Does any one live in the desert? How do you care for your hair?

[PorcelainHorror]

I live in the desert and I find my hair gets very very dry and is prone to breakage. I hardly ever heat style my hair, shampoo every other day (sometimes longer if I can stand it) use a good moisturizing conditioner, and oil frequently.
Even with this special care I find that it isn't quite enough.

Does anyone have advice or tips?
Thank you :)

[ravenreed]

Avoid humectants such as honey, glycerin, and AVG. I don't stretch my washes because the longer I go without cleansing my hair, the drier it gets. Since I CO, I don't feel badly if I cleanse my hair every other day, or even two days in a row.

[kpzra]

I don't do much different, but I have some heavy duty conditioners from living in Alaska. My hair isn't happy with the city water, we had well water with a house filter. I never heat style (hot rollers once in the last 15 years) and just deal with the static hair. We have a swamp cooler so that keeps the air a bit moister.

[JaneinMarch]

I lived in Abu Dhabi last year, and pre-pooing with coconut oil and washing with ayurvedic herbs kept my hair happy. I switched between triphala powder and ginger powder/lavender powder. No conditioner. A good non-stripping cleaner is probably a good idea.

[spirals]

I grew up in the desert and brushed my hair every day. I stopped when I moved to the midwest. I bet my hair would've looked much better w/out brushing in the desert. I did really like Tresemme conditioner, or anything with jojoba.

[GoblinTart]

Lots of oil, and I only use moisturizing conditioners. And drink lots of water. My hair is dry too. I never had this problem when I lived in GA.

Staying inside during the heat of the day helps too.

[Amapola]

I used to wear a hat when I went outside but my hair is too long to fit my hat now. I might get some other type of covering to protect it from the sun.

I do CWC which my hair really likes, wash at least twice a week, and if I remember I oil the night before I wash.

Frankly though my hair is used to the desert since I have lived in one practically my whole life. When I go to a humid area, my hair freaks out and hugs my head. It goes completely limp and lifeless. It only perks up when I get back to that good old 16% humidity. :D

[seven77]

I live in Phoenix area, I do pretty much what you do. But my hair is short now, I didn't have a good hair care routine when it was long, I'm interested to see how it grows out now that I'm actually taking good care of it.

[swearnsue]

I use a small humidifier and keep it running 24/7 in the main part of the house. I found that olive oil has helped my dry hair a little better than coconut, but I still use both, sort of alternate. After I wash my hair and my hair is still wet I bend forward and rub some baby oil on my hands, just a tiny bit, and grab/scrunch my oiled hands onto the ends of my hair. It feels like nothing is happening when you're doing it but you will really be able to tell the difference when your hair dries. It will have much much less static, like a miracle. I use sulfate free shampoos and that has helped too. Good luck

[DragonLady]

I live in Arizona, and my hair LOVES honey and molasses.

I do everything I can to add moisture and keep it in.

[BrightEyes]

Frankly though my hair is used to the desert since I have lived in one practically my whole life. When I go to a humid area, my hair freaks out and hugs my head. It goes completely limp and lifeless. It only perks up when I get back to that good old 16% humidity. :D

I have found this too. My hair seems pretty content when I stay in my desert home. But when I travel to more humid climates it goes biserk on me, frizzy but limp at the same time. In pictures from vacations it always looks awful, even if I style it. My hair is happiest in dry air:shrug:

My hair likes a lot of moisture and silicones. I stay away from large amounts of aloe vera gel (although small amounts don't seem to be a problem).

[stew]

i don't live in a desert, but i grew up in a "semi-desert" climate with hard water. i'll be moving back there from the incredibly humid west coast at the end of the month.. i'm nervous for how my hair is going to take it! i have no idea how to take care of long hair in dry climates anymore, because the last time i had long hair i was 16, and it was completely different then. it grew faster and was a completely different colour and texture.. hormones i guess!

right now my hair is a big fan of honey, but i remember trying honey back home and my hair didn't like it so much..

[neko_kawaii]

The only thing I can say for certain is avoid aloe! I don't do anything in particular to protect my hair from the (mostly) dry heat, but I do wear a hat when I'm out doors to protect the skin on my face and neck and my hair gets some protection as well. After fiddling around with different arrangements I found I can get my floppy hat over a very flat bun if I put it pretty high up. A bun at the nape makes the hat sit funny but some people say that works for them, probably depends on your hat!

[DreadfulWoman]

I avoid humectants in leave-ins, although I'm fine with them in my rinse-out condition so long I rinse it out thoroughly. I oil my ends daily (and sometimes multiple times a day), and I damp bun probably about every other day. I wash my scalp with a gentle shampoo and use only conditioner on my ends. I've also started conditioning my ends between shampoo washes, and that seems to be helping as well. And it's definitely a good idea to drink plenty of water, too.

[ravenreed]

Oh, I forgot about my humidifiers. I have several because I have a kitty with asthma and she wheezes when the air gets too dry. I imagine they help my hair too, since my skin is a lot less dry when I keep them running.

My hair hates mineral oil, but I use it all the time on my skin just before I get out of the shower. I find it is the best for retaining moisture.



I use a small humidifier and keep it running 24/7 in the main part of the house. I found that olive oil has helped my dry hair a little better than coconut, but I still use both, sort of alternate. After I wash my hair and my hair is still wet I bend forward and rub some baby oil on my hands, just a tiny bit, and grab/scrunch my oiled hands onto the ends of my hair. It feels like nothing is happening when you're doing it but you will really be able to tell the difference when your hair dries. It will have much much less static, like a miracle. I use sulfate free shampoos and that has helped too. Good luck

[aisha.christine]

I live in the Mojave Desert and I have noticed that the condition of my hair vastly improved in terms of moisture when I switched to CO. I also like CO because I can wash my hair pretty frequently, which is a must in the summer because I sweat a lot.

[Diamond.Eyes]

I live in a desert where the humidity is almost always at 0%, except for today, and the average temperature is above 110 degrees in the summer. I have found that frequent, over-night moisture treatments/SMTs are a must for keeping hair soft and moisturized. I would also really recommend using washing methods like CWC and CO so that hair isn't stripped of moisture when you wash it. Definitely stick with products that are meant to moisturize hair and stay away from sulfates. Using oil as a leave-in every day is also very important because the heat of the atmosphere will suck any oil and moisture out of your hair. It is also very important to keep hair up and protected as much as possible. The best trick that I have found though, is to just stay inside. I am paler than pale and can't stand extreme heat. If you want to avoid UVs and heat damage just stay inside. :)

[Bunnysaur]

Southern New Mexican here.
I keep my hair from flipping out by using non drying shampoos/bars, and use a moisture treatment at least weekly. I probably should use it more often...
I oil my scalp daily to prevent it from drying out, and try to wear a hat/headscarf when I can, but usually I forget :o