Happy New Years everyone. I wish you all a profitable and successful 2009.
I wanted to briefly talk about the impact of humidity, even though many of us in the north are a long ways from dealing with the issue. Infact we are probably longing for humid weather than the current cold and dry conditions we experience around this time of year.
In truth, humidity impacts all hair in a similar manner. Under high humidity, hair that has been styled counter to its natural texture tends to "go back home" to its original state. Curls in naturally straight hair will droop; wavy or curly hair worn in a straight style will return to its original waves and curls; excessively curly hair will tend to curl up or frizz.
With the latter hair type, however, the impact of humidity is simply more noticeable and the transition back to the original texture seems more dramatic. Even when African-descent hair is chemically relaxed to alter the natural texture, high humidity causes the hair shaft to swell, and hair reverts back towards its original texture somewhat. This is because relaxers are designed to remove a certain degree of the excessive curliness - not all of it.
image courtesty of: ohnotheyd!dn't
I am so glad you posted this info because I never could understand how humidity reverts excessively curly hair back to its original texture after a relaxer. When you say that relaxers are designed to remove a certain degree of curliness, it sounds like a safeguard against removing all the curliness for those who desire bone straight hair. I would assume the hair's reaction to humity is because it was overprocessed.