It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the festive season is also the time when your hair is pretty much guaranteed to sustain damage.

The seasonal cocktail of cold air and central heating combined with added stress from your less than healthy seasonal dietary habits, and an added dose of heat styling to get your hair party ready, can leave you with a dry frazzled mess by the time the Christmas lights come down

If abstaining from wolfing down mince pies and quaffing champagne sounds too tall an order (it is party season after all!), and you’re determined to straighten your balayaged lengths every day, then you need to introduce some damage limitation to your daily routine.

Here are three ways you can reduce damage to your hair this party season:

1) Give your body the nutrients it needs
When it comes to where to send nutrients to, hair is pretty low in your body’s pecking order. If you’re mostly consuming sugar and cream, then eating the odd broccoli stem will support your organs and not your hair. Rather than cut out party food and alcohol, add some good stuff like nuts, seeds and leafy greens to every meal. Try to add both one protein, one omega (salmon is perfect for this), and one vitamin/mineral rich element to fuel healthy hair.

2) Rehydrate, rehydrate, rehydrate
You must have noticed the impact booze has on your skin – leaving it more papery and dry after a big night. Alcohol dehydrates your hair too. After a few weeks of indulgence, you may notice yours is more brittle and dry. Try adding water-rich vegetables into your diet and drinking extra water to keep yours hydrated. As alcohol has an effect on zinc and folic acid levels, try taking these in supplement form throughout December.

3) Heat protection is your best friend
Heat styling will always cause damage, and you should be extra careful on balayaged ends. If you must apply heat, your best option is to use a heat protector. Try GHD Heat Protect Spray or Redken Hot Sets 22 Thermal Spray to reduce frazzle. Be sure to use a deep conditioning mask every other wash for added protection.