Weather-proof your hair with this smartphone hack
Frizz is one of those ‘just girly things’ that happens to a lot of us, no matter what your hair type or texture may be. If you've ever wondered why you experience frizz in a different way from some of your friends, it’s essentially caused by the misalignment in individual hair fibres and it occurs for several reasons, such as chemical treatments and heat styling and sometimes you're just born with hair that is more porous, aka susceptible to letting in moisture.
The biggest enemy of those of us prone to frizziness? Humidity. Humidity causes your hair strands to swell and because they're porous, as a result, your cuticles will lift, and the moisture will infiltrate the strands making your hair frizzy.
With this knowledge, I usually save a silk press for the winter, believing that the summer, riddled with sweat and humidity, would be obvious to avoid a style that must remain dry, but it turns out there could be just as much moisture in the air during the colder months.
While we can’t control the weather, no matter what your conspiracy theorist pal may think, there is a way to avoid frizz without having to cancel your plans and you’ll find this deep in your Weather App. According to TikTok creator and trichologist Afope Atoyebi, the hack for minimal frizz is simply understanding the following, "The lower the dew point, the less water the air can hold and the less moisture there is for your hair to pull from, resulting in less frizz." On iPhones, if you head to the Weather App and look the day's full forecast, the dew point percentage is located under humidity.
Atoyebi explains that we may have been confusing the effects of humidity with the effects of a high dew point all along, and using this new factor to decide when to have our hair pressed can maximise the style’s lifespan. She says: “Selecting the right dew point to get your silk press done can be the difference between your style lasting four minutes or four weeks.”
Trichologist at Cherub London, Rachael Sey, echoes this but adds that avoiding humectants, ingredients like honey and keratin that attract and retain the moisture in the air and thrive off a higher dew point, can be an anti-frizz hack too. “High dew points are already encouraging frizzy hair, so with added humectants, it can be a disaster waiting to happen. Due to excessive moisture, hair can start to swell resulting in the hair shaft becoming coarse, curly, and ruffled.”
For so long, I believed the only way to avoid frizz ruining my silk press was to set a seasonal timer on the style, essentially banning it for the summer months. However, with a high dew point, moisture absorption is inevitable, as explained by natural haircare brand Flora & Curl founder Rose Ovensehi. “Water molecules from the air are absorbed by hair because it’s porous. It then rearranges the bonds and proteins inside each hair fibre, messing with your hair and the extra moisture in the air gets absorbed by each strand which causes them to swell and retain the moisture, therefore resulting in extra volume and frizz.”
I always thought having low porosity hair might have alleviated how moisture affects my hair, as low porosity hair takes longer to absorb moisture and water, but according to Jane Mayhead, trichologist at Harley Street’s The Private Clinic, having curly hair makes me more prone to frizz, with curls and coils being “more porous” than other textures.
“The external layer (cuticle) of curly hair can be less smooth, making curly hair more porous. The more porous our hair strands, the more moisture they absorb, which causes problems associated with humidity. This is even more likely if your hair is dry and damaged. Frizzy hair is particularly hard to avoid in humid conditions.”
With science by my side, I booked in for my silk press on a day with the lowest dew point, which was four degrees as opposed to the average of nine degrees, after checking the weekly forecast. I found that my style lasted a whole week longer than it normally would, meaning I had more time between appointments.
To help prolong my frizz-free look and before applying any heat, I used the Mielle Mongongo Oil Thermal & Heat Protectant Spray, This Hair Of Mine’s Scalp Serum and Color Wow’s Supernatural Extra Strength Dream Coat, a cult favourite of celebrity hairstylist and founder of Haus of Shee, Sheena Adae-Amoakoh, who claims the product is excellent at combatting frizz and sealing cuticles. John Frieda’s Weightless Wonder Smoothing Creme, a dupe for Color Wow’s One Minute Transformation Styling Cream, tamed any rogue flyaways for a seamless finish.
Our experts all recommend a hair oil or oil-based serum and the number one product protecting your hair from frizz, as well as a decent wash routine. Ovensehi says: “Use a shampoo and conditioner that is specially formulated for adding hydration and finish with a frizz-fighting mist or Flora & Curl’s African Citrus Superfruit Hair Oil to secure.
“I’d also recommend using a gentle curl towel that is specially designed to protect your curls on wash day and combat frizz. The Flora & Curl Gentle Curl Towel is designed for all curl types and absorbs excess water from your hair while being extremely delicate on your strands.”
Similarly, Sey recommends the 24k Growth Elixir to minimise frizz from root to tip, but insists hair maintenance is key. “Regularly trimming your hair can make a huge difference, alongside regularly washing and conditioning your hair, finishing with cold water to help seal your cuticles and prevent frizz.”
For my curls, which can be equally affected by frizz, I recommend Curlsmith’s Frizz Rescue Finishing Serum, a nourishing, smoothing balm that gives a medium hold and tames frizz for up to 72 hours. When combined with Fable & Mane’s weightless Leave-In Conditioner spray for heat and UV protection as well as frizz-free curls.
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