Wrap or ways to protect hair from humidity?

[luvthemstrawberries]

I have hair that''s naturally frizzy and somewhat curly. I flat iron it usually, but as it''s started to get warmer, since I have to walk a good amount from my parking lot to get to my work, my hair is ruined by the time I get to work. The ends get turned backwards, the front around my face gets really frizzy and curly - the general look is just really unkempt. The only way I''ve found to protect it is wear something over it, but ballcaps flatten it, and putting it in a ponytail gives it a bump.

So do you ladies know of any remedies? I have yet to try some really good anti-humidity hairspray, so I may try that. But are there any wraps or scarf-type things I could maybe wrap around my hair, or any other ways to try to protect the hair while I walk? I''m so unversed on things like this, so I hope I don''t sound completely silly. It''s just really annoying to spend 20-30 minutes fixing my hair, then have it completely ruined in 5 minutes for the rest of the day.

TIA

 

[paeony]

hmmm I have yet to come up with a remedy for this-- it drives me crazy too!!!
I hate that it makes my bangs curly/frizzy/pointing in every direction but down.. not a good look

I''ll look forward to any good ideas anyone comes up with!
(on uber-humid days, I give up and just ponytail with headband... )

 

[pixley]

I don't know if this will work for you, but I switched to Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious shampoo and conditioner (there are two formulations, one for thick/coarser hair and one for thinner hair) and they actually work for me! My hair is waaay less apt to blow up into a frizz bomb after I use those products. They're a bit pricey, but worth it in the way of good hair days!

 

[PaulaW]

ugh... I feel your pain. My hair grows in humidity... I remember my hubby being amazed on our honeymoon in Mexico. I had straightened it and gotten all dolled up for dinner and 10 minutes after we left the hotel, my hair was 5x the size only to end up in a ponytail!
I found this on ehow.com: (lol at the "warning" at the end)

Introduction
We have all experienced it. We style our hair as if we are into another normal day, yet three hours in the humidity rises and your hair begins to rise as well. Looking frizzy and returning to its natural curl. Not what any of us wants. Continue reading on how to fight humidity…

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You''ll Need
Crème & curl moisture products
Setting sprays (wet styling products)
Hair spray
Anti-frizz products

5 Steps
Step One
Know the enemy- WHAT IS HUMIDITY? Moisture is humidity. The higher the humidity the more moisture there is in the air. This can wreak havoc with a hairstyle. Creating frizzy hair that will return to its original shape- wave or curl. Low Humidity- can encourage static electricity and can also become a problem for your hair.

Step Two
How do I work with my hair in high humidity? Product is key. Yes you can feel it in your hair, without it the moisture (humidity) in the air will be feeling your hair into a new fuzzy shape, so get over the “I don’t like the feel of product bit” and get closer to looking great in humid weather. If you have curl or wave in your hair you will start with a product that will fill the hair full of moisture (better word balance the porosity). Then apply a straightening product with strong hold, like a gelee. Apply properly- section the hair into small sections (yes it will take time). Then apply a defrizz product from midshaft through the ends. If your hair is straight begin with a product like a leave in conditioner, then apply a hold product like a spray gel, then from midshaft through the ends a defrizz product. Blow-dry your hair section by section and use hairspray on the sections while they are still heated to help hold the shape longer through the humidity.

Step Three
How do I work with my hair in extremely non-humid days? Start off with a product to get moisture into the hair. Then apply anti static or defrizz products. Then apply a hold product like spray gel. Expect to refresh the hair with a spray shine or moisture spray product through the day.

Step Four
How do I style my hair to defend against humidity? Curly hair on high humidity days, we all know will end up fuzzy & curly. So let it be curly- just start the day off with a lot of moisture based products in that hair (leave in conditioners). Be prepared through the day to touch the hair up with defrizz products. The higher the humidity and the more sensitive your hair, the more you will need to do this. If your hair is wavy or straight, you are lucky because it is a ponytail day for you. There are many ways a ponytail can be dressed up to look professional or just beautiful. However you will still need to add a strong hold wet styling product like a spray gel. Also be prepared to refresh mid-day with a little defrizz and hairspray.


Step Five
Know when it is coming and be prepared. Check this site out, the hairforecast.com- a wonderful sight that gives you the humidity forecast for your hair and your area of the country. http://www.hairforecast.com/

Overall Tips & Warnings
Talk to your hairstylist for tips on what products will work best for your hair.
More hold & moisture products on humid days. It will take longer & more heat to blow-dry, curl & flat iron the hair on these days.
More anti static & moisture products on non-humid days. Use less blow-drying and heat source tools (flat irons, curling irons) you can use them just make sure that you do not over do it. On the dry days your hair will take less time to blow-dry, curl & flat iron, set the heat setting a bit lower.
**Please do not be an idiot- in 80%-100% humidity, you might as well hang out in a steam room, and your hair is going to struggle, style it appropriately and just deal with it. Stop being unreasonable and learn how to adapt.

 

[atroop711]

My hair is curly and frizzes in the summer. I usually keep my hair long enough (shoulder length) so on those days I wear it pulled back...then I don''t have to deal with the POOF

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

pixley - Thanks for your input! Good to know!

PaulaW - Thank you for the info! Hehe that''s funny about your hair in Mexico - I live in NC and I get the humidity anyway!

atroop711 - Yeah mine''s below my shoulders now, since I''m growing it out again. I chopped it above my shoulders a while back and loved it during the non-humid times. But it just looked terrible in the humidity. My hair''s just really hard to blow dry now - there''s so much of it, I just look like I''ve got a lion''s mane! I wish I could just pull my hair back, but I have so many frizzies around my face and little bangs that never grow, that I look even more ridiculous with them sticking all out.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

On a funnier note, it's freezing cold and raining here today, and I found a cure to protect my hair - wear my Goretex jacket and hood, zip it all the way up to keep the breeze out, and use an umbrella! Presto, hair is fine when I get to work, haha!

Just gotta find a way to do that on hot days when it's humid or raining!

Anyone ever used wraps, like the ones that women used to wear over their hair when they'd drive in convertibles and stuff? My grandmom has something she wears over her hair when it's raining, maybe I should find out what she uses!

 

[Sabine]

I have no helpful suggestions, but I suffer from this problem too, so I wanted to commiserate. The only thing that works for me is to wear my hair naturally curly or pulled back all summer.

This past summer I made the STUPID decision to cut all my hair off the day after the wedding and before the honeymoon. I thought short hair would be sooooo much easier to deal with at the beach. But my hair was SO short that I couldn''t wear it in a ponytail, and so I looked HORRIBLE the entire honeymoon! I purposely took a few pictures in our room before going out during the day/night to show that I could look normal, but all our other pictures are horrendous!

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Date: 3/13/2009 11:48:09 AM
Author: Sabine
I have no helpful suggestions, but I suffer from this problem too, so I wanted to commiserate. The only thing that works for me is to wear my hair naturally curly or pulled back all summer.

This past summer I made the STUPID decision to cut all my hair off the day after the wedding and before the honeymoon. I thought short hair would be sooooo much easier to deal with at the beach. But my hair was SO short that I couldn''t wear it in a ponytail, and so I looked HORRIBLE the entire honeymoon! I purposely took a few pictures in our room before going out during the day/night to show that I could look normal, but all our other pictures are horrendous!

Awww haha I feel your pain. Granted, I haven''t been on a honeymoon yet, but that''s exactly why I chopped mine off, thinking it''d be easier. I guess that''s how we learn huh?

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

This is kind of what I was thinking: http://www.greatestlook.com/techniques/kelly_scarf.html
Scarves like Grace Kelly used to wear - think Hollywood classic women, riding in their convertibles, with their scarves tied around their hair... that's what I was wondering if I could do just to wear while walking to work, or while riding in our Jeep too, come to think of it!

This one had good explanations and suggestions too: http://www.tasaram.com/tying-head.html
I guess if you have long hair, it just goes in the back under the scarf?

 

[Shoopy]

I do the doobie!

I have no idea what its called but when I straighten my hair, it always goes up and wrapped at night. I don't sleep without doing it.

Steps:
Part your hair down the center
Start with the right or the left (your preference) and slowly wrap it around your head putting in bobby pins as you go
Your hair will look like a bee hive when it's done but it keeps it nice and straight for the next day

It's my life savor. My hair is naturally curly so when it gets straight, even a little night time sweat makes it curly again. When I drive in to work, my hair is in the doobie and under a wrap. When I get there, I take it down and style (usually leaving loose anyway).

I also don't use hair spray but I do use Pantene palmade. It's wax based (dont get the water based). You apply a little on the frizzy parts and it keeps it down during the day and you don't end up with sticky hair after. But the doobie helps a lot at night. It tames the hair in the morning.

This site should help you: http://www.dominicanblowout.com/how_to/how-to-do-a-doobie/

 

[anniee19]

My hair sounds exactly like yours! I''ve been using this stuff by Aveda called Smooth Infusion during the summer. My stylist recommended it for humidity and head protection, and it works great for me. I just put it in when my hair is damp before I blow dry it, and my hair is so soft after using it.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Date: 3/13/2009 12:11:40 PM
Author: anniee19
My hair sounds exactly like yours! I''ve been using this stuff by Aveda called Smooth Infusion during the summer. My stylist recommended it for humidity and head protection, and it works great for me. I just put it in when my hair is damp before I blow dry it, and my hair is so soft after using it.

Thanks! I may give that a try!

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

fieryred - Thanks for the info! I may give that a try. I''m just confused about what you do with the other side after the first side is wrapped around - it looks like her hair is long enough that it comes back down and over the unpinned side. Does the unpinned side go up towards the face, opposite the pinning direction of the other side, or do they both wrap in the same direction, i.e. they both go clockwise around her head?

Also, so it sounds like you then wrap yours up in a head wrap or something?

I''ve used some different waxes before too. I may try that one. The one I have is from Redken, and it really doesn''t do much. It gets the big frizzies, but those darn little ones have a wiry mind of their own! Plus it leaves my hair kinda greasy even with a little, and I have to wash it, even on days I otherwise would leave it unwashed for a day or two.

 

[Octavia]

I use Phytodefrisant by Phytologie. After I get out of the shower, I comb it through my wet hair, and then either style or let air-dry. It coats the strands of hair so the humidity doesn't get into them, but it's not waxy or heavy -- in fact, I really don't notice it at all once it's in my hair, except that it doesn't go all Monica-in-the-Caribbean on me (remember that episode of Friends? totally my hair). I don't know if it would work for everyone, but I love it. I used to use Aveda Be Curly when I wanted curly hair and Confixor when I wanted to go straight, but I'm very sensitive to perfumes in hair products and they made me sick to my stomach. Plus, neither worked as well for me as the Phytodefrisant does.

 

[niccia]

I feel your pain. I have expandable hair too. In the humidity it is awful. I had it TRed once (thermal reconditioning) and that was a miracle. Think straight, smooth, shiny hair 24/7 with very little work. Make sure the stylist knows what they are doing though, because it can be a disaster if they don''t. I only did it once because I wasn''t sure how good it was for my hair. My new lifesaver is the Sedu iron that folica sells. It keeps my hair a lot straighter than other irons I have used. I also have those little frizzies in the front and mini-bangs that won''t grow. I recently cut heavy-ish bangs in so that hides them well.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Date: 3/13/2009 8:05:17 PM
Author: niccia
I feel your pain. I have expandable hair too. In the humidity it is awful. I had it TRed once (thermal reconditioning) and that was a miracle. Think straight, smooth, shiny hair 24/7 with very little work. Make sure the stylist knows what they are doing though, because it can be a disaster if they don''t. I only did it once because I wasn''t sure how good it was for my hair. My new lifesaver is the Sedu iron that folica sells. It keeps my hair a lot straighter than other irons I have used. I also have those little frizzies in the front and mini-bangs that won''t grow. I recently cut heavy-ish bangs in so that hides them well.

I got that straightening done once too. I really helped out with the terrible cowlicks around my face too. But within a few weeks, the regrowth was the same as my natural hair. And it would fry my hair to do that treatment so often. Plus it smelled really bad and took a few days/washes to get the smell out completely. Yucko. I do agree though, it made it a little easier to style. Still was hard to blow dry though - still very kinky. Argh.

 

[niccia]

Hmmm...sounds like they may not have left it on for long enough if it was still hard to blowdry. I had a section or two that wasn''t as straight as it should be, so I had it redone too. TR, when done properly, should leave your hair very straight and smooth. I only needed to iron my hair slightly to smooth it over. I know what you mean about the regrowth though...I am lucky because my curl/wave only starts around my ears so it lasted a long time for me.

 

[niccia]

Another suggestion is to get a glossing treatment (like Aveda or Redken) put in every 4-6 weeks. That helps to keep my hair a lot smoother.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Date: 3/14/2009 8:04:47 PM
Author: niccia
Hmmm...sounds like they may not have left it on for long enough if it was still hard to blowdry. I had a section or two that wasn''t as straight as it should be, so I had it redone too. TR, when done properly, should leave your hair very straight and smooth. I only needed to iron my hair slightly to smooth it over. I know what you mean about the regrowth though...I am lucky because my curl/wave only starts around my ears so it lasted a long time for me.

Hmmm yeah. It might not have been the full strength either - the kind she used is supposed to not have whatever in it that damages your hair permanently or something, I can''t remember. But it wasn''t supposed to be as harsh as the really strong stuff. That''s probably why it wasn''t enough for my hair. I still had to blow dry it with a round brush, it was still a big frizz fro, and still had all these kinks in the ends. And I still had to flat iron it the same as before. Only difference was around the face, which didn''t last long.

It also made a very slight tint difference in my hair, which I can see when I''ve flat ironed it all and it''s smooth enough to tell at the top of my head.