1. Dew Points: If you have been in the natural hair scene for at least a year you would have heard of dew points being mentioned. Now in case you are reading this and where you live the dew points change depending on seasons then you are fine. However, if you live in a tropical climate it is important to note that your dew points will ALWAYS be within the range of 70 and above. How does this affect you? Well for starters the dew point is the amount of moisture in the air and can cause your hair to dry out if humectants (glycerin, honey) are used when the dew points are high. Your curly hair will swell, the cuticles become raised and you are left with a dry, tangled, frizzy mess. ugh!
2. Humectants/Anti-humectants: As mentioned above, one should try as much as possible to avoid humectants when the dew points are high. Humectants such as glycerin tends to draw moisture from the air and with an already moisture filled environment can cause extreme swelling of your hair, especially if your hair is already porous (as a result of damaged/dyed hair or some other form of chemical alteration). Instead use products as much as possible without humectants. Some anti-humectants like castor oil, shea butter will be mentioned below as a way to seal your hair.
3.Sealing: I am totally in love with Eco Styler and the Olive oil Ampro Styling gel. It works wonders for slicking my edges back and holding my hair when I want a neat puff. But guess what? they both contain glycerin!! But have I totally given up on them? definietly not. This is where sealing comes in. If you want to use a product that contains humectants while the dew points are not optimal, it is advised that you seal your hair. Sealing is the use of oils or heavy butters to lock the moisture in your hair. As a result, nothing leaves or enters (its like putting a bandaid on your hair). Examples are castor oil, shea butter, olive oil and coconut oil.
4.Porosity: It is extremely important to know that the more porous our hair is in humid environments, the more moisture it will absorb. Hence, it is important to keep our strands as healthy as possible as damage hair tends to be more porous.
5. Household Products: As a Caribbean natural, it is not as easy to buy hair products as I would like. I have therefore learnt to become a DIY (do it yourself) kind of a person. From my flax seed gel to my banana, avocado and honey deep conditioner, I can get the same results that I usually get from my kinky curly curling custard and CJ curl rehab. It’s quite easier on the pockets too 🙂
So as you consider the above points, lets remember that climate plays an important part in how we care for our hair.
Until my next post, have an awesome curly day!
caribbeancurls 