Ponder Beauty Vol. 2: Fight the winter blues with hair care advice from Megan

This morning, I decided to plug in my extremely edgy and revolutionary CROC 2 Infrared Flat Iron and give my locks a well-deserved flattening. After 10 short minutes, the frizz and fly-a-ways happily disappeared and I was ready to make my way to the office. Basically skipping out of the doorway, I was stopped dead in my tracks by quite a surprise (well, not really given that I have experienced 20-something Canadian winters). I quickly hurried back under the veranda, shielding myself from the wet, white snow. But I can’t hide forever from the flurries. This week’s Ponder Beauty question deals with recommended products to fight the cold and dryness of the Canadian winter. And I’ve enlisted the help of a professional in our first ever guest post!

Written by: Megan
Manager, SmartCentre Orleans, Ottawa

The winter, I’ve had several customers voice their concerns to me about how the season does quite a number to their hair. And in my experience, the frizz, static and dryness used to be so unbearable that by mid-day, my strands would find themselves tightly wrapped up in a pony-tail, so I completely feel their pain.

But my winter hair woes are now history! With the cold and bitter Ottawa winter just around the corner, I thought I’d share a couple of tips that I use to help me keep my hair tamed all day long in our capital city.

First comes first: conditioner! If you have fine hair, I suspect you may be cringing at the thought of using a heavy, thick conditioner. But I promise, you will thank me later! The first way to attack the elements is to provide a strong coat of protection. My personal favourites are:

1. Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Moisturizing Conditioner – From lacklustre to radiant, this product leaves even the driest and unmanageable hair feeling soft and smooth. With an active ingredient of caviar extract to strengthen unruly hair, this conditioner is perfect for coarse, thin or damaged hair.
2. Sebastian’s “Penetraitt” Conditioner – this strengthening conditioner deeply penetrates the hair’s cuticle, repairing any damage from the inside out. The “Penetraitt” line also features a weekly conditioning treatment, which is another great option for my next tip.

Next comes your weekly hair masque! Adding this to your routine on a regular basis will work wonders for your hair. With all that dry, cold air, even the healthiest heads need an extra boost now and then. Pair it with the 20-minute Brightening Essense Mask, to keep your skin moisturized and happy all winter as well! I alternate the following each week:

1. AG Conditioner Deep is described as an “intense deep reconstructing treatment for dry, damaged hair”. What’s great about it is even those with finer hair can use it without worrying about weighing down their hair. The active ingredient “panthenol” works to thicken and add volume to the hair shaft.
2. Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque - This masque not only contains Argan and Macadamia oil, but Aloe and Tea Tree extract! We all know how great Aloe and Tea Tree are for your skin, so just think of how great it will make your hair feel!

Lastly, but in my opinion, the most important aspect of my frizz fighting hair care routine: a leave-in conditioner. I prefer a product that leaves me with a little hold so that my hair has a little help holding my style all day! I use the following:

1. S Factor Smoothing Lusterizer – This is my winter favourite! It smells amazing, and is infused with mica minerals so it leaves your hair with a beautiful shine finish. I can even let my hair air dry with this product and I have zero frizzies all day!
2. Sebastian’s Potion Nine - This product has been around for years unchanged, and with good reason: if it’s not broken, don’t fix it! This is a leave in styling treatment, so while it acts as a great blow dry lotion for those of you blow-drying straight, or diffusing your curls, it also gives added moisture to repair as it styles. It even comes in a “light” version, for those of you worried about losing that volume!

It’s still early in the season, but getting your hair prepped for the winter cold will make a huge difference no matter if you are in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver or Halifax. Prevent the harsh winter damage that makes your hair stand on end, literally, with these tips!

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Visit Megan at SmartCentre Orleans if you are in the Ottawa area for more great hair care tips to beat the winter blues.