Ultimate Curly Hair Products for Stying in Humidity
If you have curly hair, you understand the struggle. You get your hair routine down at home, and everything changes when you step off a plane and the humidity hits.
Traveling with curly hair can be stressful. I wrote this quick guide to show you my tried and true products that get me through humid vacations.
Living in Hawaii and traveling frequently, I struggled to find curly hair products for years. My hair is fine and curly. Many viral products I try weight my hair down or make it oily.
After years of testing and trying, I’ve found products that work AMAZINGLY for my natural texture.
And, most are available at drug store prices.
My ride or die curly hair products
This list of curly hair gels, creams, and leave in conditioners is what I have on rotation. They work in humid Atlanta summers and tropical locations I visit.
Not Your Mother’s curl gel
I’ve found that light weight curl products work best for my fine hair.
In really humid weather like Hawai’i and Brazil, I can natural hair when I use either of these gels.
And the nice thing is, my hair feels soft, not crunchy. Keep reading for the full combination of products, because in the most intense humidity, a gel is not enough.
Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Sculpting Gel: Product Link.
Not your Mother’s curl cream
On the other hand, if hair gels feel too heavy for you, a curl cream is the likely answer.
Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Frizz Control Sculpting Cream is the best of all lightweight curl creams I’ve found. It has a light hold that works really similar to a gel.
I’d say this is one step lighter than gel. It also doesn’t seem to hold all day long, so my curls do loosen throughout the day. If you have very fine hair this could work really well for you.
Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Frizz Control Sculpting Cream: Product Link.
Two Pack – Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Frizz Control Sculpting Cream & Defining Gel: Product Link.
KMS leave-in conditioner
This is the only leave-in product I have ever tried in 20 years that does not make my hair feel dirty and oily when styled.
Go light on the sprays, like 4-5 is good to get the job done. Hold the bottle back from your head to help get the most hair when you spray.
KMS MoistRepair Leave-in Conditioner 150ml: Product Link.
Gisou hair oil
I’ve never had success putting oil on damp hair. I use it once curls are dry.
The only hair oil I’ve found that does not make my hair look dirty is from Gisou. I got a sample sized bottle at Sephora for my birthday.
A little goes a very long way, it will last you forever.
Gisou Infused Hair Oil 20ml: Product Link.
Pro Tip: I use the Rakuten browser extension to get extra cash back when I buy products at Sephora. It’s a free browser extension that gives you small discounts at places you already shop. I’ve used it for about 5 years and just keep it on in my browser.
Pantene shampoo and conditioner
Healthy curls need moisture. I’ve found this out the hard way too many times trying to use those little hotel conditioner bottles.
You don’t need to buy overpriced travel sized shampoo bottles. Get reusable travel bottles and fill them with your normal shampoo and conditioner.
Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal with Vitamin E 2-Pack Shampoo and Conditioner: Product Link.
High humidity curl routine
Here are the steps I use to prevent frizz in high humidity.
- After washing hair, gently dry ends with micro-fiber towel
- Gently arrange my part the way I want it to lay (without brushing hair)
- Apply generous amount of Not Your Mother’s curl gel from near crown to bottom of hair
- Adjust any curls that got separated
- Scrunch very gently
- Scrunch again very gently with micro-fiber towel so hair doesn’t drip
- Let dry about 50% of the way
- If I have time, dry with a diffuser (this helps a lot in humid weather for some reason)
- Add hair oil to bottom 1/3 of hair very gently
- Scrunch gently again if needed
And there you have it, curls with (hopefully) less frizz in intense humidity.
The two accessories that save your hair in humidity
Bring a microfiber towel to help dry hair without causing extra frizz. I found a Patagonia towel at Goodwill a few years ago, and the quality is great. This one from REI is comparable.
Bring a portable diffuser attachment that can go on any hotel hair dryer. It flattens out in your suitcase.
Pro tip: Here’s my tried and true packing list for a high humidity beach vacation.
Why does my hair get so frizzy in humidity?
When there’s more moisture in the air, hair absorbs it. The better you can moisturize your hair before it hits the humidity, the less likely your hair will soak up what’s in the air.
Natural curls are frizzy. Humidity makes that frizz much more intense.
So if you want less frizz, it starts at step one of your hair care.
Right when you start styling, pay attention to little fly away hairs. Those turn into frizz.
Style slowly, work product through your hair gently. The more you move your hair the more likely there will be bits of flyaway frizz.
Tips to fight hair frizz in humidity:
- Practice gently styling your hair before you go on vacation
- Use more hair gel in humid environments
- Do not use excessively more leave-in hair conditioner or hair oil (this is what weights my fine curls down)
- Style on very wet hair
- Use a micro-fiber hair towel to squeeze water out of hair
What doesn’t work for my fine curly hair
Deep conditioners, coconut oil, and shea butter always weigh my hair down and make them look dirty.
The best products for humidity are light weight gels. They have the right amount of hold you need without being very heavy.
Worrying about curl types. Its nice to know about curl patterns and hair types, but I perceive a lot of the curl products tailored to very specific hair types is marketing hype.
Advice: buying curly hair products for vacation
Most curl products are sold like they’re the magic bullet you’ve been searching for.
But for those of us with fine curly hair, what matters more than any single product is how you actually go about styling your hair.
And if your hair is fine and curly (like mine), these tips might work for you too.
- Try products ahead of time so you don’t overpack random stuff
- Keep your vacation hair routine simple: trusty products + diffuser attachment + micro-fiber towel
- Bring hair clips and rubber bands to style up
- Put products in little reusable 3oz containers so you don’t have to buy travel sized versions
Final thoughts
I hope this product list helps you have a frizz free vacation!
After living in Hawai’i for years, my hair adjusted so my curls were less frizzy. This probably won’t happen on a week long vacation. But all of that to say, our hair naturally acts differently in different climates.
Remember, a little frizz is very natural in humidity, so don’t worry too much about it and just go out there and enjoy yourself.
