Baby, it’s cold outside and we’re definitely feeling tempted to stay indoors, crank up the central heating and keep cosy. Are you? No-one’s judging but the cold outside and the warmth inside did get us to thinking about winter and how temperature changes affect our hair, its condition and its growth. 

We had a word with one of our experts, Simon Bryer, and here’s what he has to say.

“If you’ve been watching David Attenborough’s brilliant “A Perfect Planet” you’ll have noticed that many mammals grow an impressive thick fur coat in order to survive in wintry conditions, which they generally shed in the summer months.

Whilst our furry friends may be gladly gaining extra hair, many humans feel that colder weather makes them lose more hair but, actually, we shed the least amount of hair in winter and the most in the autumn (perhaps that’s why it’s called the fall!). In fact, in winter our bodies produce more melatonin, a hormone which regulates hair production.

That’s good news but unfortunately there are some factors that can lead to us losing more hair in the winter months.

When you’re feeling low, for example, an increase in cortisol (also known as the stress hormone) in the body can lead - in extreme cases - to telogen effluvium, a condition in which stress pushes large numbers of hair follicles into a resting phase which can lead to affected hairs falling out suddenly) or alopecia areata where the body's immune system attacks the hair follicles, causing hair loss (read more here)

Plus, cold weather, central heating and heat styling can result in a dry scalp, which can cause skin irritation, a known factor in hair loss. If you’re a winter hat wearer, those lovely warm hats can cause friction on the hair and scalp, and that can, in turn, cause the hair shafts to break or fall out altogether.”

Simon says, “If you’ve got crazy, frizzy hair you won’t want to forego hat wearing – I don’t blame you – and I’m pretty sure that no-one will fancy turning their central heating right down at the moment. So, how can you keep your scalp and hair hydrated and in tip top condition so that it stays on your head rather than disappears down the plughole? These are my favourite Hairfix products for great winter hair and well worth investing in for happy, healthy, hydrated hair and scalp.”

Perfectly hydrated hair & scalp – Hairfix Root to Tip Hair Improver is an intensive weekly treatment with silk protein that restores health, body and shine to dry, brittle, damaged hair and keeps the scalp moist. It will also help you control frizz. “If you see Root to Tip as the hair equivalent of a weekly face mask, you won’t go wrong,” adds Simon.