In the winter, there’s no such thing as the wash-and-go when it comes to hair. It’s too cold outside – you can actually freeze your hair if you go out with it damp. That means the lovely days of summer and giving your hair a break from heat styling are long gone. You’re going to be leaning on the hair dryer and heat styling a lot more.

And that means you can damage your hair. You’re going to lose a lot of protein and moisture from your hair in the winter time, and if you don’t take steps, your hair will sustain damage.

If you’re not sure if your hair is damaged, here’s a quick test to tell if you have healthy hair: Pull one strand of hair from your head and drop it into a cup of water. If it sinks and drops to the bottom, it needs protein and moisture desperately. Healthy hair will float on the top, so if it sinks at all, you need to do a little extra to take care of it.

Well, it’s a good thing that it’s simple to keep hair damage to a minimum. Just a few easy quick fixes, and you’re good to go. Here’s what you do:

Do a Steam Treatment:

This helps open the cuticle and lets your conditioner really get deep into the hair shaft. After you shampoo, apply a deep conditioner like Redken Extreme Rescue to your wet hair. Dampen a towel and microwave it for two minutes. (You might want to wear rubber gloves to keep from burning your hands.) Let it cool for just a couple of seconds, then wring it out if it’s dripping. Then wrap it around your hair and leave it for five minutes. Rinse, and you’re done.

Also, before you blow dry or heat style, use a heat protectant and hair strengthener with protein. Just add a few drops and rub over your hair. The heat from the blow dryer, curling iron, or flat iron will actually help the protein sink into the hair shaft, making it stronger, softer, and shinier. I’m truly fond of Chi Silk Infusion. To my mind, it’s the absolute best product on the market to strengthen and protect your hair. It leaves it silky, shiny, and absolutely beautiful.

Do you lean on the heat styling and blow drying in the winter time? What do you do to minimize the damage? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

The colder weather of the autumn can leave your locks looking as dry as those leaves falling from the trees. With just a few subtle changes to your beauty routine, you can keep your hair looking beautiful in the fall weather.

Just as trees lose their leaves in the fall, you shed more hair during this season. Conditioning your hair is important, and don’t forget your scalp! Even if you don’t normally have a problem with a dry scalp, you can develop it in the colder months. The colder air can dry out your scalp as well as your hair, leaving you with annoying flakes and itchy skin. Use a deep conditioner on your hair once a week to help replenish any lost moisture and keep your hair resilient and shiny. This will moisturize your scalp at the same time. Regular conditioning will not only ensure that your hair is healthy, it will keep your scalp moisturized and flake free at the same time.

If you have a problem with frizz, the often-wet weather during this season can make your hair go wild. Use a leave in conditioner that tames frizz and leaves your hair silky smooth and frizz free all day. If you have fine hair, be careful not too use too much – it can leave you looking greasy. Experiment with the amount, starting with a dime sized amount in the palm of your hand until you get the magic amount that leaves your hair smooth and frizz-free, not limp and dull.

Add a shine spray to your daily routine to keep your hair shiny – and even healthier. Shine sprays help to repair split ends and eliminates more frizz and flyaways. They also provide protection against heat damage and protect your hair against environmental damage. So regardless of what the weather is like, your hair will look shiny, healthy, and smooth.

I’m fond of Chi products, in any season. There’s someone else who likes them, too. Watch this video for a Chi review. After she bought these products somewhere, she found them cheaper on our website.

Let me know what you think about Chi products on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

Did you know your daily shower might be damaging your hair? It’s true. Use the following tips to keep your hair shower safe.

Don’t stress your hair with water temperature. Using steaming hot water to wash your hair and then following up with a freezing cold rinse – which is often recommended to help you achieve shiny hair – can stress your hair. Not only will it dry it out, negating your moisturizing shampoo or conditioner, it will make it more prone to breakage. If you want shiny hair, use lukewarm water to wash and a cool rinse, not a cold one. You’ll get the same effect without all the stress to your locks. If you just can’t do without that steaming hot water, use a leave in conditioner or a heat repair shampoo to minimize the damage.

Use shampoo and conditioner the way they are meant to be used. Pour the shampoo or conditioner into your hands first and then rub them around and warm them. Then massage onto the roots of your hair, then the crown of your head. After you’ve lathered and/or conditioned those areas, do the rest of your hair, leaving ends until last.

Don’t wash your hair so often. Unless you have an oily scalp or oily hair, you don’t really need to shampoo every day. It dries out your hair. Try to shampoo every other day. On the days you don’t shampoo, just rinse your hair with water and condition the ends. If you have dry hair, you might even get away with twice a week.

Deep condition your hair in the shower once a week. If you use heat to style your hair, have dry hair, or notice split ends, you should deep condition once a week. After shampooing and rinsing, put the deep conditioner on your hair and don’t rinse it out until you are completely done with your shower. If your hair is chemically treated, twice a week wouldn’t hurt. Your hair will be silky, bouncy, and in better condition. If you have damaged hair or broken hair or split ends, leave the deep conditioner on the ends a little longer. Or, alternatively, add a day where you deep condition only the ends.

Do you have any shower tips you want to share? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

Is your hair dry from over processing or chemical treatments? If you have stressed hair, you can make it look better quickly. You’ll once again have soft, moisturized, luscious locks. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps.

When you lighten your hair, it can become dry. If you are darkening your hair, the cause of your dry hair probably isn’t from the color. It could be from the heat treatments you use, or even from the type of shampoo or conditioner you’re using. Try using Chi Silk Infusion. It’s a wonder treatment for dry hair, and it keeps further damage from heat treatments at bay.

Don’t over process your hair. If you’re only using a single color, it should be done no more than once a month. You can go two to three months with highlights. They’ll still look good, and hair damage will be minimized.

Use shampoo for color-treated hair to protect the color and keep hair looking healthy. Use conditioner for color treated hair at the same time. Leave the conditioner on your hair for at least three minutes while you’re in the shower. The steam will open up the cuticle and let the conditioner really penetrate the hair.

Use a deep conditioning treatment once a week. Your hair will be silky, shiny, and healthy looking. Even if you don’t color or process your hair, you should use a deep conditioner occasionally. It will make a difference in the way your hair looks and feels.

Do you color your hair? Do you have a problem with it drying out? What do you use to combat dryness? Let me know on twitter, facebook, or leave me a message here on the blog.

If your hair is damaged, it’s time to take control. There are lots of things that cause hair damage. It can be environmental – sun damage, especially. If you color or chemically treat your hair, that’s damaging as well. Probably the most common way we damage our hair, however, is heat styling. Whatever the reason for your hair damage, you can bring life back to your locks. It’s easy and only takes a little time and thought.

Get a haircut. If you trim the split ends and breakage from your hair, it will be easier to condition. It also won’t keep splitting up the hair shaft. You don’t have to cut it short, but at least keep it trimmed to minimize the damage.

Don’t color or chemically treat your hair more than every two months. Color treated hair tends to be dry, as does chemically treated hair. Even if the treatment is gentle, it’s still going to give you some dryness, and your hair is going to need a little more TLC. Use shampoos and conditioners specifically made for color or chemically treated hair.

Consider using a leave in conditioner. Not only will it give your parched hair the moisture it needs, many contain sunscreens that further protect your hair from damage. Even if you’re not out in the sun that much during the day, your hair can still be damaged by the sun’s rays. And don’t think you can skip the leave in conditioner, even if the forecast is for rain. You can just sustain just as much damage from UV rays on cloudy days.

Use thermal protective products on your hair. These products keep heat styling from further damaging your hair, and leave it lustrous and beautiful. Chi makes excellent heat styling products to use with their ceramic flatirons. Ceramic flatirons don’t burn your hair, and used in combination with these heat protectant hair products, they keep your hair from drying out and breaking.

Use a deep conditioner on your hair at least monthly. If you have severe damage, deep condition once a week. Your hair will get the moisture it needs, and any split ends or breakage you have will be minimized.

What is your hair regimen like? Let me know on twitter, facebook, or let me know here on the blog.