Jump to:
Curly hair is challenging to manage, and as a result, many people prefer to straighten their hair rather than keep it curly. You will need to learn how to keep straight hair in humidity if you want to keep the look you want for a long time.
Keeping Hair Straight in Humidity: A Summary
Before you start the process of keeping your hair straight in humidity, you need to ensure you have all the materials. Here’s a quick look at the steps you should follow to keep straight hair in humidity:
- Apply an anti-frizz product
- Apply oils and shea butter
- Use the right shampoo to eliminate curls
- Make sure you’re using the right towel
- Use a serum to seal your strands
- Moisturize your hair regularly
- Apply gel to your hair
- Try using a keratin treatment
- Wear your hair up
- Embrace the natural texture of your hair
By following these steps, you should be able to keep your hair straight when it’s humid.
10 Ways to Keep Straight Hair in Humidity
The first thing we want to mention before we get started is these are not 10 things you have to do in order. Instead, we’re looking at 10 things you can do independently to keep your hair straight when it’s humid outside.
1. Apply an Anti-Frizz Product
- Contains many oils that are great for frizzy hair.
- Inexpensive.
- Sulfate, paraben, and silicone-free.
- Leaves hair feeling greasy if used in excess.
- Not great as a deep conditioner.
If you want to keep your hair from expressing its natural curls, it makes sense to apply an anti-frizz product. A good anti-frizz product should keep your hair strands smooth even in extreme humidity.
Typically, anti-frizz products should be applied to your hair when it is soaking wet. Applying the product at this time means there is extra hydration, and as a result, it’s easier for the product to penetrate each hair cuticle.
2. Apply Oils and Shea Butter
Everybody’s hair is different, so something that works for your friend might not work for you. If you have thick or coarse hair, oils and shea butter are great for keeping the curls to a minimum during humid months.
Coconut oil is a good option for everyone, regardless of hair type. It is light and natural, making it suitable for all hair types. Applying coconut oil will keep your hair from getting puffy while keeping your hair healthy.
Conversely, shea butter is a fantastic option if you deal with a lot of frizz in your hair. It’s also a fantastic option for people with chemically treated or bleached hair. It is a nourishing substance, meaning it will keep the frizz down without damaging your hair.
Finally, you don’t need to apply strong oils to wavy hair. Instead, you can use a light oil to eliminate waves. Since waves aren’t as strong as curls, they are easier to manage with light oils.
3. Use the Right Shampoo to Eliminate Curls
- Smells SO GOOD
- Sulfate and paraben free
- Vegan and cruelty free
- Unique blend of coconut milk and aloe
- More expensive than normal shampoos
- Relatively small bottle
- More time needed to rinse the oils from your hair
Humidity is a nightmare for people with curly hair, especially when they try to straighten it. As a result, it’s crucial to get an early start on eliminating your curls. So, you must start in the shower with your shampoo.
If you can eliminate your curls in the shower while it’s wet, humidity shouldn’t have any effect on it. The best thing you can do is use the right shampoo to eliminate your curls.
Rather than using traditional shampoo, apply smoothing shampoos and conditioners to your hair. Keep it in your hair for a while before you remove it so that it has time to absorb into your hair.
4. Make Sure You’re Using the Right Towel
It would not surprise us if a significant portion of you never thought about the towel you used to dry your hair. While most towels do a fine job, some do a significantly better job than the average bathroom towel.
If you can, you should purchase a microfiber hair towel. Furthermore, while you’re drying your hair, ensure you get all the moisture out of your hair. If you leave your hair even a little wet, it’ll get frizzy.
How frizzy it gets depends on how curly your hair is naturally. Air drying is not an option for people with curly hair. Instead, squeeze the water out with a towel. Don’t rub your hair together, as it can frizz and cause split ends.
5. Use a Serum to Seal Your Strands
- Protects hair that is damaged from heat styling tools
- Most users love the fragrance
- Lightweight formula won’t weigh hair down
- If you use too much, it can leave hair looking oily
- Not as good for frizz as other products
Most people prefer not to use a serum in their hair because they think they’re sacrificing shine and volume for straightness. While that is the case with many serums, some new products do not use silicone.
Silicone is the ingredient that deflates hair volume. For example, Living Proof Satin Hair Serum doesn’t have silicone, and as a result, it is a good option for people looking to combat curly hair in humidity.
Read Next: What Is a Hair Serum?
6. Moisturize Your Hair Regularly
Now we get to a step that might not make sense to many of you. The problem we’re trying to solve is there’s too much moisture in the air. So, why do you need to moisturize your hair regularly?
By keeping your hair moisturized, you are helping it keep its natural oils. If your hair keeps its natural oils, it will stay moisturized.
However, we don’t mean you need to wash your hair more than usual. Washing too often can eliminate natural oils and cause your hair to dry out. When your hair dries out, it will frizz more than normal.
7. Apply Gel to Your Hair
You don’t need to mold your hair with gel like you would if you were trying to get a mohawk. However, you can apply a light amount of gel to your hair to combat curls.
Even a light hair spray can do a good job of helping your hair hold its shape. By applying the right amount of gel, it will hold the shape you want without sacrificing its natural texture and look.
8. Try Using a Keratin Treatment
- Ceramides and keratin to coat your hair before straightening
- Fights dryness and frizz
- Heat protectant with 450 degrees Fahrenheit thermo-protection
- Expensive
- Need to use more product than with other serums
Keratin treatments are procedures that semi-permanently straighten hair, add shine, and remove frizz. If you cannot keep the frizz out of your hair with at-home fixes, try a keratin treatment. People with very curly hair are more likely to need to use a keratin treatment.
9. Wear Your Hair Up
Sometimes the best solution is to keep things simple. When it’s humid, keeping your under control can sometimes be more work than it’s worth. If you have long hair, you might be better off wearing your hair up than dealing with all the fixes discussed above.
10. Embrace the Natural Texture of Your Hair
Sticking with the theme of the last step, don’t be afraid to embrace the natural texture of your hair. If it’s humid, try rocking your natural curls.
It will save you time, and you might find a style you like more than straight hair. Who knows, if you find a curly hairstyle you like, you might never need to worry about straightening your hair again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Progressman/Shutterstock
Curly hair is difficult to manage, and people have lots of questions. Here are answers to some of your most frequently asked questions:
When it’s humid outside, water molecules from the air get absorbed by your hair. When this happens, the hydrogen bonds in water slowly pull your hair back to its natural shape. If your hair is not naturally curly, the humidity will force it to revert to its natural state. Any moisture in the heat can cause your hair to return to its regular texture. So, heat, humidity, rain, and sweat can all contribute to your straight hair turning curly. While hairspray is not likely to stop frizz entirely, humidity-resistant hair sprays repel water while keeping moisture out of your hair. Additionally, hair spray weighs down your hair so it does not frizz as much. Yes, before using hairspray, you should give it a shake. Hold the head upside down and shake it. Then, when you’re applying it to your hair, shake your head so that it gets into every layer of your hair. The number one factor that contributes to how frizzy your hair gets in humidity is its natural curls. If your hair is more naturally curly, it will be more challenging to manage when it’s humid. However, the shorter your hair, the easier you will find it is to keep your hair straight.Why does my straight hair curl in humidity?
Will humidity definitely mess up straight hair?
Does hairspray stop frizz?
Should your shake hairspray before using it?
Is it easier to keep short hair straight?
So, How Do You Keep Straight Hair in Humidity?
If you’re going to keep your hair straight in humidity, the most important thing is to ensure it keeps its natural oils. Once you do that, you can try applying oils, shea butter, hair spray, gel, or other products to help it hold its shape.
It will be challenging, but if you’re dedicated to keeping your hair straight in humidity, you can manage it. And while you’re here, be sure to read our other guides on haircare and styling!