Winter storms can wreck havoc on red hair and sensitive skin. If you’re one of the millions of people affected by Jonas the blizzard, you’ll want to pay attention. Tiffany Lewis, a 15-year esthetician veteran and spa owner in St. Charles, IL gives us expert tips for skin and Eufora International Global Educator, Mirza Batanovic, provides great winter hair advice for redheads.
SKIN:
1. If not already doing so, begin incorporating a scrub-based, alpha-hydroxy acid cleanser two to three times per week, to assist in breaking down dead, dry skin cells as the air becomes more dry.
‘Redhead Friendly’ Product Recommendation: Mario Badescu Foaming Cleanser or try gentle scrubs like these.
2. Incorporate two specialized serums: The first for calming and soothing redness. Look for ingredients like B vitamins, allantoin, blue chamomile and organic aloe. The second serum should be designed to bind water moisture to the skin, and should contain emulsifiers like phospholipids and sphingolipids, and also hyaluronic acid to plump the skin and increase water at the cellular level.
‘Redhead Friendly’ Product Recommendation: Odacite ‘GT + L’ Green Tea Lemongrass Facial Serum Concentrate or Tru Skin Naturals Vitamin C Serum
3. Switch to a thicker, more emollient moisturizer and eye cream to use over the top of the serums and seal them in sufficiently. A quality eye cream and moisturizer designed specifically for sensitive and/or dry skin will do.
READ: The Best Moisturizers for Redheads
4. Continue with daily sunscreen use.
5. Maintain proper water hydration, and increase your intake of foods that are high in essential fatty acids, such as avocados, salmon, nuts and green leafy vegetables. Those fatty acids assist in protecting the skin from dehydration.
6. After the storm passes, receive a professional facial treatment. Seek out a licensed esthetician who customizes facials for sensitive and/or dry skin types, and who will integrate a professional treatment designed to infuse the skin with the necessary hydration to keep it healthy and luminous through the dry fall and winter months.
7. Switch on your humidifier! It will add moisture back into your skin and will help everything from chapped lips to flaky skin from shaving.
HAIR:
Batanovic recommends staying away from “excessive heat styling methods, such as curling irons or flat irons during the already cold dryness of winter months since it can actually cause more wreckage than normal.”
Here are Batanovic’s top tips for healthy winter red hair:
1. If possible, wash hair at night and towel-dry well before going to bed. Avoiding blow dryer use will help hair from losing moisture. If blow-drying is a must, let hair air-dry completely, then perform usual blow out routine. This will cut blow-dry time in half.
2. During the cold months, stock up on leave-in conditioners and hair serums. Dry and cold weather can extract essential oils and moisture from hair making it brittle and prone to breakage, so it’s important to keep hair hydrated. Batanovic recommends using a product like, Eufora’s Beautifying Elixirs Leave-In Repair Treatment on towel-dried hair since the prep spray delivers inner and outer repair for overworked, dry and damaged hair. Then, enhance shine, tame frizz and lock in moisture by applying Eufora’s Beautifying Elixirs™ Beautifying Serum throughout hair. This lightweight oil improves the health and appearance of hair and instantly creates silky smooth hair.
3. You do not want your red hair swaying in the cold winter wind. Instead, create a cool braid to keep your hair looking beautiful and protected. After you get the look you desire, apply extra serum to the ends and hairspray to the entire look to lock and protect your hair.
Watch the video below on how to do a fishtail braid:
READ: Braids for Days, Braid Tips for Redheads
Rock it like a Redhead!
