Did you know your hair and scalp suffer from the harsh winter weather?

Or that hair extensions benefit from some TLC in the chilly months?

Beat the winter blues with these seasonal hair care tips and tricks from the Zaks Hairdressing team:

1. Winter hair loves moisture

You may not have the drying sun to contend with, but central heating and cold blasts of air lead to brittle, dull-looking hair says Zaks’ consultant stylist Jess Williams.

“Try to keep washing to a minimum and use a moisturising shampoo and conditioner. Once a week treat your tresses to a deep moisturising mask – I like Wella SP Hydrate Mask which I leave on whilst taking my shower to give my hair a head start.”

2. Olaplex – insurance for winter hair

Olaplex is the must-have deep repair treatment  which is sweeping the country. If you haven’t tried it yet then you’re missing a trick.

Salon Director Gary explains, “Our colour specialists use Wella colour products which are some of the best available. Yet even the highest quality professional colour products can cause damage and breakage to your hair. Especially when used over a long period. Olaplex™ is a ground-breaking repair treatment that dramatically reduces breakage and makes your colour last longer. We thrilled with the results the Wolverhampton and Kingswinford salons are getting”. Interested in learning more about Olaplex?

3.  Tame the frizz

Constant changes in temperature and humidity as you move from inside to out take their toll and often leads to frizzy, flyaway hair.

Becca Porter, senior consultant, explains, “ Protecting your hair with a hood or beanie makes sense in many ways (and keeps you toasty warm), but the fabric fibres rub against your hair producing static electricity making frizz worse. Moroccanoil Frizz Control applied onto towel dried hair will help keep your hair smooth with a healthy gloss.”

Another frizz tamer tip is never to towel dry your hair – always blow dry it until it is completely dry. Slightly damp hair will frizz up at the least provocation.”

4. Go light on the heat in winter

“If you’ve given your hair a pounding with heated stylers and appliances during the festive party season try to give your hair a break and a chance to recover,” recommends consultant  Zoe Farmer. “If you can’t live without your styler then applying a heat protector spray is a must-do. Paul Mitchell Heat Seal shields and protects during the drying stages.”

5. Itchy and flaking scalp

Freezing winds, wearing hats, central heating… it’s not surprising your battered scalp can start to rebel. A flaking, itchy scalp can be embarrassing as well as irritating. The best remedy for a winter flare-up is a specially formulated anti-dandruff shampoo – Wella SP Clear Scalp range is perfect for this. Avoid harsh products and ask your stylist for a recommendation advises consultant Laura Smyth. A gentle medicated shampoo should clear the problem in a couple of weeks.

Nutrition is important too as an excess of dairy products often aggravate itchy scalps. So avoiding too much cheese and warming milky drinks for a while may well help.