5 Humidity Proof Hair Hacks For Preserving Your Wash and Go

The summer season and a slicked back bun go hand in hand but sometimes you want to let your curls out to play. The biggest deterrent is the thick humidity that threatens to turn your pretty defined curls into a poodle puff. 

I get the hesitance but there are a few tried and true tricks to help your styles last through the humid days. 

These hacks will help you preserve your curl definition and allow you to do something other than a sleek bun in the summer time. 

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Gels, Gels, Gels: Your Best Bet for Humidity Proof Hair

I cannot stress enough how important your styling product of choice will be when it comes to humidity proof hair. Gels are one of the main ways to define curly hair and tame frizz. They’re also great because they are thick and not water or oil based. 

Gels coat the hair and create a barrier that keeps the water in the air out. When applying the gel, make sure to get enough product on the roots through the ends for humidity proof curls. I would also recommend making sure your hair is fully dry with the gel before going outside to avoid frizz. 

Mousse Stylers for Fine Hair

If you have fine hair and your strands aren’t able to stand up to the weight of a gel, try a mousse.

What I like about mousse is that it’s not super heavy and actually can hold a curl well in humid weather depending on your texture. Styling custards and super slippery stylers just won’t cut it in this heat. 

While mousse can be an option for styling, in my experience, it doesn’t work well with thicker textures.

Pack on the Moisture

Opt for a water based leave-in conditioner that your hair can really soak up. In humid conditions, you want to focus on putting enough moisture into the hair to keep the hair from pulling water from the environment. The best way to do that is to add as much water to your hair as possible.

One of my favorite moisturizing leave-in conditioners is the TGIN Green Tea Leave In Conditioner. This isn’t too heavy and really soaks into the hair. I also really like the TGIN Miracle Repair Leave in. This one also has water as the first ingredient but contains black castor oil which can help seal in the other moisturizing ingredients in the product.

Once you’ve imparted enough water and moisture, then you can seal it in while it’s still wet with an oil or serum.

Seal With Oils Or Serums

On hot days, oils piled on top of dry hair melt and get greasy quickly. Many of the oils we apply to our hair don’t have molecules small enough to penetrate the hair shaft. In the summer the oils become more of a coating than an actual moisturizer. 

However, when used on top of well watered and moisturized hair,  they do their best work as sealers that keep moisture in and repel water. The key here is knowing at what point to apply your oils to get the most out of them. 

Oils and serums should be applied to wet hair and used sparingly. This would be the time to actually follow the instructions on the bottle and use a dime sized amount per section of hair.

No Air Drying

If you go outside in humid weather with wet hair and are expecting it to dry nicely, think again. There are just too many factors at play to risk all your hard work going to waste once you step outside. If hair has a chance to frizz up when wet, it will dry in that same frizzy state. How your hair looks wet is how it will set. 

Armed with that knowledge, you can ensure your curls dry the way you want by keeping the drying process inside. Preferably under a hooded dryer. This is the easiest option and the least disruptive to the curls.

Once you have a dry cast on the outer sections, you can gently tilt your head and hair to different angles until you get to 100% dry. You can also use a diffuser to dry the rest of the way. Try to be careful not to disturb the curls too much until they are fully dry.

Final Thoughts For Humidity Proof Hair

Just because it’s super hot, it doesn’t mean we have to hide our curls. With a few careful steps, we can enjoy our curls the same way we would in cooler weather. 

Ultimately, you will want to play around with the product combinations and stylers but these tips give you a solid base to start.

Enjoy your summer. Don’t get so caught up thinking about shrinkage and the weather. You’ve done your part to look your best and now you get to trust the process and enjoy yourself. If things go wrong, you can always try again. 

And finally, ain’t nothing wrong with a poodle puff if you roll with it and make it cute. Pack a scarf and a few hair ties just in case.