If there’s one benefit to living in Canada, it’s a solid 8 months of frizz-free hair. Thing is, it’s so freaking COLD up here that most hair textures behave – or at the very least, can be tamed with minimal fuss.
Summer is another story.
Have you ever visited Toronto during the late spring and summer months? We see temperatures that look like this:
Yes, that’s the short-term forecast over the next few days. Did you happen to notice those two little words “Feels Like”? Easily translated to “The Higher the Number, The More Your Hair Sucks”. Ergo, on Thursday, when it feels like 37, it’s gonna feel like a really bad hair day.
But WHY does humidity do such a number on hair?
Here’s the Science 101 answer from ehow.com: Humidity, other than ruining a perfect creative hairstyle, is a naturally occurring weather phenomenon. We can’t get rid of it, and we do need it. So what exactly does humidity do to hair? Humidity is water in the air in vapor form. When we walk outside with dry hair, the water vapor in the air is naturally attracted to the dryness. Hair will absorb and give off water throughout the day, which breaks the hydrogen molecule bonds in our hair. This is what causes our hairstyles to fall and frizz. Fine hair, when it is subjected to humid air, will absorb the moisture, causing it to go limp. The flatness is because of the weight of the water within the hair follicle. Courser hair will absorb water and expand, causing frizziness.
I’ve long had my “TT Days” (that’s Treasure Troll Days, for anyone who remembers the frizzy-headed little dolls) and have always had a keen interest in gathering tips and techniques for taming hair in humid temps. In fact, I fondly recall the very first frizz-fighting product I ever purchased: it was John Frieda’s Frizz Ease Hair Serum. I spent about 20 minutes in the hair styling aisle at Shoppers Drug Mart, looking for something that promised a polished, glossy coif. Back then, Frizz Ease was one of only a handful of frizz-fighting products on the market, so it made sense to give it a go. And I’m certainly happy that I did – just a small, dime-sized amount massaged into hands and then distributed through the hair made a huge difference in the number of flyaways and rough ends.
I used the serum on and off for years until I discovered John Frieda’s Secret Weapon Finishing Creme, which is now a staple in my hair care routine. I normally apply the creme as a finishing touch; it works instantly on dry hair to camouflage imperfections by smoothing away dullness, puffiness and frayed split ends.
And while both products certainly help, the truth is, they aren’t miracle workers. Fighting frizz involves many levels of strategy; simply slapping on a creme or serum will only do so much.
Hence, I decided to turn to the experts from – who else? – John Frieda, for professional tips on keeping hair tamed in the upcoming months:
Become a frizz wiz. Knowing what leads your hair to become frizzy may stop you from bad habits. While many women believe that the thicker their hair, the more likely it is to become frizzy, this is actually false. In fact, there is no particular hair type that is frizziest. Even the healthiest, undamaged hair can become frizzy. Humidity, excessive heat from using styling tools (such as a flat iron, curler and blow dryer), excessive brushing of dry hair and chemical processing all lead to a change in the structure of your hair and are contributors to frizzy hair….