When I was younger, I used to despise my curly hair. I grew up in that age where straight hair was all the rage and I had that cropped, sticking-up-in-all-directions curly haircut (with straight-cut bangs) that didn't abide by those fashion standards. So, I was always pretty jealous of those girls whose slick ponytails would swing back and forth as they walked, each strand in it's perfect place. After years of trying to change it by slicking down the frizz and straightening the curls, I grew to love the uniqueness of my curly hair. Now into my twenties, curly hair is coveted for its voluminous style, and honestly, I love showing off my natural curls.
However, it's in the summer when these feelings of affection for my curly volume subsides. Between the heat and various other ruthless weather conditions, summer proves to be the thorn in my side when it comes to doing my hair, especially when my lazy hair techniques and styles only result in frizz.
Humidity
You know how in the humidity every part of your body oozes with sticky sweat that seems to make your joints feel like they are dissolving into piles of sweat? Well, add to that the curly hair and you'll feel like one huge mess. Inside, your curls fall into sweet ringlets around your face and you feel good about them as you gaze lovingly in the mirror. Then, it happens. You step out the door and it hits you. The heat... the humidity. You'll feel optimistic at first as your hair can probably handle it for the couple minutes you're outside before, hopefully, you return to a cool air-conditioned building. But, alas, your hair has already grown into a large sticky mess of curls dripping with the sweat that floods from your scalp and the back of your neck. Needless to say, there's no coming back from this.
Rain and Humidity
The dark clouds begin rolling in and you know that it's time to grab an umbrella before leaving your humble abode. Here, I would like to insert that the rain doesn't ever help anyone's hair and with the addition of humidity, the frizz is merciless. Even under the shelter of your umbrella, you aren't protected from the heat that radiates off the raindrops of this dark day. Now, your hair sticks to the back of your neck and poofs outward in a mess of strands that are only vaguely like the curls you hoped for that day.
Wind
"Ah," you sigh as the weather forecast calls for a windy day. This means that your hair will blissfully blow off your neck and shoulders in the cool summer breeze and you'll look like you belong on stage or in the movies. Well, that would be the ideal world. In reality, however, you'll step outside and that first gust of wind will fling your delicate curls like an unhinged carousal around your face. Now, with this endless wind, you must constantly pull your hair from your lips and eyes, desperately trying to keep it stuck behind your ears. The curls blow out in tangles and though it may settle once you leave the outdoors, it still causes great frustration.
Dry Heat
Finally, you experience the relief of the dry heat. Though this still makes you sweat and doesn't do any good for the chaffing situation as you walk, your hair will most likely remain the same shape in its curly elegance. However, it's in this condition where you have to watch for your hair drying out and losing its lovely moisture. Though all you want to do every day after experiencing this dripping heat is take a cool shower and wash out your hair, you can't. Apparently, washing your hair daily will just make it lose its natural oils. So, it's like a catch-22 where you'll find that the summer struggles continuously win.
So, while curly hair is fun and charismatic, the summer seems to push frustrations over the edge with maintaining your natural style. If you understand these struggles, then you know that the best way to remedy such problems is to pull the tangled curls back into a bun or braid. Headbands and hairspray (though sometimes hairspray contributes to the stickiness) are also great fixes for days that just aren't working and the annoyance levels are reaching their breaking point. There are lots of products out there to help as well but in the end, all you can really do it embrace the frizzy volume in this wonderful summer season.
