GOLD SALON TOKYO   Hairdressers & Colourists

Ask almost any woman, especially those living 
in hot and humid climates like Tokyo over Summer,
what their most annoying hair issue is and frizziness will hands down 
be the most common answer. 

We all know what frizzy hair looks like. Formerly smooth, 
sleek hair morphs into something that looks like it has been hit 
with a few thousand volts, then deep fried.

But what causes it? Why does hair get frizzy when it’s humid?

Humidity is the amount of ambient moisture in the air. 
The more humid the day is, the more moisture there is in the air.
Humidity often makes fine hair flat by weighing it down. 
If your hair is curly or has a lot of body, 
it can cause it to become bushy. Dry hair gets even frizzier.

Hair is made up of dead cells bonded together by proteins.
Being dead, hair does not produce moisture; therefore any moisture
has to come from an outside source like scalp oil or moisturisers. 

As hair becomes older and drier, the hair’s surface becomes rough
which allows for better penetration of water into the hair.

Inside the hair is the cortex, which is made up of two different
kinds of protein, orthocortex and paracortex.

Both these proteins absorb water, but do so differently. 
When moisture causes them to swell, one expands more than the other,
which causes the hair to twist, leading to the waviness
that many women experience in humid conditions. 

Since everyone’s hair has different amounts of ortho- and paraprotein
in their hair, its reaction to humidity can vary a great deal. 
Also, the overall condition of your hair and how dry
it is plays a large part in how it reacts to moisture in the air.

Avoid frizzy hair by keeping heat styling to a minimum,
use of a good conditioner regularly and by not over-brushing.
While this may help, you can’t change the basic structure of your cortex.

That is where the use of the right styling products and
a good haircut can really contribute to your hair always looking its best.

Regular trims to remove split ends, the main contributor of 
the “rough” texture associated with Frizzy hair. 
Seek out styling products that add moisture and silicone which aids in
sealing the cuticle and smoothing away roughness.