Tag: hair care

  • Why Humidity Frizzes Hair, and Gentle Ways to Work With It

    You can step out of the house with smooth, carefully styled hair and arrive at your car looking like you walked through a cloud. In a Middle Georgia summer, humidity has a way of rewriting every hairstyle. The good news is that frizz is not a sign that you are doing anything wrong. It is simple chemistry, and once you understand it, it becomes easier to work with.

    What humidity does to a strand of hair

    Hair is made mostly of a protein called keratin. Inside each strand, the protein chains are held in shape by different kinds of chemical bonds. Some are strong and stable. Others, called hydrogen bonds, are weak and break and reform easily when water is present. That is why wet hair can be reshaped as it dries, and why a blowout holds its shape on a dry day.

    When the air is humid, hair absorbs moisture from it. Water slips into the strand, hydrogen bonds break and reform in new places, and the hair swells and bends. Smooth hair turns wavy, waves turn curly and strands lift away from one another. Hair that is dry or has been lightened, heat styled or otherwise roughened tends to absorb moisture more readily, which is why it often frizzes first.

    Hair responds to humidity so reliably that, in the late 1700s, a Swiss scientist built one of the first practical instruments for measuring humidity using a strand of human hair. As the hair absorbed moisture, it lengthened slightly and moved a pointer across a scale.

    Gentle ways to work with humid air

    • Keep hair conditioned. A good conditioner after every wash and a light leave-in product help smooth the surface of the strand.
    • Handle wet hair carefully. Use a wide-tooth comb, and blot with a soft towel or cotton T-shirt rather than rubbing.
    • Ease up on heat styling. Air-drying or using lower heat leaves hair less roughened over time.
    • Look at anti-humidity products. Many contain ingredients that form a light film over the hair, which can slow how quickly it takes up moisture from the air.
    • Try a silk or satin pillowcase or scarf. Many people find their hair looks smoother in the morning with less friction overnight.

    Styles that suit the season

    Sometimes the most restful choice is to stop fighting. Summer is a natural time to let your natural texture show, whether that is waves, curls or coils. Braids, buns, twists and low ponytails can keep hair off your neck and hold up well in the heat. A soft scarf or a wide-brimmed hat adds polish and shades your scalp and hair from the sun, which can fade color over time.

    It can also help to change your expectations for the season. A style that looks effortless in October may simply not be worth the fight in July. Many people find summer a freeing time to try a shorter cut, a simpler routine or a few new ways to wear their hair up.

    When to ask for help

    A trusted stylist can suggest cuts, products and routines suited to your hair type and our climate. If you notice sudden shedding, thinning, scalp irritation or other changes, talk to your doctor or a dermatologist. For the ordinary frizz of a muggy afternoon, though, a little understanding and a few gentle habits can turn humidity from an enemy into simply part of summer.

  • Swimming Season Skin and Hair Care: Simple Habits for Before and After the Pool

    Swimming Season Skin and Hair Care: Simple Habits for Before and After the Pool

    Around Memorial Day, pools across Georgia fill with the sound of cannonballs and the smell of sunscreen. A long afternoon in the water is one of summer’s great pleasures, but sun, pool water and hours of getting wet and drying off can leave skin feeling tight and hair feeling like straw. A few simple habits before and after a swim keep the experience comfortable.

    What that pool smell really is

    The strong chlorine smell many of us associate with pools is not actually the smell of clean water. According to the CDC, the nation’s public health agency, it comes mostly from chloramines, compounds that form when the chlorine in the water combines with sweat, body oils and other things swimmers bring in. A well-maintained pool with good circulation usually smells much less. That is one reason pools ask swimmers to shower before getting in: rinsing off keeps the water cleaner and the air more pleasant for everyone.

    Before you swim

    • Rinse off first. A quick shower is courteous, and hair that is already saturated with clean water tends to soak up less pool water.
    • Apply sunscreen ahead of time. Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant formula and put it on before you head out so it has time to settle on the skin.
    • Consider a swim cap for long swims or laps, especially if your hair is colored or tends to be dry.
    • Smooth a little conditioner through the lengths of your hair before swimming, a common habit among regular swimmers.

    After you swim

    Rinse your skin and hair with fresh water as soon as you can, then wash with a mild cleanser and shampoo. Pat dry and apply moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp. Follow shampoo with conditioner, and if you swim several times a week, a clarifying shampoo used now and then can help hair feel less coated.

    You may have heard that chlorine turns light hair green. The tint usually comes from copper compounds in the water, which can come from pipes or some pool products, rather than from chlorine itself. Rinsing promptly and wearing a cap both help, and a pool professional can check copper levels if it keeps happening.

    Sun care at the pool

    Water reflects sunlight back toward you, and long hours outdoors add up quickly. Water-resistant sunscreen is not waterproof. Follow the label, which will tell you to reapply after a set number of minutes of swimming or sweating, immediately after towel drying and at least every two hours. Claim a shady spot for breaks, wear a hat and sunglasses out of the water and keep a water bottle within reach.

    Keeping pool time restful and safe

    A pool can be a wonderfully calming place: floating on your back with your ears just under the water, swimming slow laps and counting strokes or simply sitting on the steps with your feet in. Safety makes that calm possible. Never swim alone, keep young children within arm’s reach and choose a grown-up water watcher who stays off the phone. If your skin or eyes react to pool water in a way that concerns you, talk to your doctor.