My hair LOVES this weather....
December 14, 2016 9:23 AM Subscribe
My hair, which is very thick and naturally wavy, but I mainly wear it straight, LOVES the cold weather we are currently having in Vancouver.
How can I replicate this at other times of the year?
Weather is frigid in Vancouver right now, cold (-8degrees), dry and zero humidity. This means my hair is sleek, shiny, frizz free and it "behaves" itself. It's so noticeable that I've had several people comment on it. "Oh my god, WHAT did you do to your hair? It looks amazing!" sigh. I'm not doing anything differently, not a single thing, it's just the weather!
It reminds me of when I lived in England and my hair always looked like this, I completely took it for granted until I moved to Vancouver which obviously has a very different climate. Gone was my sleek, shiny hair - hello unmanageable, dull locks.
I thought it might be the water at first. London typically has VERY hard water, lots of limestone, so I tried washing my hair using Epsom Salts a while ago and nothing changed.
So now my hair looks amazeballs and I have concluded it is because of the weather, this dry air is wonderful for my hair, which seems to go against the grain.
Anyway, my question is, are there any products out there that might help my hair retain its finesse once the weather does change? I'm kind of a no-fuss girl, (aka Lazy) so things like a 30 minute hot oil treatment, or 1 hour deep conditioning treatment aren't really for me.
What has worked for you? what do you recommend? I'm feeling FABULOUS right now because my hair is literally magical and I'm keen to keep this going!
Weather is frigid in Vancouver right now, cold (-8degrees), dry and zero humidity. This means my hair is sleek, shiny, frizz free and it "behaves" itself. It's so noticeable that I've had several people comment on it. "Oh my god, WHAT did you do to your hair? It looks amazing!" sigh. I'm not doing anything differently, not a single thing, it's just the weather!
It reminds me of when I lived in England and my hair always looked like this, I completely took it for granted until I moved to Vancouver which obviously has a very different climate. Gone was my sleek, shiny hair - hello unmanageable, dull locks.
I thought it might be the water at first. London typically has VERY hard water, lots of limestone, so I tried washing my hair using Epsom Salts a while ago and nothing changed.
So now my hair looks amazeballs and I have concluded it is because of the weather, this dry air is wonderful for my hair, which seems to go against the grain.
Anyway, my question is, are there any products out there that might help my hair retain its finesse once the weather does change? I'm kind of a no-fuss girl, (aka Lazy) so things like a 30 minute hot oil treatment, or 1 hour deep conditioning treatment aren't really for me.
What has worked for you? what do you recommend? I'm feeling FABULOUS right now because my hair is literally magical and I'm keen to keep this going!
It sounds like the lack of humidity is good for your hair, maybe add a bit of silicone-based serum at the end of your daily hair routine to lock the humidity out.
posted by sea change at 9:38 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by sea change at 9:38 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I had magical hair in Denver for the same reason -- no humidity. I've never been truly able to replicate that level of good hair, but Sebastian Potion No. 9 helps quite a bit. It doesn't work on a truly rainy day (nothing does).
posted by gladly at 9:39 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by gladly at 9:39 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
When I moved to Vancouver from New York, I was certain that the rain would be the end for my curly, prone to frizz hair. Instead, I've been having fantastic hair here, but this last week has been especially great. Well, I did just have my colour done, which always helps.
I use products made especially for curly hair. Specifically, I use Ouidad's Climate Control, which is a liquidy gel that I run through the length of my hair when it's damp and let dry naturally. I only wash my hair twice a week, and it lasts. I also make sure to condition well when I wash it, which helps control frizz. If I need to in the mornings, I just rub a little more gel together with a dab of leave in conditioner and run that over the surface and ends of my hair. Total time: about 30 seconds. I do also think it helps that we have very clean water here that washes soap out well.
posted by gateau at 10:45 AM on December 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
I use products made especially for curly hair. Specifically, I use Ouidad's Climate Control, which is a liquidy gel that I run through the length of my hair when it's damp and let dry naturally. I only wash my hair twice a week, and it lasts. I also make sure to condition well when I wash it, which helps control frizz. If I need to in the mornings, I just rub a little more gel together with a dab of leave in conditioner and run that over the surface and ends of my hair. Total time: about 30 seconds. I do also think it helps that we have very clean water here that washes soap out well.
posted by gateau at 10:45 AM on December 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
It's not just a lack of humidity in the air -- it's also because any moisture your scalp produces is evaporating immediately before it has a chance to soak into your hair. In addition to humidity control serums, I would suggest trying dry shampoo as well.
posted by ananci at 11:57 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ananci at 11:57 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Humidity makes my hair expand and wave and frizz, etc. I use a big glob of cheap, high-test styling gel, plus a generous spritzing of shine product containing silicone. Straight? Never. But manageable.
posted by theora55 at 12:06 PM on December 14, 2016
posted by theora55 at 12:06 PM on December 14, 2016
Keratin treatment or what they call the Brazilian blowout at a salon.
It will probably cost you $200 or so about every 4 months.
It's like a reverse perm. The treatments vary in toxicity so figure out what you are comfortable with.
posted by littlewater at 2:22 PM on December 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
It will probably cost you $200 or so about every 4 months.
It's like a reverse perm. The treatments vary in toxicity so figure out what you are comfortable with.
posted by littlewater at 2:22 PM on December 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
If you want to spend a lot of money, there are newer straight perms ("Japanese straightening" and "Korean Magic Straight" are two names I'm familiar with) that I've had a lot of success with. (My hair is thin, fine, breaks if you so much as look at it funny, and frizzes like crazy, and it tolerated whatever those chemicals are fairly well.)
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 2:28 AM on December 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 2:28 AM on December 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Always have the best haircut possible for curly/wavy hair so that it's shaped well for any weather. I just postponed washing my hair from yesterday to today because today's humidity is half of yesterday's. If it gets humid tomorrow, it'll look better than if I washed it on a humid day to begin with. Like others, I only wash it twice a week. If I have to wash and dry my hair on a humid day, I use a heat lamp to dry it bone dry. I hacked one from those one of those spotlights house painters use with a metal clip-on shade and high wattage bulb that I hand hold. (I have short curly hair.) Smooth, curly hair vs. frizzy, curly hair . . . a challenge.
posted by Elsie at 4:39 AM on December 15, 2016
posted by Elsie at 4:39 AM on December 15, 2016
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posted by Metroid Baby at 9:37 AM on December 14, 2016