How do you deal with humidity?

[Marchpane]

I have curly hair and usually in my dry climate I don't have to deal with this, but when the weather gets humid, well... BOOM! :p My hair gets incredibly poufy and frizzy, and I was just wondering what the solution to this would be? Moisturizing...? :hmm: I honestly don't even get what the actual reason is for humidity equaling exploding hair, lol but I am curious. Thanks!

[ZaBasDa]

I find that the better moisturized my hair is the less frizz I get in high humidity. Hair gel and oil work a little bit for me. I live in a pretty humid environment, so I've just gotten used to to it.

[manderly]

Well, considering where I live, my hair is in constant humidity (it's totally weird going to the mainland).

Oiling my damp hair has caused the biggest improvement in my hair. I was known as "bush" in school because my S&C'd and airdried hair would poof when brushed (or even finger combed) because it was all frizz.

4-7 drops of oil in my hair after I towel dry and I couldn't make my hair poof if I wanted to!

[Shanarana]

I agree with the oiling.....in my case I use coconut oil. If my hair is down I'll smooth some over when damp. Aloe gel is another good frizz reducer.

[minkstole]

Oiling for me too. Else I just suck it up and wait for winter.

[Kyannah]

I deal with it by putting oiling it and putting it up and away from my neck as I cannot stand it when it is so humid.

[Arctic]

Avoiding humectants..? Keeping your hair moisturized..? Embracing the volume..?

Just some ideas :)

[Marchpane]

Avoiding humectants..? Keeping your hair moisturized..? Embracing the volume..?

Just some ideas :)


Uhh sorry, stupid noob question, but... what are humectants? :blushing:

[Arctic]

Uhh sorry, stupid noob question, but... what are humectants? :blushing:

Not a stupid question at all :) I hope some chemist shows up here but I also hope they don't bite my head off if I explain this in a wrong way :lol:

So basically humectants are ingredients that attract moisture. For example honey and glyserin are humectants. They are often used in cosmetics including hair care to keep hair moistured. Humectants try to balance moisture between hair and surrounding air, in this case when we're speaking of hair care. If hair is dry and air has higher moisture level than hair, humectants help the moisture from air to absorb into hair --> frizz.

Also if the air is really dry, if it has smaller moisture level than hair, humectants might give some moisture from your hair to the surrounding air --> dryness --> frizz.

So basically humectants are good thing, but in extreme conditions they might not be the best choise.

Hopefully I didn't explain badly :couch:

[sipnsun]

I live in a very humid climate and the only solution for me is braiding my hair or wearing hats during the summer months. Not very appealing I know, but I live for fall and winter!:)

[serenitygal]

I suggest frequent spritzing with a water/aloe/oil mix, and wearing your hair up as much as possible. I can't wear mine down much during the summer, but if do wear it down after wearing it up for a few days, it is considerably less frizzy.
Oil is your friend!

[Anlbe]

jojoba oil each morning, and if its really bad I put my hair up using a pomade - currently burt's bee's pre shampoo treatment. Also I try to embrace the volume!

[Marchpane]

Not a stupid question at all :) I hope some chemist shows up here but I also hope they don't bite my head off if I explain this in a wrong way :lol:

So basically humectants are ingredients that attract moisture. For example honey and glyserin are humectants. They are often used in cosmetics including hair care to keep hair moistured. Humectants try to balance moisture between hair and surrounding air, in this case when we're speaking of hair care. If hair is dry and air has higher moisture level than hair, humectants help the moisture from air to absorb into hair --> frizz.

Also if the air is really dry, if it has smaller moisture level than hair, humectants might give some moisture from your hair to the surrounding air --> dryness --> frizz.

So basically humectants are good thing, but in extreme conditions they might not be the best choise.

Hopefully I didn't explain badly :couch:

Ooh I see. Well they would probably be a bad idea then for the very very dry climate I am usually in... hmm. How can I tell if a product has humectants in it? That's always the hardest part for me, for cones, sulfates, humectants, etc. After all, reading the back of the shampoo bottle is darn near infamous for its confusion. ;) Thanks for your detailed answer though, that does explain humectants excellently!

And thanks everyone else for your answers too! I'll have to try some of those things. :)