Summer is upon us, and you know what that means? Not just fun in the sun and lazy summer days, but it also means that if you have hair like mine or 3/4 of the other women out there, you’re almost assuredly going to experience quite a few “bad hair days” thanks to the humidity and what it does to your hair. Humidity actually makes your hair frizzy and unmanageable because it penetrates the cortex, and expands the hairs individually, making them larger and unruly looking. I can’t tell you how many mornings I’ve woken up with huge hair thanks to a humidity soaked slumber.
But there are some things you can do to help your hair stay calm and smaller in the summer on those nasty high humidity days, it just takes a little practice, and the right hair care products. Let’s talk first about your environment. Ever notice how when you’re in air conditioning, your hair seems to instantly calm down, but when you step outside to the moisture soaked air, your hair again becomes a haystack?
That’s because air conditioning takes some of that humidity and heat out of the air. I notice that when we have the a/c on in our house at night, my hair is much smoother and calmer in the morning vs. when we just have a fan in the window without the a/c on.
I’m not saying you have to constantly be in the a/c, but if you have an important event to attend the next morning and it’s hot and humid, you may want to consider it so you don’t wake up with nightmare hair. You may also want to consider using a high end salon quality hair dryer that uses ionic technology to smooth the hair cuticle. Many women who use these (myself included) swear by their humidity resistant powers. Will they make your hair smooth all day long? Not necessarily, but they definitely give your hair the smooth staying power edge over a normal hair dryer. Definitely worth looking into.
Some of the best brands are FHI and Sedu if you’re looking for a good one. Using a good ceramic ionic flat iron or curling iron will also help to safely seal your hair’s cuticle so that it is more resistant to the humidity. Finally, you want to make sure you are using the right haircare products to help control the frizz by making your hair humidity proof. Living Proof Zero Frizz is one that I’ve tried that I like, but I don’t use it alone, I use it with Universal Styling Creme by Aveda.
