You already know that winter dries your skin out; chapped lips and daily doses of moisturizer are the norm for most of us.  What you may not know is that most of your winter hair woes stem from the same causes as dry winter skin—constant indoor heat, and lack of humidity.  Here are three common winter hair care problems and what you can do about them.

Static

Your cozy wool hat and fuzzy sweater can both leave you with staticky hair that sticks to your cheeks and stands on end, not to mention causing you to get shocked by every metal surface you touch.  This happens when the air dries out and negatively charged electrons fly off your hair, leaving only the positively charged protons.  The positively charged strands resist each other just like two magnets held wrong sides together–and voila, your hair stands up.

To tame static once it’s struck, simply rub your hands over a dryer sheet and run them through your hair.

Dry, brittle hair

During the winter months, you’re exposed to constant low heat that zaps the moisture from the air, your skin, and your hair.  Treat dry hair just like you would dry skin—moisturize it.  Use moisturizing shampoo, hydrating conditioner, an avoid blow-drying or heat styling as much as possible.  Heat dries hair and is damaging, particularly hair that’s already  in a delicate winter condition.  Remember that the hair you’re growing now will still be around in the summer months, so your winter hair care routine can have a big effect on your summer locks too.

If your hair is very dry, you may find it’s worth it to invest in a humidifier for your home.  Humidifiers replace some of the moisture leached from the air—and your body—by heat.  Frequent washing and hot water also dry hair out, so use cooler water and try to keep the shampoos down to a couple of times per week.

Hat hair

The trade-off for keeping warm may be flat, messy hair.  To avoid hat-hair, try wrapping your hair in a silk scarf before donning your beanie, and wear loose-fitting hats.  Wear the hat for as short a time as possible, and brush hair or shake it out as soon as you remove the hat.