Are you having a good hair day? You probably are if you’re living in one of these cities. (And, ahem, you’re probably not if you live in one of these thirteen worst hair cities). We looked at humidity levels, pollution, rainfall, average wind speeds, water hardness, demographics, and the number of beauty salons per capita to find which cities have the best conditions for healthy, stylish hair.
Best Cities for Hair
1. Santa Barbara, California
Why is this city the best in America for your hair? Because it has it all: clean air, near-constant weather, a young population, and not much rain or wind. No wonder celebrities like Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, and Portia de Rossi have homes here, on what’s been called the “American Riviera.”
2. Honolulu, Hawaii
Beach-y hair like the Victoria’s Secret models, anyone? This city has clean air, soft water, lots of salons, and practically the same weather—a nicely un-sweaty 77 degrees—all year ’round. Come here and say “aloha” to gorgeous hair.
3. San Diego, California
San Diego’s lack of seasons means it’s always 70 and sunny—hair doesn’t have to adjust to changing weather. Pair that with minimal wind and rain (it’s in the top ten for least-rainy cities), and lots of salons per capita—pretty much should look just about perfect here.
4. Anchorage, Alaska
You may be freezing your butt off in the second-coldest city in the country (first is Fairbanks, Alaska)—but your hair is in heaven. The city’s lack of pollution and wind, plus the soft water, keep hair healthy and looking fabulous.
5. San Francisco, California
San Francisco is no stranger to rain, but it’s the number 1 city in the country with least weather variety. So since the weather doesn’t change frequently, you’ll have great hair once you get used to the climate. The soft water, lack of wind, and high number of salons also mean that the odds are strongly in your favor for having good hair days.
6. New York, New York
The summers can be hot and humid and therefore tough on hair, but New York’s perfect-for-hair water makes up for the three months of hair-challenged weather. Plus it holds six of the top ten zip codes with the most beauty salons in the country.
7. Miami, Florida
Miami is hot and humid, that’s for sure, but it’s also one of the least-polluted cities in the country (and we all know what pollution does to hair—it’s been linked to balding, gray hair, and dullness). It also has very little wind and many salons to help keep your hair in control and stylish.
8. Los Angeles, California
Angelinos have the advantage of weather that hardly changes through the year, meaning their hair conditions stay constant and are easier to manage. The lack of rain means a very low likelihood of frizz, and low winds also keep hair easy to manage.
9. Denver, Colorado
Okay, so while the mile-high city may have hard water, the lack of wind and low humidity (just 67 percent—lower than desert cities Reno and Flagstaff)—not to mention the large number of hair salons—help give residents an advantage in having healthy, stylish hair.
10. Boston, Massachusetts
Boston also has a large number of salons per capita, plus it has soft water, which means your hair isn’t stripped of shine, color, and moisture with every shampoo—all good news for your hair.
11. Chicago, Illinois
Chicago has a young population with an average age of 22, plus an unusually high number of beauty salons per capita. So despite its wind and low temperatures (which can dry out hair), the odds are strongly in your favor here to have great hair.
Worst Cities for Hair
There are a number of factors contributing to frustrating frizz and dried-out strands, but as it turns out it, they could all be due to the city you call home. From looking at national averages of humidity/wind/rain/sun, water-hardness, pollution levels, and even the number of salons in the area, Totalbeauty.com has located the worst cities for your ’do. Did your city make the list?
