My hair goes super curly in the rain.. is there a product I can use to achieve the same result when it’s dry weather?

[Fairylea]

Just that really.

Had my hair cut quite short and when I’ve been out in the rain I quite like the way it really curls up. My hair isn’t naturally very curly, just has a bit of a wave but the rain seems to make it go wild!

I’ve not really experimented with curl activating type stuff before and am reluctant to waste money on things that don’t work. Any recommendations? What actually works?

Water?

Tried that. Doesn’t really do much. There’s something with the rain itself that does it - probably pollution

Maybe I should collect rain water and spray it on? Bit of a hassle though!

When you say you've tried water, have you tried it in a spray bottle? I find misting mine is the best way to activate the curls.

Lots of trial and error. I use a product by Marc Anthony, strictly curls, LOTION. But it really depends on your hair. I’ve found a shop that does exchanges if not satisfied with their products. As well my local women shelter will take partially used products.
Join a curly girl group on fb.

Thank you. Hmm maybe I do need to try a spray bottle - or a better one than the one I have anyway!

I’ll have a look at the other ideas.

Have a look at The Curly Girl Method. I have been doing it for about 8 weeks. It works!

Aveda Be Curly styling creme gives me corkscrew ringlets, but only if applied to soaking wet hair, straight out of the shower.

Try the curly girl routine! I've found curls I could have imagined!

Collect some rainwater in a bowl and put it in a spray bottle.

I'm pretty sure I remember my granny rinsing her hair with warmed water from the water butt because she said it made it soft and curly.

Get some curl creme and diffuse it .

No real ideas OP, but my hair is exactly the same. Go out and get drenched, all the other women are bemoaning their rats' tails, while I'm sitting knowing that as it dries my hair is curling softly and going to look really good. I'm sure it's not just the rainwater, but also how it gently but thoroughly soaks the hair - something you can't achieve with a shower head!

The nearest I get to creating the same at home is a faff, but comes close. Wash hair and dry it into the right shape with a hairdryer. Make sure it's thoroughly dry. Leave it to settle for a bit. Then mist it lightly but thoroughly with cool water. Go over it once so that it's a bit damp, then again to wet it some more. Don't try to drown it all at once. Give the water time to soak in, then wipe off the excess with a tissue or two and leave it to air dry.

Not to be attempted on a busy morning getting ready for work though.

The key to curls is sopping wet hair before styling.

Wet hair, apply leave in conditioner, detangle with fingers then leave to air dry. Don't ever use a brush!

Maybe you need to use the rainwater from a water butt in a spray bottle! I'm the same, I have wavy hair that looks lovely in the rain but I can never get it the same with product.

The curly girl method! It’s about not getting caught in a routine of stripping/weighing your curls down. Have a google for products that should be avoided or are suitable, and have a look at instagrammers like powerdomi and marisascurls for techniques for product application and styling/diffusing - technique is as important as ingredients for getting the most out of your curls imo. It’s a lot of trial and error but the payoff is worth it

Curly girl.
So wash with conditioner ( google specific ingredients to avoid, anything from half food shop works).
Deep conditioner from Cantu.
When your hair is still sopping wet put Cantu Curl Custard in and keep scrunching it to break the cast as it s
air dries.
Perfect curls.

Thank you so much everyone.

I’ve been googling the curly girl method and have added a few different things to my amazon cart to try! Hopeful!

Posting my response a bit late here, but I do know the answer!

Hair that is naturally curly dries with a nicer texture from rainwater, because rainwater is essentially very pure or “distilled”. It doesn’t carry minerals in the atmosphere, which means there’s nothing to weigh down the strands upon drying… this is really difficult to recreate in most showers, and products can’t effectively recreate this either. Products add more weight to hair or damage it over the long run.

Your best bet to recreate this at home would be to do your final rinse with distilled water. If you have the means to add a whole-house water softener, this will also be quite beneficial to hair, skin, and also pipes/fixtures! Water softeners are additives that bind to the hard minerals so they rinse away with the water instead of building up over time.

While ultra-soft rainwater is truly the best for hair, you can also try using Malibu C (ascorbic acid product) about 1x per month to help strip hard-water minerals off. Best not to use this kind of product too often, as it can damage the hair with excess use.