How Does the Weather Affect Hair?

 How does Weather Affect Hair? We all look at the weather to make decisions about the clothing we will wear as well as to determine how to wear our hair (ladies and men with hair) For instance, if it’s rainy out and you want to wear gel in your hair, you should probably have an umbrella to cover your hair so that the gel does not become more liquefied and drip down your forehead or not use gel at all…or maybe you may wear your hair in a ponytail to avoid frizz from the rainy weather. However, we check the weather and all seems well enough to wear our hair out, but before noon our tresses look like a puffy stress ball. That once curly fro you left home with now resembles tumbleweed.

THAT IS A NO GO!

So, I did some research because I know that there must be a way to use the weather to determine how to style my hair. And it was a success! Well, in theory it’s a success. I found that the Dew Point (which measures the amount of humidity in the air at that moment) is the best way to determine how to style one’s hair. Let’s say the dew point is 50 or below (dry weather)…it is best to style hair in a protective style (ie. Bun, braided updos/other braided styles, twists pinup, flat twist to name a few)

If the dew point is 50-60, you may be able to wear a pressed style and it will remain nice and fresh (for you transitioners and naturalistas that may want to wear the straight look) Curly Fros are also perfect in this weather (refrain from wash n go’s as much as possible, but if you do it, it should be done at or around this dew point).

If the dew point is 60-70 (can be very humid), a curly fro of any sort would work well. Keep in mind though that if the temperature is hot, you may not want to have a muggy fro. (muggy Fro = fro with old curls or old twist outs that may be full of product) Also, wash and go’s for hair type 4a-4c may be a no-go as well (due to curls getting tighter due to humidity and may lead to detangling issues) or hair that has high porosity or low porosity.

Start with well defined twist outs in the morning...

By noon, twists are slowly looking undefined. Hmmm?

Keep in mind that new air can cycle in and the dew point may change throughout the day. So while your flowing curls may bounce past noon, perhaps later in the afternoon/ early evening, it may not be so bouncy and your curls may drop. While you are indoors, your curls are fine, but to help with retention of hair growth, I would suggest checking the Dew Point before you leave your office for the day, or check your phone on the way out. If the dew point is below 50 or above 70, use a ponytail to pull hair up and pin curls loosely around the base of the pony tail to keep your curls secure and allow them to last longer throughout the work week. The 5 minutes you spend on doing this definitely beats the 30-60mins (if not longer) to re-curl your hair before bed. IJS !!!

TWA’s this portion is for you! Yes, I get it, you got a teeny weeny afro and may not be able to pull your hair up into a ponytail if the dew point takes a turn for the worse. HOWEVER, there are ways around it! Try wearing a beanie after your leave the office with a little hair sticking out on the very top OR twist your TWA into a few flat twist and secure with pins for a quick sleek style.

Got locks?! Don’t ruin your beautifully released curls on the first day due to a low or high Dew Point. Pin your hair up, or pull it into a loose ponytail and secure the ends as much as possible with pins.

Be sure to follow me @lofanaturalista for more tips on how to quickly secure/protect hair from disastrous weather.

MuAh & CiAo!