Beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti surveys the most hydrating hair care to restore strands in winter.
There’s a lot to love about the cooler months – dressing in cosy layers or spending time fireside with a glass of red – but sadly our complexions and tresses don’t love it quite
“In the cooler months, hair tends to become drier, more brittle and more prone to static and frizz due to lower humidity and increased use of indoor heating,” says Mathew Wickham, senior education manager for Aveda Australia.
As such, the hair expert recommends reaching for hair masks in winter that focus on deep hydration, strengthening and protection to restore strands to their glossy best once more.
Mathew recommends keeping an eye out for masks that highlight nourishing formulas to address key concerns and top up hydration.
“When choosing a mask, opt for formulas with vegan, naturally-derived ingredients. It’s important to address any damage concerns first, then work on moisture and hydration,” he says.
This includes emollient-rich plant butters and oils that restore moisture and smooth the hair cuticle, leaving hair soft and shiny; powerful antioxidants such as green tea; or nourishing avocado to repair hair and prevent future damage.
His pick? The Aveda Botanical Repair Styling Crème. “It’s a multi-use product that smooths, strengthens, and helps control frizz, especially during winter. Think of it as a leave-in masque that delivers benefits while you style,” he says.
How often you use a hair mask will vary depending on hair type, hair texture and how damaged strands are, but Mathew says once a week is a great starting point. Otherwise, follow this helpful guide.
- Fine or oily hair: Use a lightweight hydrating mask once a week. Focus on mid-lengths to ends to avoid weighing hair down at the roots.
- Medium to thick hair: A weekly treatment with a richer mask such as the Aveda Nutriplenish Deep Moisture or Botanical Repair Intensive Masque – Rich/Deep in these ranges offer more of the conditioning ingredients.
- Curly, oily or textured hair: These hair types are naturally drier and more fragile. Use a deeply moisturising mask 1-2 times per week to maintain elasticity and reduce breakage. Leave-in treatments between washes can also help maintain softness.
- Chemically treated or heat-styled hair: If your hair is coloured, highlighted or frequently heat-styled, a strengthening mask once or twice a week helps reinforce the structure and prevent damage.
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Advertise with NZME.Pro Tip: For an even deeper treatment, Mathew recommends wrapping your hair in a warm towel after applying the mask. “This helps open the cuticle and allows ingredients to penetrate more effectively,” he says.
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Discover our picks of beauty editor-approved hair masks and treatments to offer hair a little TLC in the cooler months.
Offer dry or damaged hair a much-needed dose of hydration with this deeply moisturising hair mask developed by Italian hair care makers Davines. As with every product in the brand’s stable, this one is crafted using natural, active ingredients – specifically Fiaschetto tomato extract sourced from the farm of Mr Mario di Latte in Serranova, a small town situated in the Apulia region in southern Italy. This particular type of tomato is known for it’s antioxidant- and vitamin-rich properties, which help restore and invigorate highly processed (including coloured or permed) or brittle hair. Not to mention it boosts manageability, making it easier to brush through windswept, tangled or knotty hair.
Designed as a cure-all for stressed-out strands, this luxurious hair mask is brimming with a blend of restorative ingredients to deliver nourishment where it’s needed most. A hair-fortifying complex comprised of zinc, copper and vitamin E step in to alleviate scalp irritation while cotton and ceramide-like proteins work their magic on mid-lengths to ends. Botanical oils including shea, camellia and hazelnut oil join the party to smooth and soften hair, leaving a healthy level of shine in its wake. The in-shower treatment mask can be subbed into your hair care rotation in lieu of conditioner – simply leave on strands for up to 10 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.
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Advertise with NZME.Not only is this moisturising mask a welcome treat for dry or damaged hair, it’s sure to delight the senses, too, with its fruity aroma resembling a summer-ready cocktail. The superfood blend of organic pomegranate oil, mango butter and coconut only not only smells delicious, but also helps to hydrate, treat and replenish medium to thick hair in need of intense moisture. It poses a triple threat – subbing in as a rinse-out hair treatment post-shampoo, an overnight conditioning treatment (just remember to protect your pillow with a towel first) or as a leave-in mask to wear throughout the day.
It’s the bond-building hair mask that’s gone viral for a reason ... K18’s leave-in treatment mask works its magic on all hair types in as little as four minutes. A dream for the time-poor among us, the unique biomimetic technology serves to restore hair from the damage caused by hot styling along with bleach, colour or chemical services, which can weaken hair and lead to brittleness or breakage. Instead, this mask ensures hair is strong, smooth and soft once more, thanks to its blend of patented peptides that help reverse damage in less time than it takes to make your morning coffee. The no-rinse mask is designed to be dispersed from ends to roots and left on for four minutes, before combing and styling steps to follow.
The newest product to be added to Kerastase’s range of transformative hair care is the new Gloss Absolu Glaze Drops Hair Oil, which is infused with wild rose extract suspended in oil to glaze hair, leaving it glossy, smooth and bouncy with double the shine and up to four days of zero frizz. The breakthrough formulation mimics the hair gloss treatments available in-salon, ensuring mirror-like shine is within reach – from the comfort of your own bathroom.
Heaven to apply to mid-lengths and ends, this creamy treatment balm envelops strands in moisture, working to repair and restore dehydrated or damaged hair. It’s brimming with sweet almond oil, cacay seed oil, aloe vera and murumuru seed butter, meaning it not only smells intoxicatingly good, but it’s also loaded with all the nutrients required to take hair from stressed or splitting to shiny, silky and soft. It also works wonders on a dry or irritated scalp, helping to hydrate the region and leave it more balanced and nourished.
With its roots in ancient Egyptian traditions, Henna Hair serves to honour the time-honoured practice of using blue lotus for healing by incorporating the wonder ingredient into its restorative hair treatment. The colourless treatment offers hair both volume and nourishment, thanks to the addition of traditional henna, blue lotus flower and plant-based oils. Vitamin-rich blue lotus flower is said to fortify hair and boost blood flow to the scalp, helping to reduce inflammation and promote new growth, and for this reason has been a go-to ingredient in ancient haircare routines. For best results, comb the treatment through hair to ensure even coverage, cover hair with a shower cap and leave on for five minutes before rinsing thoroughly.
This intensely moisturising hair mask envelops tresses in hydration for up to 72 hours, leaving hair feeling nourished without weighing it down. It’s one of the newest products in L’Oreal Paris’ arsenal, rounding out the Elvive Hyaluron range as a once-weekly option. It contains hyaluronic acid, which helps hair retain its moisture levels, promoting stronger, healthier hair. It works quickly, too, and can be applied to mid-lengths and ends and left for two to three minutes before rinsing out.
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