Why Does Humidity Make My Hair Frizzy?

Nothing ruins a super sleek, perfectly coiffed hairstyle faster than frizz. While it can feel like there’s nothing you can do to fight it, we’re happy to tell you that isn’t the case! Just keep reading if you want to learn more. This article will take a look at why humidity makes your hair frizzy and give you tips on how you can prevent it.

Here Is Why Humidity Makes Your Hair Frizzy

Humid air, or air with a high water content, can dramatically affect your hair's appearance. Dry hair is desperate for moisture, so it reaches out to the water molecules in moist air. As the warm, moist air opens your hair’s cuticles, it makes it easier for water to enter your strands. Once inside, the water molecules react with the hydrogen bonds that hold your strands together. As it rearranges them, your hair can develop a more textured, frizzy appearance.

How to Prevent Frizz

Although humidity causes frizz, you can take measures to lessen its effects on your strands.

Here are some of our top tips for keeping humidity at bay to help you do just that. Keep in mind that you’ll probably have to use a combination of techniques to make your hair perfectly frizz and humidity resistant.

• Moisturize your hair - Even though it can feel counterintuitive, ensuring your hair is properly hydrated is one of the best ways to prevent frizz. Your hair acts a lot like a sponge, so the more water it's holding, the less extra water it can absorb. By filling your hair with nourishing, hydrating products, you’re limiting the humid air’s ability to affect your strands.

• Get regular trims - The drier and more damaged your hair is, the more it will crave water and frizz up. And because your ends are the oldest and most fragile part of your hair, they develop frizz more severely. Try to keep your hair in good condition by getting rid of your damaged ends every 6 to 12 weeks.

• Wash your hair with cool water - One easy way to boost your hair’s frizz resistance is to wash your strands with cool water. The cold water helps seal your hair’s cuticles, so they don’t react with the moist air. Instead, they’re able to block out the humidity and remain perfectly sleek.

• Switch to a microfiber towel - In addition to drying your hair in half the time, microfiber towels are incredibly gentle on your strands. They don’t create as much friction, which can help you see a reduction in frizz.

• Embrace hair-healthy oils - As you probably know, oil and water don’t mix. Applying a thin layer of oil to damp strands can help seal in moisture and prevent the humid air from penetrating your strands. The type of oil you use is up to you, but here are some of our favorites for making your strands humidity-proof.

  • Argann oil

  • Avocado oil

  • Coconut oil

  • Jojoba oil

The fight against frizz can feel overwhelming at times. But luckily, there are steps you can take to keep it at bay. We recommend experimenting with different solutions or using a combination of methods, so you can find out which ones keep your strands sleek. We hope that the information covered in this article is exactly what you were looking for to humidity-proof your locks.

Author: Andrea Reyes

Andrea is a mother, wife, writer, and natural hair enthusiast of 15 years. Currently on her natural hair journey, she’s been trying countless products and techniques to understand and embrace her natural hair. She is the creator of NaturallyTextured.com, a new website featuring informative articles that share tips, tricks, and techniques aimed to help others learn to love their hair through proper hair care. She writes with the hope of making hair care easier to understand and implement.