On a winter morning's drive to work, I glanced at myself in the rearview mirror and saw an unusual sight. Many strands of my carefully coiffed hair were sticking to the ceiling of the car. Later that day, while trying to stay awake during a meeting, I glanced around the room and noticed that many hairs on the heads of my coworkers were sticking up too. Clearly, we were all suffering from a harsh case of winter hair, an epic battle fought on a daily basis between tresses and dry air.
Teach those wayward hairs the laws of gravity by feeding your body the right types of food and by using the right types of hair products.
A balanced diet for luscious locks
In winter, "comfort food" becomes its own food group, but as we cosy up to additional servings of macaroni casserole or apple strudel, we increase calorie intake and ignore the need for a balanced diet. Andrea Miller, a community- and family-practice dietitian at Sunnybrook and Women's College Hospital, warns that the quality of your diet shouldn't change just because it's the cold season.
Miller notices that many patients decrease their intake of fruits and vegetables during the winter months -- and that jeopardizes their overall health, as well as affecting the lustre of their hair. According to Miller, heart-healthy fats in nuts such as almonds and walnuts can support the maintenance of nails and hair, but you shouldn't count on one specific food to contribute to hair health. Miller stresses that it's imperative to eat a balanced diet, which, in turn, gives hair all the nutrients it needs to look and feel fabulous.
Miller suggests filling your comfort food with lots of veggies (frozen varieties provide the same nutritional kick as fresh ones) and curbing your sweet tooth with some frozen fruits like mangoes or strawberries.
Last but definitely not least: stay hydrated. "We often don't think of fluid so much (during the winter) as we are not sweating as much," Miller says. "Water keeps you hydrated as chronic dehydration causes dry hair." Strive to drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
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