Beauty web site TotalBeauty.com has identified the cities with the best worst conditions for hair.
Best Hair Cities
Santa Barbara is a great city for hair.
Are you having a good hair day? You probably are if you’re living in one of these cities. (And, ahem, you’re probably not if you live in one of these 13 worst-hair cities”>. We looked at humidity levels, pollution, rainfall, average wind speeds, water hardness, demographics and the number of beauty salons per capita to find which cities have the best conditions for healthy, stylish hair.
1. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Why is this city the best in America for your hair? Because it has it all: clean air, near-constant weather, a young population and not much rain or wind. No wonder celebrities like Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have homes here, on what’s been called the “American Riviera.”
2. Honolulu, Hawaii: Beach-y hair like the Victoria’s Secret models, anyone? This city has clean air, soft water, lots of salons and practically the same weather — a nicely un-sweaty 77 degrees — all year ’round. Come here and say “aloha” to gorgeous hair.
3. San Diego, Calif.: San Diego’s lack of seasons means it’s always 70 and sunny — hair doesn’t have to adjust to changing weather. Pair that with minimal wind and rain (it’s in the top 10 for least-rainy cities”>, and lots of salons per capita — pretty much should look just about perfect here.
4. Anchorage, Alaska: You may be freezing your butt off in the second-coldest city in the country (first is Fairbanks, Alaska”> — but your hair is in heaven. The city’s lack of pollution and wind, plus the soft water, keep hair healthy and looking fabulous.
5. San Francisco, Calif.: San Francisco is no stranger to rain, but it’s the No. 1 city in the country with least weather variety. So since the weather doesn’t change frequently, you’ll have great hair once you get used to the climate. The soft water, lack of wind and high number of salons also mean that the odds are strongly in your favor for having good hair days.
6. New York, NY: The summers can be hot and humid and therefore tough on hair, but New York’s perfect-for-hair water makes up for the three months of hair-challenged weather. Plus it holds six of the top 10 ZIP codes with the most beauty salons in the country.
7. Miami, Fla.: Miami is hot and humid, that’s for sure, but it’s also one of the least-polluted cities in the country (and we all know what pollution does to hair — it’s been linked to balding, gray hair and dullness”>. It also has very little wind and many salons to help keep your hair in control and stylish.
8. Los Angeles: Angelinos have the advantage of weather that hardly changes through the year, meaning their hair conditions stay constant and are easier to manage. The lack of rain means a very low likelihood of frizz, and low winds also keep hair easy to manage.
9. Denver: OK, so while the mile-high city may have hard water, the lack of wind and low humidity (just 67% — lower than desert cities Reno and Flagstaff”> — not to mention the large number of hair salons — help give residents an advantage in having healthy, stylish hair.
10. Boston: Boston also has a large number of salons per capita, plus it has soft water, which means your hair isn’t stripped of shine, color and moisture with every shampoo — all good news for your hair.
11. Chicago: Chicago has a young population with an average age of 22, plus an unusually high number of beauty salons per capita. So despite its wind and low temperatures (which can dry out hair”>, the odds are strongly in your favor here to have great hair.
Worst Hair Cities
While Corpus Christi, Texas, has its charms, it’s not the best place for hair, according to TotalBeauty.
There are a number of factors contributing to frustrating frizz and dried-out strands, but as it turns out it, they could all be due to the city you call home. From looking at national averages of humidity/wind/rain/sun, water-hardness, pollution levels and even the number of salons in the area, Totalbeauty.com has located the worst cities for your ‘do. Did your city make the list?
1. Corpus Christi, Texas: Everything is bigger (and more humid”> in Texas … coming in at no. 7 for most humid cities, “The Sparkling City by the Sea,” also has hard water and only a handful of hair salons.
2. Olympia, Wash.: The rainy days and off-the-charts humidity will surely give your hair the blues in this capitol city. If you live here you are also most likely getting your hair cut by the neighbor’s kid, seeing as though there are only 25 listed hairstylists in the city.
3. Pittsburgh, Penn: It’s not called the “Pitts” for nothin’. As the most polluted city in on this list, your hair will be calling Green Peace on a daily basis. Pollution has been known to cause premature balding, graying and dullness.
4. Las Vegas, Nev.: While it may be a blast to have a debaucherous weekend in the “City of Sin,” it’s certainly no fun for your hair to live in this desert climate. Forget repenting for your gambling habit, you’ll be too busy praying for your sun-damaged hair. Take a cue form Nick Cage and LEAVE Las Vegas.
5. Phoenix, Ariz.: Phoenix has the most extreme climate in all of America and hard water to boot!
6. Pensacola, Fla.: White beaches might lure you to the peninsula but as one of the wettest cities, an umbrella will constantly cover your head. Not to mention it might be difficult to find hip style advice around town, seeing as it’s a top destination for retirees.
7. Fresno, Calif.: California dreamin’? Let’s just say FresNO. It’s the 7th sunniest city in the nation and is in the top ten for most polluted cities, which means a nightmare for your hair.
8. Houston, Texas: The biggest city in Texas does big damage to hair. Houston is hot, humid and has some of the hardest water. Frizz will be your BFF here.
9. Tucson, Ariz: Here is another “Sunshine Factory” city. If you haven’t noticed already, too much sun is a no-no for your hair. Don’t believe us? Stop by the University of Arizona for some basic math classes: sun damage + hard water = dry, brittle locks.
10. New Orleans, La: Ok, so Mardi Gras is worth a trip, but living here wouldn’t be a party for your hair, seeing as it ranks as the 9th most humid city and 8th wettest.
11. Cincinnati, Ohio: It’s the 7th most polluted city in the U.S., but here is the real kicker, Cincinnati has only eight hairstylists listed on yellowpages.com … No comment necessary.
12. Albuquerque, NM: Dry, sunny and has hard water. Hop on a raft and take the Rio Grande out of town.
13. Eugene, Ore.: It’s nicknamed “The Emerald City,” and is also known for being extremely humid. No one wants frizzy pigtails, so pull a Dorothy and click your heels — hopefully you’ll find yourself in no place like Eugene.
