Guide
Frizzy hair in humidity
Damp air puts water into hair, and too much water can swell and crack the hair’s outer layer, which makes hair look frizzy. Frizz starts mainly with wear on the outer layer of the hair, and a worn outer layer lets more water in from damp air. To help, look after the outer layer: use conditioner after every shampoo, wrap your hair in a towel instead of rubbing it, and use heat styling less often.
Damp air can also make a blow dry drop, because water breaks weak bonds inside each hair; our guide on how to make a blowout last covers that side. You can read about the service on our blow dry page.
How does damp air make hair frizzy?
Hair takes up water from the air, and the damper the air, the more water gets in. Each hair has a thin outer layer that protects the inside, a bit like the bark of a tree. When too much water gets in, it can swell that outer layer and crack it. That makes hair look frizzy: it no longer lies smooth.
Why wear matters
Heat from styling tools, brushing, sun and wind can all wear the outer layer down. A worn outer layer lets water in more easily, and a healthy one can make hair less sensitive to changes in the weather.
What helps
We’d look after the outer layer like this:
- Use conditioner after every shampoo. It makes the outer layer slippery, so hairs rub against each other less, and it sticks better to lightened or chemically treated hair.
- Wrap your hair in a towel to soak up the water. Rubbing hair with a towel can damage it.
- Use heat styling less often, so the outer layer wears less.
When is humidity highest in Chiang Mai?
Average humidity in Chiang Mai is about 82 per cent in August and September, the dampest months. Humidity is lowest in March, at about 54 per cent. April, the hottest month, is among the drier ones, at about 57 per cent. So damp air adds most to frizz in August and September, in the rainy season.
Which factor applies to you
If your frizz comes mainly in the rainy season, damp air is adding to it, and the steps above still help. If it is there all year, look at wear: how you dry your hair with a towel, how you brush it, how often you use heat. If your hair is lightened or chemically treated, we’d start with conditioner after every shampoo.
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