I am beginning to feel it. It is coming. The heavy summer humidity will be here soon and with that comes one of its worst byproducts: frizz.
Last week I complained via Twitter about the mild mid-April humidity and how it was making my hair frizzy. I received a few responses from long time New Orleanians who all had the same general response: “Girl, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
I have had to deal with humidity before. Missouri, where I lived before New Orleans, is known for having hot, humid summers, and the weather is the No. 1 conversation starter in August.
I spent a few summers working at a golf course clubhouse selling beer, chips and more beer to friendly golfers. Towards the end of the summer, all the golfers would come into the air conditioned clubhouse for a drink or a snack, and have a conversation like this:
Golfer 1: “Wooo! It feels good in here!"
Golfer 2: “Can you believe this humidity? It’s awful.”
Golfer 3: “I know! This is gross. And it’s sooooo hot. This is the hottest summer EVER!”
They would have this conversation every summer, and I would just smile and nod as I shivered in the air conditioning. When my shift was over, I would walk out into the humid air, but would then quickly turn on the air conditioning in my car. The end of summer in Missouri is hot and gross, but as long as you have air conditioning, it's bearable.
The good thing about Missouri is the heavy humidity only lasts for part of the summer and then it is over. Then you get brisk fall weather and then it snows, and then you get a nice spring. For your hair, that means you only have to put up with frizz for about six weeks of the year and then you’re back to regular coiffing.
From what I’ve observed and heard down here in New Orleans, the humidity stays here longer than six weeks – much longer. I've learned it lasts throughout the entire summer and that it gets really bad toward the end of summer, so bad that hotels lower their rates because they know tourists aren't going to want to come when it's so hot and humid and gross.
I've been thinking about what it's going to be like to deal with heavy humidity for an extended amount of time, and what this means for my hair. I actually went to get my hair cut last weekend, so I asked my stylist what she would recommend. She suggested that I get a good anti-frizz serum and… That’s about it. She said frizz is something we all have to deal with, and it's impossible to avoid completely.
Someone on Twitter also suggested that I “stock up on anti-frizz products and cute headscarves.” The tweeter added, “Don't worry, we will all get through this together.”
So now I am on the hunt for a good product so I can be proactive about this impending frizz doom. I promise to share my findings with you all (or probably just the women reading this – I doubt men really care about frizz), as I know there are probably some other ladies new to New Orleans who are not excited about the upcoming humid weather. Like I learned on Twitter, we'll all get through this together, even if our hair is out of control.
