Winter Hair Care Tips

In winter, dry and frigid temperatures can do a number on your hands, your face, and your hair. For help with the latter, Bostonista recently called on I Soci stylist Timmy Quirk, who offered the following tips on keeping those locks of yours looking happy and healthy (even when it’s 20-degrees outside).

1. Go back to your roots. December through March, stop highlighting your hair; instead, dye. When you’re a foil addict, the same strands are highlighted over and over, stripping them of moisture and leaving them damaged. Consider matching the color of your roots to your ends, instead of the other way around.

2. Don’t wash your hair every day. We know it’s harder than it sounds, especially if you hit the gym daily, but try to shampoo only every other day (or less, if you can). Suds up after cardio sessions. Otherwise, skip the shampoo, run water through roots, and finish with a leave-in conditioner.

3. Make like Marsha Brady. It’s not a myth! Brushing your hair 100 times per side each evening will evenly distribute good oils from your scalp to your roots. A good brush will last you a long time (Timmy’s had his since hairdressing school); look for one that contains both boar bristles and synthetic (nylon) bristles. We like this one from Mason Pearson, available at Louis Boston.

4. Moisturize. Always use a leave-in conditioner after washing and before blow drying. A dime size will do it, or else your mane will look greasy. We recommend Kerastase’s Leave-in Constructing Hair Foundation.

5. Protect. For gym-goers, Timmy also recommends rubbing leave-in conditioner in your mane before working out (he calls it a “hair condom”). It’ll prevent hair from absorbing sweat, dirt, and who knows what else from exercise mats and weight benches.

i soci, 8 Newbury St., 617-867-9484