I got my hair cut, dyed, and highlighted a few weeks ago. Even though it was the same cut, she did something a little different or thinned it a little more, so my hair looked awesome...for about two days. Then the Ohio weather heated up and got humid. It's been in the high 80s and 90s with high humidity for a few weeks. I have naturally curly hair, so the humidity is wrecking havoc on my hair when I straighten it. Luckily, I learned how to keep your hair straight in humid weather. It takes a little bit of prep work, but it's worth it not to turn in to a poodle when I step outside or turn in to a hermit staying inside!

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How to Keep Your Hair Straight in Humid Weather

Why does hair get frizzy in humidity?

Water is made up of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. When there's more moisture in the air, hydrogen levels increase. Your hair is simply reacting to this extra hydrogen.

I used to joke that we didn't to check the weather. I could tell the humidity and predict an impending storm with my hair and the ache in the leg that I almost broke a few years ago. It turns out, I wasn't too far off with that statement.

Some hygrometers, the instrument used to measure the moisture in the air, work using hair! The more moisture in the air, the shorter the piece of hair in the devices becomes. As the humidity increases, straight hair gets wavy.

So what causes your hair to get frizzy? In short, it's the extra hydrogen in the air combining with the water and protein in your hair.

Your hair has proteins called keratin. The keratin is held in place by hydrogen or sulfur. Sulfur isn't impacted by the extra hydrogen in the air, but the hydrogen is. The hydrogen atoms in your hair reform with other hydrogen atoms when your hair gets wet and dries.

If you could look at your hair under a microscope, you would see a lot of holes or pores. These pores absorb moisture from the hair. When this happens, there are more hydrogen bonds than the hair can hold. The hair then curls back, absorbs more water, reforms the bonds, and swells. This, my friends, is what causes the frizz.

So now that you know why your hair frizzes when it's humid, learn how to keep your hair straight in humid weather.

1. Less Heat

Heat appliances make the frizz worse. If you have to dry your hair, use the cool or low setting. In the summer, I try to wash my hair at night and let it air dry for the next day.

2. Moisturize

Keep your hair moisturized well during the summer. If you have curly hair, it's almost essential to keep your hair nourished. The best ingredients to look for are coconut oil, shea butter, argan oil, and macadamia nut oil. I use this argan oil hair mask at least once a week to nourish my hair. You can also use something like It's a 10 Leave In Treatment daily to moisturize and fight frizz.

3. Sleep On It

If you have long hair, braid your hair before you go to bed. This reduces movement, which helps reduce frizz. My hair is too short to braid though. One of the best investments that I made was buying a silk pillowcase. The silk lets your hair glide across it while you're sleeping, preventing tangles and even frizz.

4. Don't Wash Too Often

When you wash your hair, you strip the natural oils. Without these oils, your hair is prone to frizzing. I used to wash my hair daily in the summer because I didn't like the feeling of sweaty hair. Then I discovered dry shampoo, and it's my new BFF. I work out daily, so I use quite a bit of dry shampoo. My favorite is the Batiste Dry Shampoo. Now I use that every other day to keep my hair fresh and clean.

5. Use a Serum for Frizz

I actually use two serums, but not at the same time. If my hair is dry, I use Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Serum because it has argan oil to moisturize my hair. Sometimes that can make my hair oily, especially if I just deep conditioned, so I use John Frieda Frizz Ease. I've been using it since I was a teen because it works well with my hair.

If all else fails, wear your hair in a messy bun or other up do. When it gets too humid out, I give in to my natural hair texture and wear it curly.

How do you keep your hair straight in humid weather?

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