If summer hair is defined by sun-streaked highlights, shine, and mermaid-y strands—the epitome of strength and health—then winter tresses can feel like the complete opposite: dull and drab. It’s hard to imagine anything else when the weather outside looks as dreary as you feel. But Dominick Serna, hairstylist at Chris McMillian Salon and Unite ambassador, says there are ways to remedy—if not outright prevent—the damaging effects of moisture-zapping weather.
The easiest solution is to swap out your regular shampoo and conditioner for ones formulated with super hydrating, deep-conditioning ingredients (shea butter, vitamin E, and argan oil are a few examples). Or, if anything, Serna recommends shampooing less to encourage producing natural oils. Above all, the most prominent way to freshen up tired strands is to adopt one of the below buzziest cuts of winter.
The Shag
A lot of people who have been wearing very simple styles are bored with their one-length bob. They’re looking for a change; they want more layers, something funky, something edgy—which is the shag,” Serna says. “A shag has tons of short layers at the crown and sides, which creates a lot of volume.”
But, to modernize the popular ‘90s style, Serna says to avoid blow-drying it unless you have straight hair. Instead, use curl creams (his favorites are this curl leave-in and styling cream) for a cooler, more piecey look. “The cool thing about shags with curly hair is that it gives a lot of volume—you can wake up and go,” Serna says.
Mid-length With Soft Layers
Most people cut their hair off during the summer. By winter, it’s usually grown into a mid-length long bob and at that point, you’ll want to add shape to it,” he says. “Cutting soft layers into it will give it shape and some life, so it doesn’t look so blah. Keeping the ends blunt can feel heavy, so I like the ends to be softer and give the look face-framing layers to open it up.”
Soft Blunt Bob
Similar to the softly layered mid-length style, a soft blunt bob takes out the heaviness from a super-sharp line, which can be achieved by cutting into it (when you snip vertically versus straight across). “And it will grow out nice and not into a heavy, bulky hair cut,” Serna says.
