Humidity: Frizz and Poufy hair

[HintOfMint]

I just moved to New York from California and the humidity and heat is just awful for my hair. My hair gets BIG, FRIZZY, TANGLED, and all shine just goes away.
For the record, most of my hair is coarse and thick. I am cone-free, and protein-free, but not sulfate-free. I CWC and I don't blow dry or do CO. If blowdrying on cool will help, then I may do it, but I need a solution that will continue well into my forays outdoors.
Any ideas? I don't mind the bigness, but the frizz needs to stop. My hair gets curlier, which is nice, but I don't know how to really manage them.

[Tennessee Rose]

I've never been to California, but since I live in a seaside town where air is full of those cruel fairies called humidity I can give you not a solution but my hair experience and maybe it helps a bit.

When I blow dry...even with cold air it gets more frizzy than if I air dry, so don't try that I don't think it helps cause even if you use a comb cold air is not useful to give shapes to hair. I use cones since where I live it's quite difficult to find non-cone conditioners but I don't think it helps anyway.

My hair gets less frizzy and more curl defined when I put jojoba oil during a whole night...and I'd say the whole day cause I don't get a shower until the night. I don't comb my hair after the shower I only comb when applying conditioner and then I kind of comb it with my fingers while dropping water but I try not to create static electricity o breakage.

I use Serum, which has cones but it is specially done to avoid frizzing. You have to pour just a bit...but I use to put a bit more, though not to the point when it gets greasy.

I don't do that now, but as a kid I realized that if I dried my hair in a braid or something that put pressure on it it got less frizzy...I haven't tried it, but maybe it helps.



I put my frontal hair back to my ears, it helps when drying to avoid frizz.

[Tennessee Rose]

EHm...there is another primitive method which consists in twisting some divisions of your hair while air drying. It is one of the things I used to do as a kid too, but I still do it some days. Sounds stupid...and maybe it is. But curls appear to be better.

[moominhapa]

I don't know that there's much you can do beyond putting it up when you're outside. Summer in NY is just like that. My hair gets crazy and gross within minutes in the humidity, even though it's stick straight. Something coney might keep it at bay a little bit, but I don't know if you're willing to go that route.

If you really want to wear your hair down, you can always put it up and take it down when you get where you're going.

If it makes you feel any better, the worst is almost over! Fall will be here before you know it.

[Flossy]

The worst frizz I ever got was visiting New Orleans during September. I swear, my hair was about FIVE times it's normal size. Never mind that at the time it was very over processed and blowfried.

No answers here, but plenty of sympathy...

[Flossy]

I should also have mentioned that the only real solution I can think of is to wear it up!

[HintOfMint]

Eep! I meant to write California to New York. Yes, the tail end of NY summers are brutally humid. I, too, used to live in New Orleans, but I used coney shampoos and conditioners and lots of products that I don't use anymore because in the long run my hair dislikes them.

Thanks for all the advice! I'll try the twisting thing. I have coconut oil, but I have to work on not putting too much. Do y'all think damp bunning may work?

[LorelaiAmethyst]

Damp bunning works for me. And then I just keep it up. =) It's the only true way to sort of battle the humidity frizz. =)

[TiaKitty]

Mine is super frizzy... Someone on here has an anti-frizz recipe that is mostly oil, aloe, and glycerin... I can't remember the name of it, though. Maybe someone will speak up with it?

Other than that, I can comisserate. My ponytail is two times as big today, monsterous and frizzy.

Is it SnowyMoon that has the anti-frizz spray???

[Lizard554]

Cones combat frizz for me. I tried cone free. It was a disaster, but my hair makes it though the St. Louis summer because of cones.

[HintOfMint]

I was afraid of the cones issue. I don't have a problem with cones, it's the SLS that I need to use to get them off my ends. My length HATES SLS with a passion.
I'm going to try some pomade mixed with coconut oil tomorrow and see how my hair holds up. Maybe I can play up the new texture and just tame the frizz.

[UltraBella]

When I recently went to Key Largo it was so humid I felt like I couldn't breathe at first ! I live in such a dry climate.
Aloe Vera gel was a life saver for my hair. I am cone free and hen I got put of the shower I just applied a good amount to my hair. It works for me in either climate so I am thrilled I discovered it while reading through posts here at LHC :)

[Kibitzer]

I use aloe vera and a few drops of jojoba oil then bun my hair up. If I plan on leaving it down I will apply a some flaxseed gel (for a more defined curl) or a equal mix of Shea butter and aloe (for softer curls)

[Heidi_234]

Could it be the water? Maybe you need to adjust your current routine to suit the new conditions. Switching to CO or using milder cleaners may help, or finding the right leave-in/oil/butter to apply after washing. :shrug:

[Katze]

well, it is humid here most of the time and I use 'cones 1-2x a month, sulfates about that often too. It is the only way I can STAND my hair, but mine is also fine (thus flyaway) and regrowing from my huge shed.

Maybe WO washing and/or CO washing would help? I find alternating WO with CW or CWC washing really helps make my hair flatter/calmer. I don't really have any shine to speak of except on hair that has been freshly washed with sulfates, so that is not an issue for me.

I would also up your use of leave-in. I use Fox's cream 2-3x a day if my hair is down.

hth!

[johnnystiletto]

Mine is super frizzy... Someone on here has an anti-frizz recipe that is mostly oil, aloe, and glycerin... I can't remember the name of it, though. Maybe someone will speak up with it?

Other than that, I can comisserate. My ponytail is two times as big today, monsterous and frizzy.

Is it SnowyMoon that has the anti-frizz spray???


TiaKitty, I think you might be referring to Kimberlily's detangling/anti-frizz spray. I use it here in our brutal Alabama summers.

[Darkhorse1]

I finally got fed up of frizz thanks to the humidity this summer and got Frizz ease by john frieda and I LOVE it!! It's very, very coney--2 uses of the cream/rinse out conditioner and I haven't conditioned in a week! I also bought the leave in spray conditioner and it has olive oil in it and works very well--not as well as the wash out conditioner.

Hope that helps :)