When waking up to negative temperatures and windy mornings, it’s easy to resign yourself to bare-minimum routine of washing your hair then quickly throwing it up into a bun. But not only can rocking a wet, messy chignon grow tiresome pretty quickly, hair requires special tending to this time of year to prevent damage from the harsh climate. “With our Canadian winter, it’s the most important time of the year to treat your hair with nourishing oils and conditioning treatments,” says Roch Lemay, Matrix lead educator. We asked Lemay to share his expert hair care on how to easily style and treat hair throughout the winter, and keep it healthy-looking all year.

Lazy girl winter hairstyles: Short haircut
If you have been searching for a reason (and the courage) to chop off your hair, winter is the perfect season to test out a short haircut. “A shag style is easy to maintain under a touque,” explains Lemay. Go for a short, deconstructed pixie or a textured bob—both looks are easy to style and will keep their shape. “And any hat-head will only improve the messy look!”

Before styling, use a hair oil or serum to strengthen the hair and set with a thermal-protectant spray to seal from any drastic change in temperature (both frigid lows and intense indoor heating) and protect against frizz and static. When blow drying the hair, use a slow and lower heat setting. “That’s the ideal temperature to keep your frizz down and your style up,” he says.

HAIR PRODUCTS: The 10 best winter fixes

Lazy girl winter hairstyles: Straight hair
For women with curly hair, now is your chance to play around with your hair texture without fear of summer heat and humidity undoing all your work once you step outside. “Cold winter is a great opportunity for curly hair to be styled straight, as the cool weather will ensure there will be no humidity to ruin a great hair day,” says Lemay.

5 ways to get the best WINTER HAIR EVER

More winter hair care tips and styles try on the next page…

Lazy girl winter hairstyles: A playful chignon

Whether you’re doing a
wash-and-go updo or a more polished nighttime equivalent, a loosely swept-up bun can be the perfect romantic look this winter. Before styling, prep hair with Matrix Biolage Agave Nectar Control Gel to protect against flyaways and finger-dry the hair freely. “Continue your style by loosely braiding your pony tail where desired,” says Lemay. “Then twist around itself and secure with pins.”

HAIR TIPS: Update your classic bun

Lazy girl winter hairstyles: Hat hair

For a day spent outdoors or when it’s totally justified to wear a knitted hat all day, go for an easy yet chic hairstyle underneath. “Both tight or textured braids are a fun, playful style combination with a touque,” says Lemay. Plus pulling your hair back into braids will keep it off your face when hitting the slopes. Apply a lightweight mousse to towel-dried hair to add texture and keep the braid in place all day.

5 new ways to wear BRAIDED HAIRSTYLES

Lazy girl winter hairstyles: Wavy hair

While summer has claimed the
beach wave as its signature hairstyle, loose, textured curls work as a year-round look. “Beginning at the nape, twist one to two-inch sections of your hair around your finger and leave to set. When dry, break apart with fingers or diffuse with a blow dryer for a
sexy, controlled wave,” says Lemay. Since there’s less humidity in the air this time of year, there’s less chance of having to battle a halo of frizz around your curls.

And it can’t hurt to conjure up the beachy origins of these natural waves on minus-40-degree day. “This will give you a bohemian style reminding you of summer, yet keeping your heart warm,” says Lemay.

Read more:
Healthy hair: 5 ways to get the best winter hair ever
Hair products: The 10 best winter fixes
5 different ways to blow dry your hair
The best hair texture products