Picture this: you’ve just finished your curly hair routine. You dedicated one, nearly two, hours to washing, conditioning, styling, and drying your hair, and it came out perfect… almost. Except you forgot to check the weather. And the moment you step outside, the humidity wreaks havoc, and all your hard work goes up in a puff.
Not the most satisfying picture.
We’ve all experienced this at least once or twice, especially with Boston’s endless supply of rain. So, how do we fix it?
The Problem
Before anything else, we need to identify the reasons our hair frizzes in the first place.
Curly hair is known for being drier compared to straighter, silkier hair textures. This factor leads to a whole bunch of other considerations. Along with its predisposition to dryness, it’s also more sensitive to breakage, which can be easily confused with frizz.
When determining the cause of your frizz, it’s essential to understand your hair’s porosity on a scale of low, medium, or high.
Low porosity means your hair cuticle is almost always closed, so the issue is not retaining moisture or protein but rather getting these things into the hair in the first place. Low-porosity hair tends to take longer to open the cuticle and saturate fully. It also takes longer to dry. Low-porosity hair can be prone to product buildup, making occasional detoxing and clarifying of the hair and scalp beneficial.
Medium porosity is just as it sounds: in the middle and relatively balanced, maybe requiring a light hair mask here or there. The hair cuticle has no issue opening and closing when it should, allowing moisture to enter the hair and also keeping it there.
High porosity hair can be due to genetics, but it can also result from a damaged cuticle caused by chemicals, heat, excessive manipulative styles such as slickbacks, or a lack of proper hair care. The hair cuticle is always open, taking little time to get thoroughly wet or dry, but it struggles to retain moisture and protein, making it most susceptible to humidity and further damage.
If you notice your hair gets frizzy when exposed to humid conditions, it’s because your hair is actively seeking out the moisture in the air to fill the gaps in the open cuticle, and the additional water causes it to swell, according to Scientific American. If you notice frizz beginning as soon as you get out of the shower, despite your hair being soaking wet, also known as “wet frizz,” it’s likely because your hair has a moisture/protein imbalance.
A healthy moisture and protein ratio is part of what keeps the bonds of your hair shaft strong and the curl pattern intact. When there’s a ratio imbalance, the hair strands may snap in half instead of naturally shedding from the root, which can be confused for frizz. Too much moisture can lead to overly soft, lifeless hair, and too much protein can lead to brittle, straw-like strands. (A lack of protein also contributes to more split ends.)
Solutions
There are a few ways to counteract frizz. I always suggest addressing the root cause of your hair’s overall health (no pun intended), but products can provide temporary solutions.
Using a conditioner followed by a leave-in with moisturizing ingredients can replace what your hair shaft lacks right from the start, so it doesn’t need to pull it from the humid weather. There are also similar products available when you need protein. Products that include keratin, hydrolyzed rice, soy, wheat, etc., fill the cuticle similarly as well.
You can also periodically use moisture or protein masks for a deeper, more penetrating effect as opposed to a product that sits on the hair. Or, taking it a step further, you can use products that repair and strengthen the broken bonds in your hair. If you’ve ever heard of or used Olaplex or similar products that mention bond repair, that’s precisely what it does for damaged hair cuticles.
My favorite is the Bond Curl Rehab Salve treatment from Curlsmith. It’s a pre-poo, so you don’t need to wash your hair before use; just apply it according to your hair porosity. Higher porosity = 2-3 washes between uses, low porosity = 4-5 washes in between, and medium 3-4.
Staying consistent with these, along with regular trims, can help maintain your hair on a structural level. Still, it’s definitely a process. So, in the meantime, some anti-humidity gels and sprays can temporarily fill or seal the hair cuticle.
A few notable options include the Ouidad Advanced Climate Control gel, Curlsmith Frizz Rescue Curl Retaining Jelly, and Amika The Shield Anti-Humidity Spray.
I’m currently trying to maintain my high-porosity hair, so I particularly like moisturizing leave-ins, curl creams that include both moisture and protein, and a medium to strong-hold gel to keep everything in place and sealed.
Not all frizz comes from having damaged or unhealthy hair. Oftentimes, frizz is simply a natural result of wearing your curls for several days, and the products begin to lose their hold. In that case, a smoothing oil is a more suitable option and can be applied daily as needed.
All this to say, no matter what you decide to do, your curls are uniquely yours, and however you wear them is perfect!
Embrace the definition and the frizz!
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