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Curly Hair Tips for Really Humid Days

By: Kenra Professional

There’s no doubt about it: curls are gorgeous, but anyone with naturally curly hair knows that managing their “effortlessly” beautiful hair isn't always all that effortless. Add a little humidity to the mix and things can get even trickier!

Humidity can cause hydrogen bonds to form between the proteins in your hair, resulting in less curling and more frizzing. While we can’t stop science from doing its thing, there are ways to improve your curly hair’s overall strength and health to help make it more resistant to these changes. Today we are sharing some easy and effective tips and tricks for keeping your curls looking great all day—even when it’s humid!

Know Your Type

People tend to throw the term “curly” around pretty loosely, but the truth is there are different curly hair textures and the texture can vary from person to person. In order to make sure that you are treating your hair correctly and meeting its every need, it can be valuable to learn your hair type.

Generally speaking, there are four hair types: straight, wavy, curly, and coily. Your hair type is also based on how tight or loose your strands tend to be. For example, if your curls are on the looser side (with curls being the 3rd type) your hair is likely to be defined as 3A. If your curls are very tight, but not quite coily, chances are, your hair type is 3C.

The shape of a person’s hair follicle is what genetically determines the pattern of each strand. Whether you’ve got waves or coils, being able to identify your curl pattern will be useful in selecting the methods and styling products that will best suit you and your hair’s needs!

Fresh Start

Sometimes getting your hair to the place you want means starting from the very beginning. After years of trying to figure out your curls, it would only make sense that they have endured a little wear and tear. Maybe you’ve noticed some extra frizz from all the detangling you’ve been doing, or a bit of breakage on account of repeatedly using heat tools like a hair dryer, a flat iron, or curling iron.

It could be useful to visit with a professional stylist at your local salon to work on reversing some of this damage so that your focus can be on maintaining rather than repairing. For breakage, consider requesting a trim to rid yourself of those pesky split ends.

The ends of your hair tend to be the most vulnerable to separation because they are the oldest parts of the hair shaft. If untreated, split ends can continue to split all the way up to the root. A quick trim can avoid this altogether.

To improve the overall health of your hair, you might want to discuss the benefits of a hair mask or serum with your stylist. Just like a face mask, the purpose of this treatment is to nourish your hair. Taking the time to work on improving the strength and quality of your curls with treatments like hair masks can make managing them on a daily basis, regardless of weather conditions, much simpler.

Shower Hacks

Tending to your curls begins in the shower before they even start to take shape. While washing your hair, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of making your gorgeous curls last throughout the most humid of days.

The first is to brush your hair! Seems simple enough, right? That’s because it is! Instead of brushing your hair while out of the shower, try reserving all combing for when your hair is still wet.

Dry hair is not as elastic as damp hair and, when combed through, there is a higher risk of snapping and breaking which, for curly hair, means decreasing the chances of definition. Detangle your hair with a wide-tooth comb—which is built with wider teeth perfect for those of us with thick hair—while your conditioner is in to cut down on all the tugging and pulling that tends to accompany brushing dry hair.

Speaking of conditioner, the products you use on your hair in the shower can also have an effect on the quality of your curls. There are loads of shampoos and conditioners made specifically for curly hair on the market that you could find with a quick search.

There is a very real chance that your curls aren’t curling as much as you want them to because they are being weighed down by dirt and oil or the remnants of old product that has built up on your scalp. A clarifying shampoo is intended to offer you a deep cleaning that removes this unwanted build-up, supplying you with a clear canvas.

While beneficial in the long run, clarifying shampoos are very strong and should not be used every wash to avoid stripping the scalp of its normal healthy oils and nutrients. On days with particularly high humidity when hair is prone to swelling, which then contributes to a dryer surface, these oils are essential. So instead of using a clarifying shampoo daily, try using it no less than once a month and no more than once a week.

Products You Can Try

We recommend trying the Kenra Professional Clarifying Shampoo. This shampoo is specifically designed for removing dulling deposits and build-up to help restore the hair’s natural radiance. To use the product, massage it into your wet hair as you would any shampoo, rinse, and then repeat if necessary.

Then, for conditioner, another product to occasionally include when washing your hair is a deep conditioner. Deep conditioning shares many of the same positive effects as a hair mask and aims to help restore your hair’s natural oils and improve its levels of moisture. Overall, this could contribute to making your curls both softer and stronger.

We recommend the Kenra Professional Nourishing Masque for all your deep conditioning needs. To deep condition your hair, apply your desired amount of the Nourishing Masque to freshly shampooed hair, leave on for five to 10 minutes, comb through the product with a wide-tooth comb, apply heat, and rinse with warm water.

Post-Shower Hacks

Okay, so you have officially exited the shower and entered the next phase of action: drying and styling. When it comes to drying, avoid towels at all costs! Your hair is most vulnerable after a wash and frequent rubbing can cause damage, so whether you are looking to pat your hair dry or put it up for a while, consider using a soft T-shirt instead.

In the instance that you want to dry your hair using a blow dryer, we highly recommend investing in a diffuser attachment. A diffuser is meant to spread the airstream over a wider area than a regular blow dryer and does so in a more controlled manner.

The benefits can include fuller, bouncier curls, a faster drying time, and way more definition. Remember, definition is key when combatting the effects of humidity because that humid air is going to do its best to make your curls disappear.

To use your diffuser, apply a gel such as the Kenra Professional Styling Gel 17 that is meant to be used on damp hair. Attach the diffuser to the blow dryer’s air-outlet, and dry as you normally would, but end up with better results!

Sleep Hacks

We promised you easy and effective tips, so for possibly the easiest advice of all, we’ve got a couple of suggestions for how you can improve your curls and ensure that they stay strong even while you sleep.

Believe it or not, where you rest your head at night could be influencing your hair’s curl pattern. The friction that comes with tossing and turning on a regular pillowcase can lead to unwanted tangles and breakage. Using a silk pillowcase can be a better option for your hair because they are meant to help retain moisture and natural oils.

Similarly to this, you might want to try out a hair bonnet when sleeping. Satin bonnets are a tried and true method for preserving your natural curls throughout the night. They keep your hair hydrated and defined and prevent the aforementioned dreaded friction that comes from direct contact with your pillowcase.

Trying to squeeze in a quick nap before going out with friends but don’t want to mess up your curls? Apply a strong-hold, humidity-resistant finishing spray, throw on your silk sleep cap, and enjoy your rest.

Humidity Doesn’t Stand a Chance

Those blessed with curly hair deserve to be able to embrace it! This can be tricky when you don’t realize that you’re making decisions that negatively impact your hair type.

Thankfully, making little changes to the way you shower or sleep can result in big changes to the quality of your curls, whether it’s humid or not.

Sources:

Hair cosmetics | PubMed

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