Humidity frizz or dryness - help

[Gardezbien]

I live in Ohio ( USA) it gets very humid in the summer ... But I also feel kinda dry and crunchy. I swear protein makes it crunchy . How can I tell if it is one or the other or both.?

[meteor]

Hydrolyzed proteins provide structure, and if you use too much or for too long, you can get that dry, rough, crunchy, snap-prone hair. So you can avoid or rotate proteins. Hydrolyzed proteins are also mild humectants and sometimes humectants aren't great in high and low humidity.
Look for ingredients like glycerin, honey, aloe vera, panthenol, sorbitol, hyaluronic acid and many others for humectant action.

For effective emollience, softness, slip, you might benefit from anti-humectants/occlusives like oils, butters, silicones and waxes. It's a humectant/anti-humectant balance you need to find and it often changes in different seasons and in different humidity.

[Sharysa]

Seconding leave-ins of some sort. Almond oil works fantastic for me, since I also have a problem with protein--coconut oil is going to make your hair crunchy if your suspicions of protein are right.

[Gardezbien]

Ah it might be the coconut oil ! Sharysa . I use that a lot !
Meteor would I want the honey, glycerin etc or would I be looking to avoid them ?

[Libbylou]

Wecome, Gardezbien! Nice to see another member from Ohio on here. The weather has been kind of moist to say the least. The rain is good for the gardens, I don't have a problem with humidity and my hair. It is mostly straight, fine and always up. I use henna glosses maybe that's why I have no problem.

[meteor]

Ah it might be the coconut oil ! Sharysa . I use that a lot !
Meteor would I want the honey, glycerin etc or would I be looking to avoid them ?

Humectants both attract and hold on to water, so in dry humidity this can back-fire, because humectants can draw water out of your own hair to themselves. And in very humid weather, they can cause very serious frizz. In cases of very high and very low humidity, I actually recommend anti-humectants/occluisives, especially different oils. Oils somewhat seal moisture, prevent frizz and give elasticity. There is a great post I really recommend on Humidity, Humectants and the Dew Point on Naturally Curly: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/humidity-humectants-and-the-dew-point/


Also, about coconut oil: it contains NO protein. It contains only fatty acids. The reason some people are confused is that coconut oil prevents keratin (protein) loss in your own hair during things like washing, chemical treatments (bleach, etc), rough handling and general wear and tear. It helps prevent cuticles from chipping away, because it penetrates into the hair shaft and helps maintain integrity of hair.
But coconut oil will make hair stiff and crunchy if:
- it's cold and the oil solidifies in hair (I don't use coconut oil as a leave-in in winter for this reason),
- you apply too much and/or don't distribute well enough.
Either way, it's not damaging at all to leave it in like this, but if you don't like it, just wash it out with conditioner or shampoo and you are good to go.

Just to show how little coconut oil leave-in is needed, here's a video by LHC-er Heidi showing how she does it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjVwPKMQDYk