Taming Hair in Humidity

Genevan scientist Horace Bénédict de Saussure

HEALTH & BEAUTY BEAUTY

Taming Your Hair in High Humidity

By Dylan Roche

Humidity can be the bane of a curly-haired girl’s summer. In fact, did you know hair is so sensitive to humidity that the first hygrometer was made with it? This was in 1783 by Genevan scientist Horace Bénédict de Saussure, who realized that hair, when ungreased and untreated, would expand in damp weather. And there’s a scientific reason: Moisture from hot, humid air gets in through the open hair cuticles and causes hair to frizz.

Now, more than 200 years after Horace’s invention, people with curly hair are still trying to figure out how to quell steamy weather’s awful effects on their hair.

While you can work milder cases of summer frizz to your advantage and rock a beachy look, there are times when it gets so extreme that you feel like your hair is floating in a cloud around your head. These are the times when you want nothing more than a way to control it.

If you’re feeling that way this summer (or every summer), here are a few tips that might save you:

Grow it out. This information doesn’t help you when summer is already here, but if you know that hot, humid weather is approaching, or if you live in a place where it’s frequently humid (like Maryland), then it helps to give your hair a little bit of length. This is because length means weight, and weight means that your hair is more inclined to pull itself downward than to puff out. However, just because you’re growing it out doesn’t mean you should neglect getting a regular trim, as split ends are a welcoming entrance for frizz-causing moisture.

Moisturize your hair with coconut oil by running 1 to 2 tablespoons through your hair once a month. Apply it with a comb, being careful not to let too much collect along your scalp, which could cause a breakout. Once you have your hair lathered in oil, collect it up in a shower cap and allow it to sit and penetrate for about an hour. Wash and condition your hair afterward. This oil treatment will prevent your hair from getting too dry and taking on too much summer steam.

Be careful of overshampooing, as this will remove natural oils that moisturize your hair. Depending on how much you sweat or your hair’s natural inclination to produce oil, you could wait up to a week between washings with shampoo. At the very least, don’t wash it more frequently than every other day.

Turn the shower to cold just before you get out and give your hair a chilly rinse. The cold water will close up your cuticles and lessen your risk of frizz.

Don’t be reckless in the way you dry your hair. Use a microfiber cloth, such as the one you would use to dry a freshly cleaned car, rather than a rough cotton towel. Blot or dab gently instead of rubbing, and if you use your blow dryer, be sure to go slowly on low heat.

Anti-frizz cream or gel on wet hair will penetrate the hair cuticles, thus preventing steamy air from getting inside. Just be sure to use sparingly so that you don’t end up weighing your hair down and making it look greasy.

As a last resort, find a stylish way to wear your hair up in a ponytail, braid, or bun. There are some days when you’re just going to have too much trouble taming your mane—and that’s OK. If a ponytail feels boring or too casual, don’t hesitate to dress it up with a lightweight headscarf.