Dress your hair for summer. . . Summer is really and truly here, complete with blazing sun, and heavy, water-laden air. The combination of sunlight and humidity can be a boon for your hair; sunlight can boost growth, while hot humid weather is essentially your hair getting a light steam treatment, 24/7. While the raised moisture levels in your strands are a definite benefit, you might not be experiencing some of its side-effects in that way. Not when styles and stylers that worked fine in milder weather are now powerless to stop the ever upwards and outwards expansion of your hair, in utter defiance of any strategy you use to contain it.  The most common inclinations, when it comes to dealing with the ballooning hair that occurs instantly in hot humid weather, are usually the opposite of what should be going on. Hair doesn't like it when you work against it, so the best response is always either embracing the bloom, or calming it by working with the very mechanisms that are creating it. Instead, people all too often attempt to stem frizz by blocking out moisture or trying to lock hair in place with a hard hold styler. Resorting to any of these tactics is almost a guarantee of a styling flop extraordinaire that could leave you spending the first real summer in a long while wrestling with your mane. If you find yourself doing any of the things listed below to your hair this summer, stop. What not to wear. . . #1: Blowouts and presses  The first one on the list probably comes as little surprise: Heat-straightened hair. In the midst of this tropical spell, the blowout might work if you have relaxed hair or have pushed the boat out so far in regular heat straightening that your hair is basically straight. However, summertime has a way of bringing out the alpha state in your hair – it's similar to going out with a press in the rain. Only with the high water content in the air, it's like it's raining all the time, inside and out. So unless you want to commit to twice weekly encounters with the blowdryer, pressing comb or flat iron, best not to rock straight hair in high humidity, unless, of course, it grew out of your scalp that way. #2: Hard hold curls and waves Some who dodge the perils of attempting poker straight hair in humidity will keep their curls and waves, but try a little too hard, with an overly generous serving of hard-hold mousses, gels or hair sprays. Often, these types of stiffening stylers are completely ineffective in humid weather, as they need to dry before they can hold your hair in place. And, of course, when the very air that is supposed to dry them is wet, that's not going to happen. Unable to offer anything in the way of control, they simply sit on the hair, creating masses of buildup, on top of a headful of frizz. #3 Any moisture block products The other, often unsuccessful approach, is the attempt to completely block out moisture. While anti-humectant products plus a good layering technique can help your blowout last through a few hours in a sweaty club, and are generally a good way to preserve your blowout or press, they cannot stand the full force of soaked summertime air that's around, in and on your hair 24 hours a day. As many of the anti-humectants typically used are somewhat permeable to water, any attempt at a complete moisture block is never gonna be a 100% successful approach. Some of the water in the air will inevitably make it through, and, given how moisture-laden that sultry air is, it will probably work out as a lot of moisture indeed.  What's more, dependency on barrier ingredients - like most silicones or oils - under these conditions can often leave hair in a strange, greasy yet frizzy combination. Overuse of these ingredients interferes with both your hair's natural curl pattern, and its inclination to clump in the presence of moisture. This is why adding more and more product might not reduce frizz at all; more likely, it will increase it, as you and your hair engage in a tug of war about how much water is allowed to get inside. What to wear. . . So what do you do instead? Opt for styles that encourage your hair to do what it does naturally. Styling from wet to get the maximum moisture advantage will often work in humid weather on hair that would balk at it at any other time of the year. If your hair is not usually this way inclined, give it one try to see if it can take advantage of the extra moisture available in this kind of weather. If it doesn't work, there's no need to force it. Just keep doing what works best for you. And even if working from totally wet hair doesn't work, take advantage of the current climate to indulge your hair in extra watering sessions. Your hair will gladly drink up extra washes and conditioning, allowing you to keep your scalp fresh, and synergising the silkening effects of both the humid heat and superconditioners. Washing hair more frequently in humid weather tends not to be as stressful as in drier, colder times, where the hair contracts more dramatically, given that it gets much drier, more quickly.  Once you've cleansed and conditioned, simply apply humectant-rich gels or smoothing leave ins that will hold your hair in place, but without putting it into the in the freeze position that hard hold gels will. For styles that accentuate definition, try wash n' gos, shake n' gos, or bigger, looser twistouts and braidouts that take less time and allow your own texture and curl pattern to shine through. This time of year is also the best to wear bigger, more separated styles that add that extra wow, but could lose you moisture in drier times. So roll out the fros and the puffs. The default setting Whatever style you choose, bear this in mind: Hot humid weather pulls your hair back to its default setting. That's what makes it the best of times to wear what you've naturally got – whether that's curls, waves, or straightness – and the worst of times to try to impose a look that doesn't come naturally. Image credits: |Anlopelope |Anne Wu | Sean Gannan | Hello Turkey Doe | Dioburto Photography|
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