Beauty

editor’s pick: heads up

how to handle a bad hair day in winter.

by rebecca willa davis

While heat and humidity can do a number on your hair (I have a very Monica-from-Friends-in-Barbados look from June through September), don't think you're in the clear come winter. In fact, I'm kind of convinced that there are more tress-challenges in the coldest months than the warmest. Besides serious dryness and constant windy conditions, there's all that static from wearing bulky sweaters not to mention the issue of hat hair.

Having spent just about my entire life in the Northeast (with a short stint in Argentina and Japan being my only breaks from the freezing cold), I've learned a few secrets to battling a bad hair day mid-winter. And I'm sharing my five favorites with you. Click through the gallery to see them all.

Oribe Soft Dry Conditioner Spray - $35

Dry shampoos get all the love, but a dry conditioner is just as awesome--and is perfect for winter, when hair is less likely to be greasy and more likely to get super dry super quickly. A little spritz gives instant rehydration, so you might want to keep this one at work and give your hair a spray after you've trekked through a blizzard to get to your desk.

Got 2b Oil-licious Calm and Shine Styling Oil - $7.49

Not only are hair oils super hydrating (without being too greasy, promise), but they are like garlic to static-y hair that just won't die. Which is another way of saying: so awesome--and so vital to your winter styling routine.

Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray - $4.75

No one wants to leave the house with wet hair (on a morning when I was running late and didn't bother to dry my hair, an old man shouted at me on the street, "Don't leave the house with wet hair, you'll catch a cold!"). But regular blow-drying is like the hair equivalent of doing Jagerbombs every single night--that is to say, it never ends well. This spray protects hair from heat, so you get less damage.

Alterna Winter RX Anti-Static Spray - $6

Like Static Guard, but for your head. This finishing spray helps to remove any cling while also giving hair a nice, not wintery, coconut scent.

Local Heroes Beanie - $29

Done all you can and your hair is still in the midst of a very bad hair day? Well, it turns out the cause of many a hair day is also the thing that is easiest to help get you through it: a good beanie. Find one you love (I heart this one because it's like, instead of deny it you should just embrace it) and have it with you always.