7 Tips to Keep Your Hair and Skin Healthy and Beautiful This Winter

The winter season has much to offer, but when it comes to your hair and skin the coldest months of the year can be challenging. If you want to keep your skin and hair healthy when the temperature drops, try the following:

1. Utilize Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is well-known for being beneficial to skin, and it makes an excellent moisturizer. Coconut oil can be used many ways; you can add it to bath water to help soften skin that has been dried out by the cold or apply it directly to your face or body as a moisturizer.

2. Use a Humidifier

Many people associate using a humidifier with being sick, but having one in your room while you are sleeping is a valuable beauty secret during the winter. A humidifier can drastically increase the amount of moisture in the air, which can help keep your hair and skin from drying out during the cold months.

3. Don't Forget About Vitamin E

Vitamin E is one of the most important vitamins for soft, supple skin. It is especially beneficial during the winter, when your skin is ravaged by dry, frigid air. Taking a daily vitamin E supplement is highly recommended, but for maximum benefits you can also carefully open up a vitamin E capsule and then apply it to your skin and hair.

4. Pay Attention to Your Pillowcase

Most people do not realize that the type of pillowcase that they sleep on each night can affect the health of their hair. If you want to prevent your hair from drying out, consider purchasing a satin pillowcase. A cotton pillowcase can draw moisture from your hair, which no one needs during the winter, but a satin pillowcase will keep your hair shiny and healthy.

5. Always Wear Sunscreen

The sun may not feel very warm during winter, but it can still do a lot of damage to your skin. Even when it is cold outside, the harmful UVA rays are just as strong as they are at the height of summer. Your body may be wrapped up in layers to keep warm, but your face will still be exposed so always put on a sunscreen or facial moisturizer with an SPF of at least 15.

6. Treat Your Hair to a Hydrating Mask

Conditioner is not always enough to keep your hair healthy when it is freezing out. Take the time to apply a moisturizing and hydrating mask to your hair to keep it looking great. You don't have to spend a lot of money buying a hair mask, as there are a number of DIY masks that you can make with items in your kitchen. Consider an avocado and coconut milk hair mask, or try out a mixture of yogurt and papaya.

7. Adjust Your Winter Skincare Regime

As the seasons change and the temperatures shift, your skin will need special care to remain hydrated and looking its best. During the winter, it is important to focus on keeping your skin hydrated. Use facial products containing plant oils, algae extract, green tea, and crambe oil.

Do's and Don'ts of Moisturizing Your Hair

Whether your hair is long or short, straight or curly, we all have one thing in common: we need to moisturize. When someone says the word moisturize, most of us think of skin, but the reality is that our hair needs it too. 

Between extreme climate conditions and abrasive styling treatments, our lovely locks are screaming for a little down time to rejuvenate, re-energize, and rebuild. With that being said, let's explore some of the most important do's and don'ts of moisturizing our hair. 

Don'ts

1. Over-wash your hair. 

Most of us grew up learning to wash our hair every day, but the truth is it just isn't necessary. Too much washing can leave your hair feeling dry and brittle. If you are using a heavy or homemade moisturizer, don't leave it in overnight. Your hair will reap all of the vital benefits in thirty to forty-five minutes and anything longer just equates to a bad night's sleep and messy pillow cases. 

2. Use ammonia hair dye. 

If you color your hair, reach for the box without ammonia. Our hair suffers enough between abrasive styling products, UV rays, and chlorinated water. 

3. Style hair without heat protection

If you style your hair with heat often, you'll want to opt for a heat protectant – it will help maintain moisture and prevent breakage. 

Goldwell Stylesign Straight Hot Form 3 Heat Styling Lotion

4. Don't be afraid to put your hair up

Wear a hat or just put your hair up every once in a while. Just like anything else, your hair will often benefit from a day off! Whatever you do, just don't ignore your lovely locks.

Do’s 

1. Consider natural moisturizers

Not only are natural moisturizers economical, most are non-abrasive and they will add volume in addition to reducing frizz. Natural products are readily available and easily adaptable to your hair type. Even when using market products, make sure to choose the right one for your hair type. 

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose® Conditioner

2. Drink more water 

You'll also want to make sure to drink plenty of water. Drinking enough water will give your hair that high gloss and lustrous shine. 

3. Increase vitamin intake

Do contemplate taking some vitamin supplements. Adding B vitamins, folic acid, and magnesium to your diet will help keep your hair at its best. 

4. Make use of natural oils 

Styling oils, such as Argan, can also do wonders for your moisturizing routine. Just be sure to use it on damp hair after your normal wash. You might even consider adding a little to your regular conditioner for super results even on wash days. 

Moroccanoil Oil Treatment for Hair - Light

The above are the basics for moisturizing your hair. Of course, there are always the obvious. For example, try to use a wide-toothed comb to keep breakage to a minimum. 

Also, make sure your brush stays clean, as the build-up of hair, grease, and products will weigh your strands down and make it hard for any moisturizers to be effective. With a little purposeful consideration, your lovely locks will love you back in no time!

How to Manage Damaged Hair - Without Cutting It Off

Whether it's the result of too much heat styling or a severe chemical treatment, badly damaged hair can be frustrating to handle. While trimming hair is the fastest, simplest solution to ridding yourself of split ends and "gummy" hair texture, you aren't necessarily limited to those options if you are committed to salvaging your hair. 

The habits listed below can help to improve your hair's strength and elasticity if you incorporate them into your beauty regimen and are willing to stick to them for several months.

Cut back on hair washes. Washing your hair, especially with shampoos that contain sulfates, can strip your scalp of its natural oils. Like a scab that forms over a cut, often our bodies are capable of producing their own remedies to minor ailments. Hair condition is no exception, as the oils produced by your scalp act as a built-in moisturizer for your locks. Aim to wash your hair no more than two or three times a week if it has been badly damaged. 






Condition your hair regularly, and incorporate deep conditioners into your routine. 


Look for conditioners that don't contain silicones, as silicones merely coat the hair shaft. You want a conditioner that will penetrate the hair shaft. Additionally, you might want to use hair oils as a dry-hair conditioning treatment. 

Determine the balance of moisture and protein your hair needs. Buy both strengthening and moisturizing conditioners, and experiment with how they make your hair feel. Try using only the strengthening treatment one day, sample the moisturizing treatment another day, and finally try using both products in tandem with one another. It is possible to "overfeed" your hair protein, making it dry and brittle, which is why following up with a moisture treatment is important. Everyone has a different protein/moisture balance that works for them. 


Lay off of the hot tools, or at least use a heat protectant product. While it may seem like the only way to control damaged hair is to run it through a flat-iron, try to resist this temptation unless you're going to a special event. Let hair air-dry as often as possible, and invest in a good-quality heat protectant spray or serum. 

Wear your hair in protective styles. One of the most discouraging parts of having damaged hair is thinking you can no longer wear your hair down. This is not necessarily the case, as damaged hair typically holds style longer. You might find that you can go an entire day without having to touch up your hair with gel or spray, saving your hair from chemical buildup. By preventing buildup in your hair, you'll find you can get away with washing it less often. You can also wear your hair in braids, which will often hide frizz. 


Having damaged hair doesn't have to mean your only solution is to cut all of your hair off or buy hundreds of dollars worth of extensions. While your hair may not completely "heal" or go back to normal overnight, by following the above tips you will likely see a significant improvement in your hair health over the course of several months.

Look for more Hair Care products on COSME-DE.COM

 Braun Satin-Hair 7 Brush with IONTEC

Is It Important to Alternate Shampoo?

Is It Important to Alternate Shampoo?

It’s a common belief in the beauty industry that it’s necessary to change shampoos periodically to revitalize your hair. This comes from the idea that hair “adapts” to a shampoo and your hair no longer gets the same benefits that it did when you first started using it. Many sources will tell you to alternate shampoos periodically to keep hair looking fresh, clean, and shiny. 

Although it may seem that using the same shampoo over a long period of time leads to reduced performance, this isn’t due to adaptation to the shampoo. If you use any hair product, over a period of time, some of the ingredients will build up on the hair and scalp, and reduce the natural shine and body you experienced when you originally started using the product. If you alternate shampoos for a short period of time, you’ll probably wash out some of the build-up left over from the previous shampoo and experience renewed body and shine.

To reduce the need to alternate shampoos, pick a shampoo formulation that doesn’t have added conditioners or other ingredients that build-up easily on the hair shaft, roots or scalp. Keep in mind that it’s not just shampoo ingredients that build up over time, but also conditioning and styling products. In fact, these products are more likely to be the culprit when hair starts looking dull than build-up of shampoo ingredients. 

One alternative to switching shampoos is to keep using your old one and use a clarifying shampoo once a week to remove all the “gunk and junk” that’s weighing down your hair. Clarifying shampoos are essentially shampoos with extra surfactants that help remove residue. The problem is these shampoos can dry hair out and change the look of color treated hair by slowly stripping away the tint. That’s why it’s important to use a clarifying shampoo no more than once a week and even less if you can.

The best way to avoid the problem of having to alternate shampoos is to limit the use of hair styling products, particularly ones containing silicone which can be difficult to remove even with a clarifying shampoo. Use conditioner only where it’s needed such as on the ends of the hair. Hard water can also cause buildup that can lead to dull, lifeless hair, so consider having your water tested if your hair is difficult to manage.

The bottom line? There’s no need to alternate shampoos. Keep a bottle of clarifying shampoo around and use it when your hair starts to look dull. Meanwhile, keep using the shampoo you enjoy.

Tips for Keeping Long Hair Healthy

Healthy, long hair is beautiful to look but caring for it can be a challenge. Long hair is prone to split ends and breaking, especially if you color, perm, or straighten it. If you don't care for it properly, you can end up with hair that's frazzled and damaged beyond repair. Don't let that happen to your hair. 

Here are some simple tips you can use to keep your long hair soft and healthy.

Treat Long Hair Kindly

It takes years to grow long and healthy hair. Of course, you already knew that!  Don't destroy years of growth by pulling your hair back tightly with a rubber band. The traction will lead to breakage and damage. Instead, pull your hair back with a coated band made specially designed for hair. You can find them at most drugstores in the hair care section.

Be gentle when combing or brushing. Never use a brush on wet hair. Keep a wide-toothed comb on hand to gently comb wet hair in small sections - starting from the ends and working up . Don't brush your hair unless it's completely dry. Use a natural bristle brush to reduce the risk of damage.

To Have Long, Healthy Hair, Here's What to Avoida

The two biggest enemies of long, beautiful hair are heat and chemical treatments. It's tempting to use a blow dryer to dry your hair fast, especially when you're in a rush, but it's healthier to let it dry naturally. An alternative is to let it dry naturally until it's seventy percent dry and then finish it off with the blow dryer.

Use a heat activated conditioner to protect your hair when drying it and keep the hair dryer as far from your hair as possible. Keep the dryer moving so it doesn't stay in one place too long. Stay away from curling irons, flat irons, hot rollers, and crimpers.

Thinking about perming or straightening your long hair? Don't. Perms are usually too damaging. Hair coloring can also be damaging -- especially if you lighten your hair too many shades. Never use bleach on long hair and let a professional do a coloring job -- preferably with a low peroxide formulation or henna.

How to Care for Long Hair: Other Tips

Don't shampoo too often and always use a conditioner -- at least on the ends. Do a hot oil or deep conditioning treatment every two weeks, religiously. Conditioners don't repair damage but they do help moisten and protect the hair shaft.

Trim your hair at least every two months. Many people neglect this step because they don't want to lose the length. Don't be shortsighted. Not doing regular trims will lead to split ends which can't be repaired. Find a hairdresser who understands that a half-an-inch means just that and no more.

Caring for Long Hair: The Bottom Line?

Treat long hair with a little T.L.C. and enjoy the many benefits of having long, healthy hair that turns heads and raises eyebrows.

 

Hair Styles That Never Go Old

Your hair is your crowning glory. So, why not make it your best attraction?

Each year, hair trends change from length, color and even texture. The styles of last year would actually feel a bit “obsolete” if you flaunt it in today’s runway. Say for example, the frizz. For 2015, experts say that there’s no need to tame it anymore. If the spring runways are giving any hint, it’s high time that you keep your serums locked away.

However, although hair trends vary over time, there are styles that actually never get old. If you’re not one of the brave souls to try in a bolder look this year, these steps and styles could actually make you feel refreshed.
 

●     Curls

       

Want to change your look?

Perhaps, this is one of the easiest way to achieve that new look you have been planning about this year. You don’t need to cut your hair shorter or to dye it with another color. What’s more fun is that you can actually test first how it would look on you before you head to the salon to have it done.

1.    To start off, you need to go through your hair. Comb it and brush away any knot.

2.    You have to divide your hair into sections. This way, you’ll get the curling tongs to heat the sections evenly.

3.    Try parting your hair around an inch thick for each part. Take one part and wrap it around the barrel of your curling tongs.

4.    Remove and check the curls. Pin it against your head.

5.    If you’re satisfied with how it’s curled, you can allow it to set and cool.

6.    Repeat the same process for the remaining sections.

❖    TRICK:

       

 If your hair is a bit stubborn or if it is fine and limp, try misting it with2chic Ultra Volume Tangerine & Papaya Butter Big Body Hair Spray. 

It can give you more volume that can resist humidity. It’s long lasting, too.

●     Volume Up

While curls look good as they are, it’ll actually be much better looking if you add volume to it. How?

1.    Start off by unpinning your curls and running your fingertips through each section.

2.    With the use of a teasing brush, you can start brushing at the roots of your hair. This way, you lift your hair while adding volume to it.

3.    As for the rest of the hair, you can run a paddle brush to make your curls more loose.

❖    TRICK:

You can use the Lucido-L Hair Wax to fix the ends of your curls, whether you want them to stay inwards or outwards. It actually absorbs oil as well, so you won’t need to feel sticky the entire day.

You can also try for a hair oil, if you prefer. The Orofluido Beauty Elixir can give your hair both body and movement. It actually has a nice scent, too.

     
Actually, you can use both to manage your curls. Just mix a little amount of both wax and oil on your palm and work it on your ends.

●     Braided

        Want to add spice? You can add braids to your curls.

1.    Take a small section of hair on top and near the front of your head. Make sure to leave some strands to frame your face.

2.    Put the section into a fishtail braid, keeping it flowing backwards as you go.

3.    Once you get to your ear part, you can stop braiding and pin the section behind it.

❖    TRICK:       

To keep the braid in place, you can try misting it with a hairspray. The Logona Silk Gloss Hair Spray gives your hair volume without pulling it down. You can spray it around 12 inches from your hair and make sure to avoid getting the product on your eyes.

        There are several hairstyles that you can actually try if you want something new. However, since your hair is your crowning glory, you wouldn’t want to go overboard right? It’s still better if you keep it simpler.

Five-Step Plan to Healthy Hair

Have split ends become an everyday thing where you just cut it off when you see one? That's just a temporary measure and it's time to get to the root (pun intended) of the problem! When hair is so damaged that it snaps or splits, you need to take steps to savage it:

1. Lay off the chemicals.
   Even the strongest hair can't withstand a full-on assault of peroxide and straightening solution. Talk to your stylist or colorist about how to give it a rest for at least three months (it may require a different cut or daily routine to camouflage roots or unwanted waves).
   
   
2. Shampoo gently.
   Hair that's weak or damaged needs a moisturising shampoo. Wash as infrequently as possible, and unless hair filthy, there's no need to scrub hard - just rub shampoo into the scalp and let the runoff clean the ends.
   
   
3. Don't stint on conditioner.
   Those weekly deep treatments some consider a luxury are now a necessity for you. Consider slathering them on every other day before shampooing then following the wash with a regular rinse-out formula.
   
4. Protect yourself.If you can't lay off the blow-dryer completely, at least minimise further damage. Coat strands with a protective styling product, wait until hair is mostly dry (so you spend less time under the nozzle), use the warm setting instead of hot, keep the dry six inches from the head and don't point it on one area for too long. If you insist on flat-ironing, coat hair with a leave-in conditioner first.
   
   
5. Stay out of the sun.
   UV rays dry out hair and ruin its colour. Before going outside, douse your hair with a leave-in sunscreen treatment - or better yet, wear a hat!

Here are our newest haircare products that promise to show your hair some tender loving care:

John Masters Organics Lavender Lavender Rosemary Shampoo (for Normal Hair), US$23 for 236ml

This shampoo contains lavender and rosemary extracts combined with 13 other certified-organic ingredients plus soy protein and wheat amino acids to leave hair healthy, shiny and manageable. It doesn't contain sodium lauryl sulfate and is safe for colour-treated hair.

John Masters Organics Rosemary & Peppermint Detangler, US$23 for 236ml

This shampoo detangles and conditions with a highly-effective combination of 18 certified-organic ingredients. Natural soy proteins and borage oil replenish lipid content, wheat and soy proteins restore strength and shine, and essential oils of rosemary and peppermint provide an exhilarating scent. Safe for colour-treated hair.

John Masters Organics Citrus & Neroli Detangler, US$23 for 236ml

 This shampoo detangles and conditions with a highly-effective combination of 18 certified-organic ingredients. Natural soy proteins and borage oil replenish lipid content. Wheat amino acids and soy proteins restore strength and shine, while essential oils of grapefruit, lemon and neroli provide an uplifting aroma. Safe for colour-treated hair.

L'Occitane Aromachologie Repairing Serum (Dry and Damaged Hair), US$35 for 100ml

This leave-on serum smooths and nourishes hair. It repairs split ends and prevents frizz. The non-greasy formula protects against the damaging effects of environmental stresses and preserves the shine of hair and the brightness of color.