How to Run Away From Reversion—Successfully!!

Let's face it: avoiding reversion is avoiding moisture. It's the only way to prolong your sleek 'do! Moisture hides, and when your hair is freshly straightened it seems like—it's everywhere. On guard, ready to sneak up on you and transform your sleek, laid strands into flying frizz. So how can you beat it? How can you stay sleek?

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While our other posts talk on how to moisturise and prepare your hair before you straighten, on getting the perfect press and how to stay straight, here, we dive into all the ways we can block and suit up to remain dry and sleek.  

So yes, taking a break from the steam room is a good start, and avoiding rain, well, that's just a necessity. But there are others ways to beat humidity and avoid reversion: to do this, we have to get to know where moisture is hiding and find simple ways to avoid it.

Right after it rains!

So, the rain has stopped, and you think it's okay to let your hair out—wrong.

The tiny droplets of rain are still falling, but now they're so minuscule they're air-light, and free to move all around us. Humidity is rife. So keep your hair tucked in, wrapped under a hat or cap, until it's been dry for an hour or more.

Cooking!  

This may seem radical, but tipping out the water of your freshly boiled pot of sweet potatoes, yams and plantain can be enough to make your hair frizz. Look out for steam, even from the small offenders. And remember, it's usually the front that goes first.

Steam-filled Bathrooms!

This one ought to be obvious. We all know about avoiding getting your hair wet in the rain or otherwise (water fights and water rides included). But being aware of the steam that lingers in the bathroom after you've showered, sometimes gets overlooked. It doesn't take more than a few seconds of moisture for your hair to start to revert. So what can we do? Avoiding water fights may be completely possible but going bathroom-free is a no-no. . .

So, be quick, protect your hair and keep the bathroom ventilated. Be sure to keep your hair wrapped up under a towel whilst in the steam.

And why a towel?

Well everyone knows about using a shower cap whilst bathing, but a light silk scarf underneath a fluffy towel will keep your tresses in place whilst the towel absorbs the moisture trying to sneak its way to your hair. 

Products!

Checking those ingredients is not only important to straighten your hair successfully. To keep your straight style sleekly in place, make sure your after-care products do not have ingredients like aqua (water), or humectants like castor oil or glycerine in them.

Clubbing!

Or any function filled with constantly moving sweaty people in a small space, with less than adequate cool air. Church included! This is perhaps the most publicly disastrous of them all, the moisture in the air creeps up and before you know it your sleek 'do turns into electrocution frizz. The best way to beat this is with layers of insulation, barring your strands from the moisture in the air, by smoothing on layers of pure shea butter, olive oil and oil-free serum.

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And to stay on the side of caution, standing under the air conditioning vent does help. This may be the best way to avoid the shrinking frizz,  though it does leave the hair flatter, with strands that are also stiffer and weighed down. It should be noted though, if you only want that blowin' in the wind look, and can't stand the thought of weighing your hair down with raw shea butter--the naturalista's equivalent of good ol' grease--your only option is to avoid the club, and don't party too hard.