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Doubtless you have read about dewpoint and what it means for wavy and curly hair. Generally, wavy and curly hair looks better when there is a “just right” amount of water vapor in the air. The important thing to remember is that we Always Obey the Laws of Thermodynamics! Things tend to come to a state of equilibrium. If there is more heat in your house than outside and you open a window, the warm air rushes out. If you place a glass of iced tea on a table on a hot day, the ice melts and the tea warms as it absorbs heat from its surroundings. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Too little water vapor in the air and hair tends to lose moisture to the drier air. Too much water vapor in the air and your hair takes on a lot of moisture and begins to curl more – getting bigger and less defined (frizzing). Just right – and your waves and curls look healthy and defined. But I need pictures. I love concepts, but for mental recall – flashing back to a picture is so much simpler. First of all, dewpoint. Wh...

This post is timely to those of us in the Northern Hemisphere - to our friends and family in the Southern Hemisphere - hope you are enjoying spring into summer! Humidity is water vapor suspended in the air. How humidity is measured: Dewpoint – the temperature at which the air is saturated with as much water as it can hold, and so dew (or fog) forms. Dewpoint tells us the most about how dry the air is. Unless a new air mass moves in, the dewpoint can stay the same all day. This is what you want to watch to know just how moist or dry the air is. Dewpoints below 50° F (10° C) are “dry.” In the 50s  (10-15° C) is “comfortable” 60-65° (15- 18° C) is “muggy” 65-70° (18-21° C) is “humid” 70° (21° C) and greater is “oppressive” – rainforest-y - you feel you need to grow gills This is important for hair because dewpoint tells you how much moisture is in the air. Except for hair which has a very strong curl pattern, low moisture in the air tends to lead to flatter, less defined wavy or curl...