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Daily styling can be the bane of anyone’s existence. Very few enjoy devoting hours every day before or after work to styling their hair, and that is not a club I want to join. One of the main reasons women restyle their hair daily is to combat frizz, and Lizzyar from Curly Q&A wants to know what’s going on with her hair in her neck of the woods.
Question
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Why don’t my curls stay? My hair is thick, I don’t know my hair type (I know it’s pretty curly), and it’s usually very humid where I live.
Answer
You have frizz or lose curl definition over time for multiple reasons. Some things are out of your control, while others require changing habits or techniques. These five reasons are the main variables.
1. High humidity + high dew points=frizz
Image Source: @tonaturali
When you live in a humid climate with high dew points, experiencing frizz is inevitable. NaturallyCurly is based in Austin, and we rarely attempt to style our hair when summertime rolls around. Anything we do gets obliterated when we walk outdoors. Humid climates with high dew points cause the hair to expand outward in an attempt to absorb moisture, which is why many women are anti-humectants or anti-glycerin to reduce the effects of this behavior.
Humectants attract moisture from the air, which is great for touchable curls but not the best for maintaining hold. You can try to use anti-humidity products but I assure you that Mother Nature will probably win if your weather is anything like Austin or Houston. Consider sealing your hair with an oil before applying a styler. This will help to lock moisture in your hair so your strands are not searching for it outdoors.
2. You are not applying the right curl defines
Finding the perfect styler, especially for curl definition, takes time. I am incredibly picky. I prefer cream stylers with moisturizing properties, slip, and hold minus too much crunch, which are hard to come by. The tighter your curl pattern, the more likely your hair will respond better to gels and puddings, and looser curl patterns will respond better to creams and mousses. Remember to read the product packaging for a description of the holding strength and style recommendations.
3. You are not applying products to soaking wet hair
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Styling products capture your natural curls, not create them. You want to apply your stylers to soaking wet hair so that they can set in place as it dries. Applying the product to damp or dry hair will still provide hold, but it will not revive your curl definition. Hydrated, healthy hair is the best foundation for all great styles. Air-drying yields the best curl definition, so put down the dryer if you use one and consider plopping.
4. You are manipulating your hair as it dries
Image Source: @briciaemilyn
I know our curls are irresistible, but you have to keep your fingers out of your hair. Hand-in-hair syndrome is the number one way to ruin a hairstyle. Over time, your hair will incur frizz, so don’t kill your style longevity by playing in your hair.
5. Your hair is naturally frizzy
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This is very possible, especially for tighter textures. Controlling frizz is one of our FAQs in Curly Q&A, and for the most part, there are three reasons you experience frizz: genetics, damage (mechanical, thermal, and chemical), or dryness. If you deep condition regularly, limit or eliminate heat styling, seal, and get regular trims, then you may naturally have a fuzzy halo, and who doesn’t want volume?
Embrace your fuzzy curls, coils, and waves, and find other ways to style your hair if wash-and-go’s are not working for you.
This article was published in 2016 and updated for clarity.
