Humidity: Friend or Foe

Ok. This may seem like an obvious one but before you make up your mind for good, hear me out. If you've ever lived both east and west of the Rockie Mountains, I think you will agree with me. Humidity is both our friend and our enemy.

Foe:
1. When you step out of the shower on a humid day, you're clean for about 5 minutes before you start sweating again. You feel like you immediately need to get another shower. Only it won't do you again good because you're just going to get sweaty when you get out the next time. It's a vicious cycle.
2. Forget about wearing anything that shows pit stains when its humid. You're going to sweat and its going to show. If you wear white, the pits turn yellow. If you wear black, they turn even darker. And even though you wash the shirt that night, the pits are still slightly off color. The only sure way to avoid this one... go sleeveless.
3. Humidity is the reason the heat index was born. It makes the temperture feel about a zillion degrees higher. If it's already blazing hot, it feels Hades hot because of the humidity.
4. Everything feels sticky...including you. You don't want to touch anything especially other people because it'll make you hotter than you already are. Plus it just feels gross.

After reading that list, you'd think it was a no brainer right? Well, slow down a bit. After living in the land of no humidity for the last 4 months, I've started to rethink this humidity-is-from-the-devil thing.

Friend:
1. Exhibit A:

Once upon a time, I used to have curly hair. Look at how pretty it is! Now, not so much. I've tried several different hair products to help curl my hair but alas, it just ends up looking like a mess...and not is a chic way. It seems the only thing that helps my poor hair is humidity. So until I go east of the divide again, it looks like straight's the way for me.
2. Exhibit B:

Its something many of us east coasters take for grant in the summertime, baby smooth skin. Yes, that's a picture of my ankle and believe it or not, I moistured last night. I am at a point where I slather on lotion every night after I get out of the shower. And my skin still hates me. It is disgusting and dry and it makes me not want to wear shorts or skirts. I have seriously considered how to rig the shower head so that lotion comes out so I can bathe in it. I have never had such miserable skin in my life and its all thanks to a lack of humidity.
3. When I went on family vacation last summer to Breckenridge, Colorado, my nose bled for the entire week we were there. Now it wasn't gushing out of my face but it was there. I have to say though, I've not experienced that here yet. But Breckenridge is a much higher elevation and I haven't been through a winter here yet.

So you see, there are two sides to this battle. I believe the perfect solution lies somewhere between Missoula's lack of humidity and Columbia's excess of humidity. If anyone knows where that place is, let me know cause it may be my next move.