By: Chloe Homan
Do you ever feel like your curls have a mind of their own, especially when the humidity levels rise? Hi there, I’m Chloe Homan, the Founder of Curlfriend Collective and the creative personality behind @frizzandfrillzz. I understand the struggle of dealing with curls in high humidity settings all too well (can you say HIGH porosity?!).
In this article, we’ll discuss ten essential tips for humidity-proofing your curls during the spring and summer months (or even on a quick beach vacation!), ensuring that your beautiful curls stay defined and as frizz-free as possible.
1. Minimize Humectants like Aloe Vera and Glycerin
Humectants such as aloe vera and glycerin can work against your hair in high humidity and dew points. These ingredients draw moisture from the air into your hair, which is typically great when the dew point is between 35°-60°F but can lead to excessive frizz and loss of definition in humid conditions. To help combat frizz on humid days, opt for products formulated without these humectants, or at least without them in the first two lines on the ingredients list.
2. Know Your Hair’s Porosity
Understanding your hair’s porosity is crucial in managing humidity. High porosity hair, typically damaged by bleach, color and/or heat, absorbs moisture easily but also loses it quickly, leading to frizz. Low porosity hair struggles to absorb moisture, causing different issues.
If your hair has a higher porosity and humidity is high, your curls can not only lose definition more easily but also tend to absorb so much humidity from the air that they can start to feel damp to the touch!
By adjusting your product choices and routines based on your hair’s porosity, you can better manage the impact of humidity on your curls, which we’ll discuss in the following tips.
3. Stop Humidity In Its Tracks
When combating humidity, seek styling products to create a barrier against moisture. These products typically come in creams, gels, and sprays and shield your curls from the effects of high humidity, helping maintain your curl pattern and minimize frizz.
4. The Dream Ingredient
My favorite ingredient to look for in my products is polyquaternium (I know…it’s a mouthful!, a key ingredient known for its anti-static and film-forming properties.
This ingredient helps create a barrier on each strand against humidity, preventing frizz and maintaining your curls’ definition even in those challenging, hot, and humid weather conditions.
Now, you will find that there are all these different numbers at the end of Polyquats, so the one I love to look for the most is Polyquaternium-69. It tends to give the strongest barrier for my high porosity curls even when in over 90% humidity!
5. Light to Medium Hold Products: Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Line
If you have a lower porosity and/or finer texture, opt for styling products with light to medium hold formulas, such as those found in the Ouidad Humidity Line.
These products provide the right balance of hold without weighing your curls down, helping them maintain their shape and bounce in humid environments.
I ADORE Ouidad’s Touch-Up Gel Cream as a perfect all-in-one refresh product during the summer months or when visiting a tropical climate!
6. Medium to Strong Hold: Curlsmith & Not Your Mother’s
For more intense humidity-proofing, consider using medium to strong hold gels like Curlsmith’s Shine Gel, In Shower Style Fixer, and Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Hard Hold Gel.
These products offer long-lasting hold and frizz control, keeping your curls looking fabulous in any weather. One of my favorite ways to use these gels is to use it as a final sealer during my styling routine.
If you know you’ll be in a higher humidity or dew point, amp up the amount you use as your final step before diffusing.
7. Protective Hairstyles
Experiment with hairstyles that protect your curls from the effects of humidity. Updos, braids, and twists can help maintain your curl pattern and reduce frizz by minimizing exposure to the humid air.
Consider using protective hairstyles or accessories, such as scrunchies, scarves, and hats, to shield your curls from direct exposure to high humidity and UV rays.
This can help minimize the environmental impact, preserving your curl pattern and reducing frizz!
8. Silk Scrunchies Are Life
To protect your curls, invest in high-quality silk scrunchies, such as the Curlfriend Collective XL Silk Scrunchies or Skinny Hair Match Scrunchies. At the same time, you sleep, style your hair up, or protect your curls while outdoors for an hour or two, which does not add additional frizz, breakage, or pulling.
These scrunchies are specifically designed for curly, wavy, and coily hair. Mulberry silk is a natural fiber that minimizes friction and breakage, while the oversized design ensures that your curls remain free of frizz, dents, and damage!
9. Silk Scarves: The Swiss Army Knife of Accessories
Girlfriend Collective’s Silk Scarves are THE MOST versatile accessories. They offer protection from humidity and wind while also adding the perfect finishing touch to your look.
Use them to wrap your hair to protect your curls day or night, create a trendy headband, or tie them around your beach bag for a pop of color while ready to safeguard your curls from the elements at a moment’s notice!
My favorite way to style my curls with these oversized silk scarves is a super thick turban-style headband that doubles as protection for all my baby curls around my face that tend to stretch out the easiest!
10. Diffusing Over Air-Drying
Consider diffusing your curls instead of air drying, especially in high humidity. While air drying allows for a natural look with less styling time, diffusing offers the advantage of setting your curls in place and in turn, reducing the impact of humidity on their texture and definition.
The controlled airflow from a diffuser helps prevent excessive frizz and promotes enhanced curl formation, making it the winning method for managing our curly hair in humid conditions.
P.S.- If traveling, style your hair at home the day before you leave for vacation. This way, you’ll have an easier time styling and get the most days out of your curls while traveling!
I hope these humidity-proofing tips are helpful to you in the upcoming Spring and Summer Seasons, and in the end, despite our best efforts, a little frizz is sometimes inevitable in humid conditions.
So as your curlfriend, do your best to give yourself some grace while you learn and embrace that gorgeous natural volume and texture that humidity brings to your curls.
Remember that your curls may take on a different look in different environments, and that’s OKAY. Embracing the uniqueness of your curls is all part of your ever-changing, curly journey!
NATURALLYCURLY readers get 10% off any Curlfriend Collective products with Code: NC10 at checkout.
