A Hair Stylist’s Guide To Taming Frizz During La Niña

A Hair Stylist’s Guide To Taming Frizz During La Niña

Tomorrow’s the first day of Summer! Which means it’s time to swap your sweatpants for a sundress and start prepping for hot, sunny, summer-y days by the beach.. right?

Wrong!

In quintessentially 2021 news, Australia will instead be experiencing heavy rainfall and increased humidity thanks to a climate phenomenon known as La Niña. (Don’t look at your weather app, it’s a sad place to be right now.)

On top of ruining all your plans to shimmy around on your superyacht this Summer, La Niña - and all of the wet weather and humidity it brings - will likely also impact your hair routine.

Sadly we can’t do anything to help revive your Hot Girl Summer dreams, but we can help you prepare and prevent any hair headaches over the next few months. And by ‘we’, I of course mean Hair Wizard, Barney Martin, who has generously shared all of his best humid hair tips with me.

How And Why Humidity Affects Your Hair

Sticky, sweaty humid days are notorious for causing frizz and flyaways. “This is caused by hydrogen bonds forming in the hair which creates curls and frizz,” Barney tells us. Essentially, what happens is the moisture from the air latches on to your hair, causes it to swell up, and creates frizz.

As for who’s going to experience this the most? Anyone with wavy or curly hair will be most impacted when it comes to extra humid days, says Barney, noting that “fine hair is particularly tricky to manage in humid weather.”

How To Prevent Humidity Messing With Your Hairstyle This Summer

So. You know what you’re up against, but how can you stop it?

Stock your shelfie up with products that can help protect your hair from all the excess moisture in the air, and help keep your style in place all day long.

Here are Barney's top products for taming frizz:

R+Co Cool Wind Air Dry Crème

What it does: Prevents frizz and helps you achieve a soft, smooth style without any heat tools or hassle.

Why she loves it: You can just apply to damp hair and let air dry. Quick! Simple! Foolproof!

R+Co Dreamhouse Cold Pressed Watermelon Spray

What it does: Moisturises and enhances the natural texture in your hair.

Why she loves it: “It’s a lightweight oil and great for diffuse-drying your hair to encourage natural waves.”

R+Co Dallas Thickening Spray

What it does: Helps you nail your at-home blow dry by smoothing your hair and leaving you with the perfect amount of bounce.

Why she loves it: “It’s very lightweight, creates shine without stiffness and doesn’t go stiff when hit with humidity.”

R+Co Moon Landing Anti-Humidity Spray

What it does: Lightly coats the hair to stop any moisture in the air creating frizz. The result? Long-lasting hairdos even in the humidity.

Why she loves it: “After blow drying, mist over your hair with Moon Landing anti humidity spray to keep the moisture out of your hair.”

Oh. And if you’re thinking of getting a haircut anytime soon and you know your hair gets unmanageable in humidity: Barney advises to steer clear of styles with lots of layers, which can exacerbate frizziness.