What's the best weather for your hair? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

About: Adapting Your Hairstyle to Your Climate

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

What's the best weather for your hair?

Aziraphale

Veteran

I liked Janet's comment in Angie's blog post about having 'highly inconsistent hair'. Me too, me too!

Literally just last weekend, my best friend made a comment about the weather and her hair. A couple of weeks ago, we had a cold, dry snap that lasted about ten days -- unusual for Vancouver at this time of year -- and now we're back to rainy and mild. My friend joked about how she's going to miss the cold weather, because her hair was so much smoother and more manageable when the air was dry. I replied that I was relieved that it's gone -- my hair was staticky, limp and weird the whole time! Her hair is thick like mine, but coarser and curlier. I observed that my hair in 'normal' (for us) weather is probably a similar texture to hers in dry weather. In 'normal' weather, hers is bushier than she'd like.

Having said that, in really humid, warm climates, my hair is hilarious. It just keeps getting bigger and frizzier. There is definitely a bell-curve type relationship between the level of humidity in the air, and how well my hair behaves. Moderate humidity is best. How about you?

General

30 replies

Latest reply was from bj1111

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

My current hair works very well in Seattle. Not humid although the cold wet is not a problem. It's the damp heat that kills the spike.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Yeah, me too! I wouldn't describe it as 'humid' here, but there is actually quite a bit of moisture in the air normally.

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

Any kind of weather works for my hair. It's a very short pixie and quite obedient. I think my hair is very much aware that if it gives me any trouble, it will get cut even shorter. I have no patience for bad hair days.

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

Probably winter, which tames the frizz and makes my hair's behaviour more predictable.

Dee

Veteran

Any dry climate (cold or warm) is good for me. The humidity makes it frizz out and difficult to control. I'm actually concerned about this. I just moved from a place with dry summers to hot and humid ones and I'm afraid my pixie isn't going to make it!

abc

Veteran

I see a huge difference in where I used to live (first the midwest USA, then the southeast USA) and here (Mexico City, high alititude, low humidity, mild temps). My hair does WAY better in my current climate, and for that I am thankful. I have natural curl and it's way more manageable here, to the point that it's a non-issue. In the USA I was always fighting it or trying to control it. Here it's not a big deal at all, mostly I suppose for the humidity.

Anonymous

For my hair: dry and arid
For my skin and scalp: humid

Suz

(website)

Veteran

The weather I'm used to!

Whenever I go anywhere with a markedly different climate (more humid or a lot more dry) I find it does surprising things.

shiny

Veteran

Sounds like I need to move to Seattle. It's raining here today and my hair is happy.

Cold & dry air (including airplane air) - it gets super staticky and limp (but a dry, not greasy limp). I wind up rubbing hand cream in it throughout the day.

Florida or Hong Kong (high humidity) - my hair is best if I just let it air dry and embrace the curls. A flat iron is a waste of time as it curls within minutes of leaving the house.

citygirldc

(website)

Veteran

When I had my bob, I would dread the upcoming humid summer which would kink and wavy my hair and I could not control it. Come winter time, and it gets so dry and flat and static-y that it felt like I had no hair.

Anyway, keeping it short is the best way for me because I can control it more with styling products and sometimes the medium humidity help when it's short.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Alexandra, your post made me giggle.

Gradfashionista -- what kind of winter?

Dee, abc -- Seems like extreme humidity is bad for those of us whose hair responds by frizzing up! Makes sense.

Betty crocker -- oh dear, that's unfortunate! I guess that means you can't 'have it all'.

Suz, good point. If I go somewhere very humid or very dry, my hair misbehaves, too -- but I guess if I stayed there, I'd just have to adjust my hairstyle accordingly.

Shiny, I can commiserate. Mine gets staticky in dry air, too. I'd rather have huge, bushy hair (my humid weather situation) than dry, staticky hair.

Citygirl, it sounds like a short cut is the best solution for you! I wish I could wear mine short sometimes.

Jenny H

Veteran

My hair is best in humid weather. That's when I get the nicest curls. I cannot believe I am typing this as my body does not like the combo of heat and humidity but fortunately for me, I live in a place with humid summers since it is great for my hair!

Gigi

Veteran

The more humid the weather, the better my hair behaves. I have fine, wavy hair, and the humidity helps form better curls. In the winter, my hair gets extremely flat and dry. It may start out wavy in the morning, but by late afternoon, it is straight because of the dry air.

I have inconsistent hair too. I never know what it's going to look like on any given day. Irritating!

Elly

Veteran

My hair doesn't seem to be affected by the humidity much-- I have limp, fine, thin hair which is pretty much silky, straight, but without body in any climate.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Elisabeth, the moisture in the air in our neck of the woods prevents our hair from going static. We are lucky with this climate, actually - although I complain all year round about the cold and the grey.

crutcher

Veteran

The humidity of summer and the south makes my shoulder length hair like a Brillo pad...There is no better way to describe it...

Anonymous

To be frank my hair behaves and looks its best if I didn' t have to leave the house, which is never since I have a dog and walk her 3 times a day. Otherwise, as long as it is not humid or rainy my hair looks good. In fact if it is breezy out, I really like how my hair looks. I am not someone who likes to be perfectly coiffed, a little messiness is nice.

Anonymous

It depends on my hairstyle. If I'm wearing it straight, zero humidity will allow me to wear it this way with no straightening iron at all. If I want to wear it curly/wavy, a little Seattle-like humidity is just the ticket. If I'm in a rain forest, my hair almost goes into a globe-shaped Afro.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Claire, we are hair twins! Well, mine still has a bit of a wave in zero humidity, but is still pretty straight. But it's almost unbelievable how much it will curl up naturally when it's humid.

Gigi -- aargh inconsistent hair -- tell me about it. Still, my hair is pretty good 75% percent of the time. I'd rather that than hair that is unmanageable most of the time!

Crutcher, 'brillo pad' lol.

*Side note on west coast weather -- Angie, you won't catch me complaining about our climate. It is perfect for me. Mind you, I think what we grow up with might influence our 'set point' when it comes to weather. I've noticed that people who spent their childhoods somewhere sunny (even the Canadian interior, which is bloody cold in the winter but still sunny) have a lower tolerance for overcast skies. You spent your childhood somewhere warm, right?

Style Fan

Veteran

Some humidity is great for my hair and skin. My hair gets a nice wave and looks thick and bouncy. I need some length to make this happen. If it is shorter than my shoulders it starts to look like a brillo pad.

Runcarla

Veteran

Humidity means insta-curl. When it is cold and dry (winter) I can blow dry straight with a modicum of success. Wearing a hat distributes natural oils, and I might even get a glossy look. As soon as I work out, take a shower (even if I'm not washing my hair) it is right back to curly.

I measured my 'bangs'. The hair is 9 inches, down to my chin, but it curls up above my eyebrows!

Last week it was behaving badly, but I switched the part (now on my right) and it is behaving again.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Very overcast so I leave off the hat.

K.M.

Veteran

I'm like Bettycrocker: hair only looks good when the weather is cold and dry; skin looks best when it's hot and humid. Just like Crutcher, my hair becomes a brillo pad under the right (wrong) conditions. (It's naturally curly and medium-fine.)

I have always thought I'd rather sacrifice the skin to have great hair, because my curls are my identity. However... I was once at a tropical island with such an amazing humid marine climate that my skin seemed to reverse back in time at least a half decade. Since then I've changed my mind. I can always put the hair up in a pony tail!

Aubergine

Veteran

Not any of my local weather, that's for sure.

I've got the same problems as other people, with hot, humid summers leading to giant frizz-head and dry winters leading to messy static.

To be honest, my hair's long and thick and curly enough that it kind of has issues no matter where I am. Although I did notice that it behaved much better than usual when I went to Las Vegas during the winter (i.e., cool but not cold, and very dry) a few years ago.

shiny

Veteran

I measured my 'bangs'. The hair is 9 inches, down to my chin, but it curls up above my eyebrows!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Deb

Veteran

Give me low humidity, no rain and no excessive heat, and my hair looks its best and it keeps me happier.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Yes, Elisabeth. I grew up in tropical Hong Kong and then moved to sunny Cape Town. I do very well in hot weather - although I have to adjust my hairstyle.

rachylou

Veteran

My hair is badly behaved in all climates!!

kerry

Veteran

My hair generally does the same thing in all types of weather and climates. It's straight, fine and there's a lot of it. If it's rainy it might be extra flat. In winter it's extra flyaway (drives me batty!) Usually the best weather for my hair is when someone else styles it!

12