Spinny: Glycerin's Effectiveness in Hot Climates

Good question. With all the conflicting advice I've read on glycerin, I've been wary about using it at all. erplexed

Junebug D said:

Good question. With all the conflicting advice I've read on glycerin, I've been wary about using it at all. erplexed

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same here, I stay way from it. It never seems to draw anything out of any air even after being in humidity that felt like a sauna. Also have to take in consideration that glycerin also doesn't work for some people .. like my self.

divachyk said:

In many threads I've read varying beliefs on glycerin's effectiveness in hot climates. Some believe prods containing glycerin work better in warmer weather while others believe it acts as an humectant and might cause your hair to dry and frizz up in the heat. Some even believe that glycerin attracts moisture but in hot climates it releases moisture from the hair and in hot, humid climates it makes the hair strands swell up and frizz. Can someone clear this up for me?

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Its not the heat that makes glycerin effective/ineffective it is the humidity. Glycerin based products work best when the humidity is at 65% or more. It is also dependent on the product. The more watery a product is the more the user has to be cautious based on the humidity level.

Qhemet's cream products have glycerin in them and I can use them year round. Also a product line called Esencia has a conditioner that is not as heavy but the glycerin is low on the list I can use this year round as well.

I just purchased a liquidy/watery Curls product with glycerin as the 2nd ingredient and my hair did not like it, I dont know if it was the glycerin or the one of the other ingredients but it was a fail. It was very slippery on my hand and did nothing for my hair. On my DD's all natural hair it make it sticky.

I purchased another product(which I am going to return ASAP) that has glycerin as the 3rd ingredient and it was not heavy enough to tame me so off find something else.

In Las Vegas Nevada, the weather is in the 90's (considered hot to many) however the humidity is only 14% so the Juice that works so well for many MAY make the hair hard. But in NYC where I live the weather is in the 90's as well but the humidity is 69%. This is optimal for glycerin usage.

Someone chime in if I did not explain this well enough.

There are too many chemical factors and equations that can either allow your hair to pull moisture from the air, release moisture to the air, or do absolutely nothing.

Different regions, different seasons, different hair types. The key is to find what works for you.

When I lived in Louisville, Kentucky, nothing with glycerin worked for my hair. My hair always dried into a frizzy mess. But now that I'm in St. Petersburg, Florida, my hair is moisturized and very soft.

You just have to experiment with your hair.

I use glycerin daily in this ATL heat and no frizzies...my hair is always moisturized I havent tried it in the colder months yet

glycerine works in Jamaica on my hair, though where I live is not particularly humid, its actually more "damp" which actually also translates to more moisture in the air.
when my hair was relaxed, hawiian silky 14 in 1 was my staple, it actually kept my hair frizz free .... air drying was a dream.

now as a natural any humectant type product is my BFF moisture for dayzz

glycerin I believe doesn't really work when the air is dry regardless if it's hot or cold. Dry air will cause the glycerin to pull moisture out of the hair and release to the air. When the air is saturated w/ moisture (humidity), glycerin which is humectant will pull the moisture from the air & bring it to the hair.

dry heat or cold weather + glycerin (humectant)= moisture being released from hair.
humidity + glycerin (humectant) = moisture being brought into the hair.

*different formulations work year around. I believe that if glycerin is not to high or low on the list of ingredients then it works better year around.

HTH

I have had great results on natural hair with glycerin in Florida heat and humidity.

Glycerin works .. YEAR ROUND...

DO IT!

In live FL where the humidity for my area averages about 85% in the morning and 60% at night so based on environmental factors, glycerin seems to be an okay choice. However, how does having a desk job impact glycerin usage since technically I'm not outside all day in the humidity?

divachyk said:

In live FL where the humidity for my area averages about 85% in the morning and 60% at night so based on environmental factors, glycerin seems to be an okay choice. However, how does having a desk job impact glycerin usage since technically I'm not outside all day in the humidity?

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You should have no problems.