How To Treat Frizzy Hair In Humidity

What Is Frizz?

Frizz refers to the misalignment of hair fibers. When your hair frizzes up, your strands lose their shape, curl up, and run in different directions.

In humid weather, straight hair becomes wavy, wavy hair curls up, and curly hair transforms into tighter coils. Additionally, you may experience a rough hair texture in response to the extreme movement of the strands.

But, why does frizzy hair occur in the first place, and how can you find out if you need frizz control? Find out in the next section!

Why Does Frizz Occur?

Frizzy hair is caused by high humidity in the air.

Humidity refers to the water vapor present in the air. Our hair is incredibly sensitive to it, and in humid weather, it reacts by becoming frizzy or curling up.

During these periods, the water molecules present in the air enter the hair strands and bind to their protein. This causes the strands to forget their shape and revert to a curlier pattern. When carried out in varying degrees, the result is a head full of frizz.

While frizzy hair due to humidity is something that every hair type experiences at some point or the other, there are a few instances where your hair may be more susceptible to it. They are as follows:

1. Thick, Coarse Hair

When it comes to thick hair, the diameter of the strands is a lot wider than fine hair. This creates a structure that is already upset. When faced with extreme humidity, this fragile assembly breaks and the hair follicles stray in different directions.

Once frizzy, it can be difficult to get these strands under control again. Typically, people with curly locks get frizzy hair more often than people with fine hair.

2. High Porosity Hair

Hair strands have small holes that suck in the moisture from the air to keep themselves hydrated. High porosity hair refers to hair with too many holes that soak up a lot of moisture.

Due to over-absorption of moisture, high porosity hair tends to lose its shape and frizz up.

If you are not aware of the porosity of your hair, we recommend conducting the water test:

1. Grab a glass of water.
2. Drop a strand of your hair into it.
3. Check if it floats or immediately sinks to the bottom.
4. If the strand of hair sinks quickly, it is highly porous. High porosity hair absorbs the water at a quicker pace and becomes too heavy to float.
5. If your hair floats in the water for an extended period, it means that your hair is not very porous.

3. Damaged Hair

Your hair gets damaged due to over-processing and extreme use of harsh chemicals. When damaged, the outermost layer of the strand, called the cuticle, cracks and opens itself to the moisture in the air. This lack of filtration causes the hair to get frizzy in reaction to the humidity.

Additionally, cracked cuticles tend to have a really rough texture, thus inhibiting the strands from lying close to each other. This makes it difficult to bring the frizz under control.

4. Dry Hair

Unlike the other types mentioned here, dry hair refers to severely dehydrated strands. To fulfill their moisture requirements, the locks overexpose themselves to the humidity in the air. This extreme exposure can make your hair frizzy.

Now that you know why humidity causes your hair to frizz up, let us check out some frizzy hair tips.

Tips For Taming Frizzy Hair In High Humidity

Unfortunately, there is no cure for frizzy hair caused due to humidity. That said, you can follow these tips to get your frizzy hair under control:

1. Use Conditioner Frequently

Memorize these golden words –  shampoo is for cleaning, conditioner is for moisturizing.

When taking a shower (especially with hot water), it is easy for your tresses to dry out. This is because the shampoo washes away the moisturizing natural oils from your strands.

As such, the best hair treatment for frizzy hair is to condition it frequently. Using a hair conditioner will replenish your hair’s lost nutrients and prevent dryness.

Consider using a nourishing hair mask for deep conditioning once every 2-3 weeks and applying conditioner every time you wash your hair. You can also use coconut oil or your favorite hair serum on wet hair as a leave-in conditioner and keep the frizz at bay. Follow these steps:

1. Towel-dry your hair until it is just damp.
2. Rub 4-5 drops of coconut oil between your palms.
3. Run your fingers and palms through your hair until your hands do not feel oily anymore.

2. Style Your Locks

A great way to keep your hair from getting frizzy due to humidity is to style it into submission. You can tame the frizz with the help of a flat iron or straightener.

However, be sure to incorporate the following hair products into your styling routine to protect your hair from heat damage:

• Heat Protectant Spray: This will prevent your strands from losing their moisture due to the hot styling tools.
• Leave In-Conditioner: This will replenish your hair’s moisture that it has lost during the styling process.

By including these extra steps before hair straightening, you can prevent your strands from seeking out moisture and stop it from getting frizzy in humidity.

Quick Tip

You can also wear frizz-free hairstyles. Top knots and braids, held together with pins on straight-cut hair, are perfect for keeping the frizz in check.

3. Start Using A Holding Spray

Spraying some holding spray is an after-styling tip that can help you manage your frizzy hair in humidity. For better frizz control, opt for a spray that contains moisturizing elements and has less of an oily sheen.

4. Get Back To Your Roots

Frizz is often a huge issue for people who rely heavily on styling their hair. Instead of trying to keep your frizzy hair smooth during the humid months, it is probably worth getting a frizz-friendly haircut. This will ensure that your hair, even at its worst, still looks its best.

Another tip is start using a hair moisturizer or humectant in small amounts. Tamara L. Floyd, a blogger, shared her experience with trying multiple humectants to handle frizzy hair. She writes, “The next time I use a humectant in the summer, I will go way lighter than my first application. I definitely applied way too much as it does have a bit of a greasy sticky feel to it (i)”.

Quick Tip

Wash your hair only once every 2-3 days. Excessive washing strips your hair of oils, making it dry and vulnerable to humidity, damaging the cuticles.

Apart from these tips, hair care experts and stylists have some suggestions that can help you avoid frizzy hair in high humidity. Here is what they have to say.

Expert Hair Care Tips To Manage Frizzy Hair In High Humidity

Try the following expert suggestions to prevent your hair from getting frizzy in high humidity:

1. Apply Oil After Styling

When dealing with frizzy hair during the humid months, you want to create a barrier between your strands and the moisture in the air.

You can do this by gently applying some hair oil to your tresses after you finish styling it. If required, you can touch up the parts of your hair that have fallen out of shape.

2. Blow-Dry Your Hair The Proper Way

Believe it or not, the direction in which you blow-dry your hair can actually affect its frizziness! To combat this, experts suggest the following blow-drying technique:

1. Divide your hair into 6-8 sections.
2. Dry each section by positioning the hairdryer downward and moving from the roots to the ends.

The heat from the blow-dryer will open your cuticles. This will make it easier to reshape and smoothen your strands and fix humidity-induced frizzy hair. To minimize hair damage, use a heat protectant even before your blow-dry your hair.

3. Try Water-Based Hair Styling Products

One of the main causes of frizzy hair is dehydrated strands absorbing too much moisture. Hence, you must prioritize hair hydration. Moisturize your locks as often as possible.

Use a water-based styling product that is sure to condition your hair while styling it. For example, add a little water-based holding spray to the frizzy areas of your hair and re-style it with your fingers.

Infographic: Top 6 Tips To Manage Frizzy Hair In Humidity

The hot and humid weather can cause your hair strands to lose their shape and become frizzy. But the good news is a few simple tips, like conditioning your hair frequently, can keep your hair moisturized and healthy. In the infographic below, we have rounded up some easy tips to help you get your frizzy mane under control. Scroll down to know more!

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

What percent humidity will make hair frizz?

Humidity levels beyond 70% leave hair more damage-prone and frizzy.

What humidity level is best for hair?

Humidity levels between 30-60% are good for the skin and hair.

Do anti-humidity sprays work?

Yes, anti-humidity sprays contain ingredients like silicone that coat your hair and prevent the strands from opening up and becoming frizzy.

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

Learn how to keep your hair frizz-free and smooth in humid conditions with the help of this practical video. Discover effective tips and tricks for taming and maintaining your hair. Watch now!

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Dr. Shruti ChavanMBBS

Dr. Shruti Chavan is a consulting dermatologist at Dr.Sheth's Skin and Hair Clinic since 6 years. She is a co-committee member of CDSI (Cosmetic dermatologist Society of India). She is highly skilled in non-surgical facial skin rejuvenation and face lift by the use of injection treatments and lasers.   Dr. Chavan is well-versed with dermatological and aesthetic procedures. Her special...more

Arshiya SyedaSenior Editor

 

Arshiya Syeda is a senior editor at StyleCraze with 7 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer and combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care. She holds a bachelor's degree in literature and psychology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and a post-graduate diploma in psychological...more

Ramona SinhaEditor

Ramona is an editor at StyleCraze with 11 years of experience in writing and editing. She has authored over 200 articles on skin and hair care. She graduated from the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, and did her post-graduation from the University of Kalyani, West Bengal. She also did a certificate course in dermatology offered by the Novosibirsk State University...more

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Medha Deb is a commerce editor with a master's degree in applied linguistics from the University of Hyderabad, which has allowed her to develop a deep understanding of language and its application in various contexts. She specializes in the areas of beauty, health, and wellness and is committed to ensuring that the content on the website is of the highest...more