From dry skin to slow growth, winter can take a toll on your overall hair health and appearance. One way to combat the changes cold weather brings is to consider getting hair extensions in the winter months. Adding length and volume to your hair with extensions will make hair loss less noticeable, and you’ll feel the difference daily. Plus—with regular extension maintenance appointments at the salon, your hair will get the extra love it needs throughout the season.
Understanding Hair Growth Cycles
First, it’s important to understand how hair grows. Each individual hair follicle goes through three phases: anagen (growth), catagen (transition), and telogen (resting).
- Anagen (Growth) Stage
The anagen stage of the hair growth cycle is the longest, and often lasts several years. During this time of active growth, the hair follicle is attached to blood vessels in your scalp.
- Catagen (Transition) Stage
After several years of active growth, the hair follicle will begin to separate from its blood supply and stops growing. This is known as the catagen stage, and it typically lasts 1–3 weeks.
- Telogen (Resting) Stage
During the final stage in the hair cycle, the telogen stage, the hair follicle is completely separated from the blood supply, dies, and falls out as a new follicle takes its place. This stage takes several months.
Seasonal Impact on Hair Growth
During winter months, reduced blood flow and environmental stressors may disrupt the hair growth cycle, leading to dull, frizzy hair. Some people experience increased shedding or see slower growth as temperatures drop.
- Less sunlight
With less exposure to the sun during the winter, our hair follicles receive less vitamin D—an important player in the anagen stage of active growth.
- Dry air
Cold air also holds less moisture, which can contribute to dry, brittle hair. Without proper moisture levels, hair follicles become less elastic and break more easily. This dryness also leads to frizzy hair.
How Winter Affects Hair Health
If you’ve ever noticed more hair loss and frizz in the winter, you’re not alone.
- Increased Shedding
Cold weather, low humidity, and low vitamin D levels can all lead to telogen effluvium, a temporary increase in hair follicles entering the telogen (resting) phase. In other words, your hair might be dry and deprived of nutrients, and fall out more than usual. Friction from winter hats can also increase shedding.
- Dry Scalp and Breakage
Cold air and indoor heating are notoriously dry, which can damage scalp health and hair. Low moisture levels can make your scalp feel itchy, tight, and irritated and weaken individual hair follicles.
- Reduced Growth Rate
Winter’s cold weather also slows down blood flow. With less circulation, hair follicles can’t thrive in the anagen stage of hair growth and may begin to detach.
How Hair Extensions Can Help During Winter
While it might sound counterintuitive to get hair extensions in winter months (when your hair is already weakened), they can actually help your natural hair. Added hair can act as a protective barrier to the elements, and getting some much-needed time at the salon will help you gear up for the cold.
Protection for Natural Hair
Whether you’re getting K-tip extensions, I-tip extensions, or clip-ins, these extra strands can help physically guard your natural hair from cold weather.
Added Treatment Time at the Salon
When you get your hair extensions installed in the winter, your stylist can also prep your hair for the cold with a deep condition, keratin treatment, or Magic Sleek treatment, and send you home with professional products for maintenance.
Instant Volume and Length
If you do experience increased hair loss or slowed growth, getting hair extensions in winter months will provide instant volume and length to counteract this side effect. Instead of focusing on thinning hair, you’ll feel confident all season.
Choosing the Right Extensions for Winter
Not sure which type of hair extensions are right for you this winter? At Hair Studio 7, we offer a wide variety of premium Bellami extensions. Some of our favorites for winter include K-tip, I-tip, and tape-in extensions.
If you only want to visit the salon once before winter weather hits, K-tip extensions (keratin tip extensions) are a perfect solution. By fusing dozens of extension pieces to tiny sections of your natural hair, k-tip extensions blend in seamlessly and last up to 6 months. When it’s time to replace your K-tips in the spring, your stylist will need to apply bond remover to each section to break down the adhesive before re-installing.
Like K-tips, I-tip extensions (also known as microbead extensions) are applied individually to small sections of your natural hair. The difference is that these extensions are pinched into the hair with tiny metal or silicone cylinders. I-tips don’t use heat to adhere and should be adjusted every 6–8 weeks. Your stylist can open up each cylinder, move the extensions up, and re-seal them.
Tape in hair extensions require more frequent maintenance—about every 3–6 weeks—but can be a great time- and money-saving option. Tape-in wefts are wider than tip extensions, only take around an hour to install, and are extremely lightweight. At your winter touchup appointments for tape-in extensions, ask your stylist to give your scalp and hair some extra TLC.
Conclusion
Whether you’re tired of thinning hair during the cold season or just want a boost of confidence, consider installing hair extensions for the winter. You’ll look great, feel great, and can even protect your hair from the elements in the process. Contact us today for a free consultation. (203) 628-2676
