Hey all we’re back with another post on hair care. Today’s topic is frizzy hair: what it is, how to deal with it, and some of our favorite beauty hacks for taming it on those bad hair days when it just doesn’t want to cooperate.
Frizz can be super annoying. And if we can help you establish a routine that fixes your hair problems and gets you better looking hair then we accomplish our goal!
So let’s get started. Some of you may be thinking… What is frizzy hair really? Like why does it exist? How do I know if I have it? This next section is for you.
What Exactly Is Frizzy Hair?
Our precious locks are delicate structures. Even though the hair that grows out of your head and the rest of your body is technically “dead”, you can’t treat it as such. As you may have already realized it requires maintenance and sometimes special care depending on your hair’s specific needs.
Frizz is a problem that occurs most often for curly hair types and people with dry hair. It’s a term people use for when the hair cuticle (another word for the outermost layer) is raised or has an irregular texture that doesn’t align with the surrounding strands of hair.
The result is the exact opposite of straight and silky smooth hair which lays flat. Instead you get a messy tangle of poufy looking hair.See this dude’s afro? His hair is super frizzy.
Here’s another more mild example:
Notice the ends of her hair? How the individual strands kind of curl away from the rest of the follicles instead of laying flat together? That is the issue we’re trying to address here.
Why Does My Hair Get Frizzy?
There are many potential causes but they all lead back to the same underlying issue: dehydration and dry hair.
Curly and wavy hair types deal with frizz more often simply because their hair is more prone to dehydration.
This will be key to addressing the issue as you’ll soon learn!
This is also why humidity is such a big problem for frizz. If you have dry hair and the air around you has lots of moisture those dry hair strands are like “let me get a sip” and your hair gets all poufy because they open up and allow the moisture to swell the strands.
Keeping this in mind, here are some preliminary things you should be doing to minimize frizz:
- Drinking enough water each day
- Eating a balanced hair healthy diet (meaning enough B-vitamins in particular like biotin).
While these alone won’t solve the problem they’ll definitely make it easier because you’re laying the foundation for healthy hair.
Thankfully there’s lots more we can do to help control frizzy hair so let’s see what those things are.
How To Get Frizzy Hair Under Control
The best place to start is with your shampoo. This means looking at the ingredient list and making sure your shampoo has ingredients that are helping rather than hurting the issue. While the ingredients may seem complicated you don’t need to know each and every one. Here’s a simple cheat sheet:
- Avoid sulfates and alcohol
- Look for glycerin and natural moisturizing oils (see full list below)
Sulfate shampoos are bad! If you’ve read our guide to an effective daily hair care routine we discussed why the sulfate family of ingredients are not recommended: they excessively dry out your hair! For the very same reason you want to avoid products that contain alcohol (look for “ethanol” or the suffix “–yl”).
Instead what you’ll want to do is find a shampoo high in either glycerin, silicones, or the following oils:
- Jojoba
- Argan
- Coconut
- Avocado
- Sesame
- Olive
In most cases we actually advise to stay away from silicones because they tend to swing you the opposite direction and make your hair super oily but in the end you really have to experiment to see what works for you. Keep in mind that the higher the ingredient is on the list, the more concentration the shampoo has of that ingredient. Each of these ingredients will help create a protective coat by acting as a humectant that seals moisture around the follicles – perfect for frizzy hair!
Avoid Overwashing With Too Much Shampoo
Many people wash their hair with shampoo every day. This is overkill especially for frizzy hair! Too much shampoo strips your hair of the natural oils it needs. Try washing your hair with shampoo every other day or even going “No Shampoo” and washing your hair with only water for a while to see how it reacts.
If dropping the shampoo feels like too much another popular option is skipping the shampoo twice a week and using only conditioner on those days.
Use a Deep Conditioner Often
Conditioner for your hair is like moisturizer for your skin. A deep conditioner especially can be a game changer for frizzy hair. Look for a protein rich conditioner that contains any of the ingredients mentioned above like glycerin or essential oils. If you’re worried about it weighing down your hair apply it to only the ends starting from around mid-shaft avoiding the scalp.
Treat Yourself To A Hydrating Hair Mask
One of our favorite home remedies for frizzy hair is to use a hair mask designed to penetrate the hair follicles deep. The right hair mask will prevent your hair from opening up looking for moisture elsewhere. While you can purchase a hair mask from your favorite beauty store we prefer the DIY route so here’s some quick instructions for a simple hair mask you can use once or twice a week:
- Take a few tablespoons of coconut oil and olive oil and mix them into a microwave safe container (can also use a bowl or cup).
- Heat the mixture up for about 30 seconds.
- Let it cool for about 1 minute so it isn’t too hot to touch.
- Afterwards, dip your fingers and begin massaging your scalp running the oils to your ends.
- (Optional) Cover your hair in a plastic cap and let the oils sit in your hair for about 10 minutes.
- Rinse and you’re done!
Pay Attention To How You Dry And Style Your Hair
Are you frying your hair with blowdryers and other heat styling products? Keep the heat low because as you’ve seen by now, too much will dry your hair out especially in the winter months.
A common tip is to let your hair air-dry and then finish it off with a blowdryer on a lower heat setting when it’s about 90% of the way there. You may get mixed results with air-drying so we always recommend testing it out for yourself.
If you prefer towel drying your hair we recommend swapping it with a softer fabric such as a cotton t-shirt or silk. Towel drying causes unnecessary friction which disrupts the cuticles causing them to open up. You can then begin brushing gently from ends moving on up toward the scalp for silky smooth hair or use a flat-iron to seal the cuticle shut.
Other Quick Frizzy Hair Beauty Hacks
- Don’t brush your hair when it’s dry or too wet. This can damage the hair cuticle. After a shower or bath unless you’re using a wide-tooth comb wait until your hair dries a bit.
- That said, brushing regularly can help distribute the hair’s natural oils your scalp produces down to its ends. Use a boar bristle brush and gently run it through your hair before a shower to help distribute the oils away from your scalp for a deeper clean by your conditioner.
- If you’re out and about, use a hair serum spray as a touch-up. Good for sudden bouts of rain and wavy hair.
- Wrap your hair in silk, satin or a similar soft fabric before bed. Similar to our tip above, this avoids friction and static from tossing and turning and rubbing your hair against the bed or pillow which may be of harsher materials.
- If you have curly hair that’s also extra thick and coarse try using a cream based hair product after showers. Curly hair needs lots of moisture to keep the cuticles flat so apply the cream from the roots to the tips by warming it in your hands and then squeezing and curling your hair the way you like and then letting it dry to hold shape.
Frizz can be beaten we promise! If you remember to avoid over washing your hair, swap sulfate shampoos for glycerin and essential oils, use a deep conditioner and occasionally a hair mask while being mindful of the way you dry and style your hair you’ll be well on your way.
Featured Image Credit: Andrea Rose / Source / License: CC BY 2.0
