You're Not Imagining It: Your Hair Is Duller Post-Winter — Why & What To Do

The statement came up over a virtual meeting: I feel like my hair is so dull lately—what can I do to get it ready for spring and summer? Soon the chorus was in agreement, with everyone chiming in that dullness was the beauty concern du jour—both from those in the meeting and those in the respective group chats we're all part of.

Here's the deal: Your skin and hair change with the surrounding environment. As both are outward-facing, they come into contact with a wide variety of stressors that affect their health and appearance. And so when our skin and hair reflect seasonal or environmental changes, it should come as no surprise that we may need to make tweaks to our routine to help our bodies respond to these external aggressors. 

So what's the deal with winter and hair? Well, it comes down to a few factors. The most obvious is the weather. There are two reasons, actually: When outside, arid, cold air can make strands more brittle and damage-prone. Then when we retreat indoors, the cranked-up heating systems can dehydrate the hair, too. It's this one-two punch of oscillating temps that really does you in. "In the winter your hair is exposed to radiator heat; car heat; dry, cold fresh air," says stylist Leonardo Manetti of Rob Peetoom in Brooklyn. "Thus, in the winter it's most likely to be dryer; this can cause extreme dryness or static in hair depending on the texture."

Additionally, you likely are turning up the temp in your showers (perhaps unknowingly), which can dull out hair. "In the winter, you are dealing with hotter water being used in the shower," says Megan Taylor, stylist at Gloria and Company in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.