Monthly Guide By Urbanhair Part 2: The Interesting Science of Humidity Causing Frizzy Hair

Why Does Your Hair Frizz in Humidity?

Frizz develops when the humidity of the air or the amount of water in the air is more than the amount of water in your hair (yes, even when it is dry, your hair is still retaining some moisture). Humidity permeates into your hair, causing the bonds inside each hair strand to be broken and giving it a disorganized appearance.

When..., The Dreaded Frizzies May Begin to Appear

- Similar to the air at the beach or, for many of us, during any morning commute, it is warmer and more humid than usual.

Your hair has suffered greater harm. Hair becomes more porous when it is treated with chemical treatments or intensive heat styling. More porous hair absorbs moisture like a sponge.

All frizz is not created equal. Fine hair may appear limp and lifeless due to frizz. For people with wavy or curly hair, frizz may suggest poodle-like hair. We can all agree that frizz makes it difficult to have a good hair day, even if different people experience it in different ways. Read on for quick solutions for frizzy hair.

(All Images) Credit: Little Red Book

Humidity causes your hair to frizzy because it absorbs moisture from the air, which might alter the protein's structure and cause your hair to buckle and bulge.

When dry hair absorbs moisture from the air around it, the result is a wild, frizzy mane. The protein structure of the hair strand may be altered as a result, causing it to enlarge and eventually buckle beyond the cuticle.

Going outside on a humid day may be uncomfortable for many people as well as potentially damaging to their hair. The battle against frizzy hair is ongoing and sometimes appears hopeless, especially for people with naturally curly or dry hair. Why does your hair sometimes grow out in strange directions in humid environments? What are the causes behind the fact that some people don't seem to be impacted by this unpleasant and uncomfortable situation?

The Mechanism of Frizzy Hair

When inspected under a microscope, a strand of hair that seems to be incredibly thin under the human eye really has numerous layers and rings that resemble the rings of a tree. The medulla is the core of a hair strand, while the cuticle is its outermost layer. However, the largest of these areas lies in the middle and is made of keratin proteins. It is primarily responsible for a strand of hair's volume.

These keratin proteins form long bundles and adhere to one another in various ways to maintain the structure and integrity of your hair. How they don't always bond in the same way is what makes this story so interesting. Certain proteins contain a disulfide bond, which is produced when two sulfur atoms interact covalently. This pretty strong link will strengthen your hair.

The second link joining these proteins is a hydrogen bond, which is significantly weaker and much more prone to breaking. In essence, each time your hair strands get wet and then dry, new hydrogen connections are formed; millions of these weak linkages are quickly dissolved by the subsequent splash or deluge.

When drying, your hair often keeps its shape from when it was wet, which is good—until you walk outside on a humid day. Since there will be a lot of moisture in the air on a humid day, dryer hair will begin creating bonds as soon as possible. The keratin proteins in the center of your hair start folding over on themselves as a result, causing the outer layer of the hair to expand, which finally leads to the cuticle being breached. This results in numerous hydrogen bonds forming between hydrogen molecules. As a result, massive amounts of protein strands that were once straight are twisted and bent.

This overabundance of water in the air mixed with the eagerness of dry protein strands to adhere to water molecules results in frizzy hair.

Avoiding Unruly Hair

The best part of knowing science is using it to your advantage, and when it comes to frizzy hair, there are a few helpful tips to avoid those bad hair days. First of all, those with frizzy hair are more likely to have dry hair, use a lot of products, and have hair treatments.

Knowing this, one of the best methods to avoid frizzy hair is to keep your hair adequately moisturized. If your hair is already forming enough hydrogen bonds, humidity won't be able to drastically change the shape of your hair. If your proteins are already saturated with moisture, they won't expand and break through the cuticle barrier.

Those who have bleached, colored, and crisped their hair to an unhealthy condition may also be susceptible to it since the underlying structure of the hair strands may already be weak, making it easier for things like split ends and frizz. If you frequently have perms, overheat your hair, overbrush it, or overwrite it, your hair is highly likely to be dry.

The best option for most people is to use conditioner more frequently—in some showers, even in place of shampoo. The natural oils in the hair will then be allowed to build up, which may prevent frizz. Another effective method to encourage scalp and hair moisturization is the use of natural oils such as coconut oil and other herbal therapies.

If you make sure that adequate nutrients are provided to every region of your hair, you will be less likely to end up with an exploding puff of hair towards the end of a hot summer day as this will help avoid weakening and breaking.

Various people experience frizziness in different ways. Frizz may make someone with fine hair limp and lifeless. For people with wavy or curly hair, frizz may suggest poodle-like hair. We can all agree that frizz makes it difficult to have a good hair day, even if different people experience it in different ways. Read on for quick solutions for frizzy hair.

For a wash-day repair, use a top-notch conditioner and use it on more than just your tips.

A high-quality conditioner may replenish hair's lipid content, which acts to fill pores with nourishment as opposed to the humidity that produces frizz. Conditioners could slow down the rate of moisture absorption by hair. Make sure the model you select is suitable for your hair.

To Keep Your Hair Silky When You're Moving, Oil It

Oils can be used to dry hair when you need a quick touch-up later in the day. They assist in preventing humidity from entering your hair and keeping it outside, where it belongs. With any oil, start off cautiously. It is much easier to add more as needed than trying to get rid of surplus.

Hot Fix: Heat Style to Keep Your Hair in Shape Between Washes

Using flat irons and curling irons is a certain technique to regain control of difficult hair. As long as you protect your hair from extremely hot or low temperatures, that is acceptable. There are two ways to accomplish that:

- Reduce the heat setting on the iron. If you can achieve your desired appearance at temperatures no higher than 370°F, your hair will thank you. At temperatures above this, far greater damage is incurred.

Use a heat protectant spray to spread heat more uniformly. With the use of heat shields, styling may feel more comfortable for you. They could help your hair take on the desired shape while also reducing the development of hot patches, which might make your frizz problem much worse.

Permanent fix: To keep the style you created in place, use a humidity-resistant hairspray.

Hairsprays today have far more impact than they did in the past. They may help your hair keep the style you've created even in humid weather now that they have a more flexible grip. This flexible hold alcohol-free hairspray is a fantastic example. It uses humidity-resistant polymers and is free of drying alcohols to help you keep the style you created even in humid environments.

As a fix, adopt your natural texture.

Frizz is the biggest problem for those of us who fight against our natural hair texture. It could be preferable to try out new styles right away that are more in sync with the texture of your hair as it is in its natural condition. Try using smoothing serums or oils to add more definition without applying heat. Take frizz as a reason to return to your origins!