You may have had a specific hair care regimen, which was very successful before you moved to Dubai.
Unfortunately, the Middle Eastern weather will require a switch-up in your regimen if your hair is to stand up to the elements.
There are several reasons why your hair behaves differently in Dubai with the most compelling reason being the dry humid weather.
This type of weather sucks all the moisture out of your hair and makes maintaining moisture levels challenging.
There’s really not much you can do about is as the environment isn’t going to adapt to you so you will have to adapt to the environment.
Here are a few signs the Dubai weather has struck on your hair:
- There’s more hair in your comb or brush.
- Your hair is dry and crackles like popcorn to the touch.
- You feel a film of sticky dirt on your hair after a few days.
- Your hair is frizzier and randomly sticks out on top of your head, with a lot more flyaways.
- If you have curly hair, it gets out of control very quickly or limp and lifeless if you have straight hair.
These are just a few of the symptoms. Depending on your hair type, the problem could get worse over time.
After some trial and error, here are the things I’ve found works best to maintain moisture levels. They are listed in no particular order:
1. Avoid Humectants
You might want to consider avoiding the use of humectants. Humectants draw in moisture from the atmosphere into your hair.
Great if you live somewhere else. However, all it will draw into your hair in Dubai is dust.
I cover this topic in great detail in Why You Should Avoid Products With Humectants.
2. Reduce Shampoo Use
Reduce the use of shampoos with sulfates. Look for natural and organic shampoos with gentle cleansers that won’t strip hair.
Even then, dilute these shampoos before use. Alternatively, you can switch to clay washing.
Actcoco Naturals Indian Healing Clay
3. Try Pre-Poos
Pre-poo with oil before you wash your hair. One of the best oils for this is coconut oil. You can also add molasses into the oil.
I share one of these great recipes in Coconut Oil and Molasses Pre-Poo.
Related Content: 365 Days of Moisture for Dry & Parched Hair
4. Avoid Mineral Oil
Avoid products with mineral oil as one of the primary ingredients. Mineral oil is a cheap filler and will make the dry hair problems worse.
5. Always Seal in Moisture
Seal the moisture into your hair with oil after you apply your leave-in. You can also use a heavy butter for this purpose.
6. Hydrate Hair Every Day
I don’t mean saturating your hair with enormous amounts of water. I mean spritzing lightly with water once or twice a day.
I like distilled water or rose water best for this. You can use a travel size spritz bottle so you can carry it around in your handbag.
You can also add one teaspoon of a moisturizing leave-in conditioner like Kinky-Curly Knot Today into the mix.
Kinky-Curly Knot Today
7. Protect Your Hair
Protect your hair as much as you can by wearing buns, ponytails, braids, etc. You can also wear your hair up in the dryer months.
The earlier you incorporate these things into your regimen, the better your hair will be for it.
Once the damage has been done, it can be difficult and will take some time to work your hair back to a place of lush, moisturised, silky, and shiny awesomeness.
For even more tips of getting dry hair to a happy and moisturised place, I recommend 365 Days of Moisture for Dry & Parched Hair.
What other problems apart from above have you faced with your hair? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to sign up for free updates.