Everyone has heard the hair horror stories of someone stepping outside, and the humidity immediately makes their hair frizzy, limp, and unmanageable. But why do some people seem to shrug off the effects of humidity while others are left with a wild mane? Whether you have straight, wavy, curly, or kinky-coils hair, humidity can affect everyone differently:
Causes of Humidity Hair Damage:
The science behind humidity and hair is actually simple. Humidity occurs when moisture in the air combines with heat, resulting in a damp environment. When this happens, the hydrogen bonds that hold your hair together are weakened by the water molecules in the air – thus changing or damaging your hairstyle.
Effects of Humidity on Different Hair Types:
Humidity affects different hair types in different ways. This is because of differences in structure and texture. Here’s how humidity affects each type of hair:
Straight Hair:
Straight-haired folks tend to be the luckiest when it comes to humidity. Since your strands are already fairly smooth and don’t curl easily, you usually don’t have too much trouble when the weather gets humid. Your strands may puff up more than usual on particularly muggy days, though.
Wavy Hair:
If you have wavy hair, chances are you’re not too keen on humid weather, either. Wavy tresses tend to get weighed down by moisture in the air. When this happens, they become flat and limp instead of having their usual body and volume.
Curly Hair:
It’s no surprise that curly-haired folks have the most issues when it comes to humidity. Curls are naturally more prone to frizziness, and when you add moisture into the mix, they can become a giant, unmanageable fluff ball.
Kinky-Coily Hair:
Kinky-coily tresses are made up of tightly coiled curls and struggle even more with moisture in the air than other curls! When kinky-coily strands get wet (from rain or sweat), they become extremely heavy and hard to manage due to their tightly wound structure; this added weight can cause the curls to unravel if not dealt with properly.
Ways to Protect Your Hair from Humidity:
Humidity can be a real challenge when it comes to styling your hair, but there are some things that you can do to help protect your locks from the effects of moisture in the air. Here are a few tips:
Condition your hair: Conditioner helps add weight and density to your strands, which can help protect them from humidity. Use an anti-frizz conditioner that contains natural oils to keep your hair hydrated and moisturized, such as argon, jojoba, or coconut oil.
Use a leave-in conditioner: A leave-in conditioner helps seal the hair cuticle and lock in moisture to keep your locks hydrated and protected from humidity. Look for one that contains glycerin, which acts as a humectant to draw moisture into the hair shaft.
Style with products: Use styling products to help weigh down your hair and keep it from puffing up in humid weather. Look for products that contain beeswax or fatty alcohols to add weight to your tresses and protect them from humidity.
Avoid heat styling tools: Heat styling tools can cause damage to your hair, and they can also make it more susceptible to humidity. Avoid using heated tools such as curling irons, flat irons, and blow dryers in humid weather.
Tame your tresses with the tips above and enjoy great hair in any type of weather!
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