The other day I left my house with wet hair and my tresses literally froze. Obviously I haven’t been thinking tactfully about the climate change and hair care, so I hopped over to Tomahawk Salon to get knowledge from a pro.

Co-owner Chantal Savaresse sat down with me and gave me some awesome tips on how to control what’s on top of my head in these arctic temps. See what she had to say:

Question #1: I’m always in a rush and also super lazy, so I always end up leaving my place in the cold with a wet head. Is this bad for my hair?

gif via imgur

Advice: Your head is where you keep most of your body heat, so you could get really sick. Even when we have clients who ask us not to blow them out, we can’t let them walk out of here with wet hair in this weather. You need to get it at least partially dry.

Also, if you put a hat on your head when it’s wet, it could cause breakage. Your hair is most fragile when it’s wet. If you have long hair and you absolutely must leave with wet hair, the best thing to do is to put it in a low, loose braid.

Question #2: How can I avoid a dry, itchy scalp?

gif via ohiostatelexi

Advice: First off, don’t over-wash. You really shouldn’t be washing your hair everyday. It’s drying and takes away your natural oils. If your hair is greasy and you must wash every day, we recommend you use a dry shampoo instead. We use Redken. Actually, almost all of our products here are Redken. If you want a drugstore brand, a lot of people like Tresemme.

Question #3: After I put a sweater on, my hair also becomes static. How can I avoid that?

imagie via thisismemarriechristine.com

Advice: You can actually run a drying sheet over your hair, and that will prevent it from getting staticky. Extra conditioner will always help. Even a quick flash of hairspray will seal the hair down. We also use a coloring brush to help keep fly-aways down. Start by spraying the hairspray on the coloring brush and then brush it just where the fly-aways are. That way your hair is still soft, but it seals it down.

Question #4: Any last tips?

No matter what, if you’re applying heat to your hair you need to have a thermal protector. You put it in while your hair’s wet, and then apply the heat. It will  act as a guard against the damage.