Winter is just around the corner and the months of rain, snow and electrical heating are slowly creeping upon us. All of these can wreak havoc on our tresses but not many people change their hair routine leading to flaky scalp, dry hair and split ends. In winter we wrap up warm, take a little extra care in keeping ourselves healthy and we should do the same for our hair! Here are a few easy ways to maintain your hair's health over the cold winter months!     1.  Don't leave the house with wet hair! - It's a pretty common myth that we can catch a cold if we leave the house with wet hair, many people have heard this before but it seems that hardly anybody knows the real reason as to why we should never embrace the frozen temperatures with wet locks. Our hair needs water, it's the ultimate moisturizer and when our hair is wet it soaks up water which leads to swelling. Once our wet hair comes in contact with the frozen weather, our hair can freeze and ultimately snap off with ease. This can lead to split ends, broken hair strands, a horrible hair disaster! Dry your hair thoroughly before leaving the house, wear winter head gear and seal your cuticles with a finishing oil to avoid any of your hair follicles expanding or snapping with the weather.  2. Give heat a rest - Although we recommend drying your hair before leaving the house, we do not mean damage every strand with the highest setting on your hair dryer! Try to lay off your heating elements also, straighteners should be used on a low temperature and hair dryers can be used on a cooler setting. Most of the hairdryers have a cold air blasting button, I'd recommend using this after blow drying your hair as this cold air seals and smooths the cuticle to prevent further damage. Remember to always use a heat protection spray before any kind of hair styling tool is used.  3. Moisturise Scalp - As we try to keep our hair from the cold and our ears from the frost we tend to wear winter head gear that can which away any moisture our heads might hold. The winter air doesn't help, many of us are left with dry, flaky scalps this time of year and If this is left untreated it could result in hair loss or even progress into dandruff. To prevent this from occurring you need to keep your scalp moisturised. Use an oil once a week on your root and scalp area, massage that in and let it sit for a while to make sure your scalp has fully soaked that up. Check out a list of oils we sell online and in store here! There are many that are perfect for healthy scalp maintenance. 4. Change up your shampoo/ conditioner - Many of us use the same shampoo and conditioner no matter what the weather but I would advise to switch it up during the winter months to prevent your hair from drying out. I'd recommend using creamier, richer formulas for both shampoo and conditioner. If you are used to using a clear shampoo, they normally strip the hair of moisture a lot more effectively than a glossier thicker shampoo. I'd stay away from clear shampoo during the winter months. Maybe try Cantu's moisture shampoo and conditioner for natural hair, both are available in store and online. I'd also recommend only using a conditioner between washes, use a conditioner on the ends of your hair between shampoo's just to tame any frizz that could lead to split ends or snapping. Using these tips should have your hair feeling moisturised throughout the snowy, frozen winter months. 5. embrace no heat hairstyles - This years winter trends such as low pony tails and ballerina buns means that major heat from styling appliances doesn't have to occur. You can pack your straighteners away for a few months and embrace these easy hair up do. Giving your hair a rest from heating elements the duration of winter will result in healthy, moisturised hair with hardly any damage. Check out my blog post on this winters go to hair styles and see if you can pull any of them off without using your heated hair tools! 6. use hair re-hydration masks  - Once a week i recommend using a thick, nutrient, protein-rich hair mask. Put it on and let it sit for 15 minutes or even longer if you want, give your hair enough time to absorb all it can from the formula and then rinse it off. The winter months and cold air zap moisture from our heads and hair so it's important we help them out by using such masks to replenish their moisture. Try using one of these Henna and Placenta conditioning treatments, available online and in store for as little as £1.09 7. Use oils weekly - There are many oils out there that are perfect for healthy scalp maintenance and for repairing damaged hair. I'd recommend coating the hair in an oil, maybe sleeping in it overnight and then washing it off in the morning just like the hydration masks an oil helps to replenish the hair of any moisture that is lost. I'd recommend

• Jojoba oil - An oil that has the same chemical structure as sebum, a natural skin oil produced by sebaceous glands and is used to moisturize the scalp and reduce hair loss. Jojoba oil easily penetrates the hair follicle, dissolves the product build up and frees the follicle for further hair growth. A great antiseptic, can be used to treat bacterial infections on the scalp.

• Baobab oil - Traditionally used as a skin healing agent this oil can be used to treat scaly scalp, dry scalp and dandruff. A vegetable oil that is deeply conditioning for both skin and hair, is well known for adding shine and luster back to frazzled locks.

8. Get regular winter trims - This one is easy, we all know that regular hair trims results in a healthy head of hair. Winter is no exception, get regular trim/s to avoid split ends and any breakage during these colder months.