Visit the website for information on the school’s different curriculum programs and admissions.