Can you really lose your hair from the cold?
Words Anthony Vincent
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Frigid temperatures, friction from hats, a lack of light, and dry heating weaken the hair. Here a barber explains how to fix it.
Do you lose more hair than usual in winter? This isn’t due to the cold per se but rather to an overall reaction in the season change.
New habits
“This is a reality I often observe at my salon, and that my clients mention,” confirms Sacha, a barber in Paris. “This is mainly because our lifestyles are changing: less time outdoors (thank you Covid-19), and more indoors. aAnd maybe also less sport and more comfort food. The change in light can also affect our hormones and therefore our hair. Heating dries it up, dehydrates, and weakens with the friction caused by wearing hats and caps, which promotes their breakage.”
After that, don’t panic: we all lose 50 to 100 hairs per day. If you’re more at the higher end of the range for a few weeks, it can quickly return to normal once your body will acclimatize to the new season. “We must also take into account the anxiety-provoking context of the world we currently live in. Stress clearly has harmful effects on the health of the hair,” recalls rapper Damso’s barber.
Oil to strengthen the hair
In the meantime, take care of your scalp with gentle and spaced out shampooing, and a moisturising conditioner that doesn’t suffocate. Then, you can rinse with cold water to bring out a grease-less shine, and add natural styling products. “The little trick is to use a few drops of beard oil as a conditioning and styling product in the morning. It will protect the hair from dehydration and soften it,” notes the barber from 235th Barber Street.
Another thing we tend to not consider, out of fear of accelerating the fall: brushing. It stimulates the blood microcirculation and therefore the good health of the hair follicles for stronger hair. “To strengthen the hair, you can also use an oil bath once or twice a week. The night before a shampoo, massage some castor oil into your scalp, put on a hat and sleep in it. The next day, shampoo yourself normally,” recommends Sacha.
Invigorate hair by what you consume
Strengthening your hair with the changing seasons is also about what you eat. “Fill up on minerals and B vitamins with liver, seafood, dark chocolate, and whole grains,” adds the barber, who also advises brewer’s yeast in capsules for those who are most concerned.
If you are losing your hair in handfuls, it is better to make an appointment with a dermatologist. They can diagnose whether it is the beginning of baldness and prescribe the solution to slow down the process.
