Summer normally gets most of the blame for dry, unhappy hair, but fall has its own way of making things difficult. Cold air outside, central heating indoors, and more time wearing hats and scarves can leave hair feeling rougher, more static and generally harder to manage.
According to Erin Reece, MD at natural hair care brand TryBello, fall does not necessarily mean replacing everything in the bathroom. She explains that a few of the problems actually come from the small things that change with the season, like hotter showers, more heat styling, and hair rubbing against scarves and coats all day.
“People notice their hair suddenly feels different and assume they need a completely new routine. Sometimes they do need a bit more moisture, but fall also changes quite a lot around the hair,” she explains.
Don’t leave the house with damp hair
Going outside with wet or damp hair becomes less ideal once the temperature drops.
Hair is more vulnerable when wet, and cold weather can make already-dry lengths feel even rougher afterwards. It also tends to mean more tangles once the hair has dried.
If you wash your hair in the morning, give yourself enough time for it to dry properly before leaving. Squeeze out the excess water with a towel first rather than rubbing it back and forth, then use a hairdryer on a moderate setting if you need to.
“You really don’t need the hairdryer on the hottest setting just because it is cold outside. Get most of the water out gently first and then dry the hair properly. The aim is not to blast it dry as quickly as physically possible,” Reece explains.
Turn the shower down a little
The colder the morning, the hotter the shower normally becomes. Warm water is fine, but very hot water can leave the scalp and hair feeling stripped afterwards, particularly if the lengths were already dry before fall arrived.
If your hair starts feeling squeaky, rough or like it suddenly needs twice as much conditioner, the shower temperature is worth looking at before changing every product in the bathroom.
“People get used to the heat while they are standing there, so what started as a warm shower can end up really quite hot by the time they wash their hair. If your scalp feels tight afterwards or your skin is bright red when you get out, bring it down a bit,” Reece says.
There is no need to make the shower cold. Comfortably warm is enough.
Add moisture where the hair actually needs it
Fall is normally when the ends start feeling dry first, especially on longer, curly or colour-treated hair. A richer conditioner or leave-in product can help, but there is no need to cover the entire head in something heavy if only the lengths are struggling.
Concentrate conditioner mainly through the mid-lengths and ends, then rinse it properly. If the roots are left coated, the hair can feel greasy much sooner and you end up washing it again before you really need to.
“People sometimes respond to dry hair by using more of everything. More conditioner, more oil, another mask. That can help up to a point, but if the hair is heavy and flat afterwards you have probably gone too far. Put the moisture where the dryness actually is.
“A treatment mask once a week may also be useful for hair that is particularly dry, but follow the timing on the product rather than assuming leaving it on for twenty minutes will always work better,” Reece notes.
Be careful with hats and scarves
Hats are useful once it gets colder, but the constant rubbing can make frizz and static worse.
Rough wool and knitted fabrics can catch on the hair, particularly around the crown, hairline, and ends. You may notice this more if the hair is already dry or prone to breakage.
A satin or silk-lined hat is gentler, but if you are wearing a normal wool hat there are still a few things you can do. Make sure the hair is completely dry first and avoid pulling the hat on and off repeatedly if you can.
Longer hair can also be worn in a loose braid or tucked inside a coat to stop the ends rubbing against a scarf all day.
Don’t forget the scalp when the heating comes on
Central heating can make the scalp feel much drier, even for people who do not normally have an issue with it.
You may start noticing tightness, itching or a little more flaking once the heating is being used regularly. Washing more often because the scalp feels uncomfortable can sometimes make the dryness worse rather than fixing it.
Use a gentle shampoo and concentrate it around the scalp rather than scrubbing it through the dry ends every time.
“If your scalp suddenly feels different in fall, look at what else has changed. The heating may be on every evening, your showers may be hotter and you may be washing more because the hair feels different. It is easy to get into a cycle where you keep adding more when sometimes the scalp actually needs a little less,” Reece says.
