Bid Goodbye to Frizz With This Ultimate Guide
It’s almost as if you can’t escape hair frizz! And no matter what you do, nothing seems to help you decode frizzy hair care. While you can tuck the flyaways and douse your lengths with products, you really can’t fix the frizz till you get to the bottom of it. The good news is, this blog is here to do it for you. If you find yourself asking questions like - ‘what is frizzy hair?’, ‘how to get rid of frizzy hair?’, ‘how to prevent frizzy hair?’, or ‘what are the causes of frizzy hair?’ - it’s time to dive right in.
What is Frizzy Hair?
Typically, frizzy hair has a mind of its own. When your lengths or curls begin puffing up, flying away, or turning rough - you may be dealing with frizz. This happens when your hair's cuticle, the outermost layer, is raised. A healthy cuticle should normally lie flat, sealing the moisture in your hair. When these cuticles remain raised or open, the humidity from the air enters your hair lengths and swells them up. At the same time, the moisture from your hair can escape - giving your lengths a dry, frazzled look. There is a possibility that frizz can appear in any hair type, although it is more obvious in wavy, curly, or coily hair. Simply put, frizz is when your hair’s moisture levels go for a toss.
Causes of Frizzy Hair
A number of factors can lead to frizz. They could be environmental factors or may lie in your own hair care routine. Understanding the root cause of frizzy hair is vital to make informed decisions on how to manage frizz. Here are the usual suspects to check before you create your frizzy hair care ritual -
- Humidity
- Dryness
- Heat Damage
- Treatments
- Overwashing
Humidity is one of the most common causes of frizzy hair. When the environment around you is humid, the air tends to hold a lot of moisture. The raised cuticles in dry or damaged hair will soak up this moisture and swell the hair shafts. This swelling causes unruly, frizzy hair. This is why hair frizz often worsens during humid summers or monsoons!
Dehydrated hair tends to become frizzy. When your hair naturally lacks moisture, it tries to absorb moisture out of the environment, giving way to frizz. This is why hydrating your hair is crucial if you’re learning how to manage frizz.
We often overlook this common cause of frizzy hair. Too much heat styling from the use of irons, curling irons, and blow dryers can damage natural hair structures. Heat also removes your hair’s natural oils, making it dry and frizz-prone. If you’re big on styling and use heating tools regularly, try to invest in heat protectants that keep your lengths safe at high temperatures.
Be it coloring, perming, or relaxing - your hair cuticle gets damaged if you indulge in treatments frequently. An open cuticle leads to porous hair, and porous hair absorbs and releases moisture easily. When you have chemically treated or damaged hair, it’s vital to include bonding shampoos and bonding conditioners in your frizzy hair care routine.
Washing your hair frequently, with strong sulfate-fueled shampoos, can strip off all your natural oils and leave you with dry hair. This becomes another common cause of frizz. This is why using sulfate-free, anti-frizz shampoos plays an important role in your frizzy hair care. If you wash your lengths multiple times a week, you can even look into what is a mild shampoo.
How to Get Rid of Frizz?
Now that you know everything there is about what is frizzy hair and its causes, it’s time to jump into damage control. If your lengths are out of hand and you want to tame the frizz, these tips come to aid.
- Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner
- Deep-conditioning Masks
- Leave-In Conditioner
- Heat Protectants
- LOC or Liquid, Oil, Cream
The first step of any frizzy hair care routine is finding the right products. Look for frizzy hair shampoo and anti-frizz conditioners that are designed for your hair. Try to look for sulfate-free products that are enriched with natural oils such as argan oil and babassu oil, or emollients like shea butter that help lock the moisture into the hair. These products help you with smoother hair cuticles, taming frizz along the way, especially if you’re trying to keep hair frizz-free in monsoons!
Deep conditioning is necessary for taming frizz. This is because hair masks deeply replenish all the moisture that is lost while repairing damaged strands. Try using a hair mask for frizz with smoothing ingredients to soften your length and repair its porosity. Masks with humidity protection are another lasting solution for frizzy hair care in the tropics.
Always use a leave-in conditioner or an oil-in-serum after your hair wash, these are great moisturising agents. Leave-ins often add an extra layer of hydration, smooth out the cuticles, and protect against moisture loss. Choose a lightweight oil-based hair serum with babassu oil or argan oil to give your hair a smooth shine and eliminate unwanted flyaways.
Heat protectants are the first shield of your lengths, especially if styling is an essential part of your routine and you can’t do away with it. We all know that heat styling damages the hair cuticles and leads to frizzy hair. If you want to blow-dry or iron your lengths, simply use a heat protectant spray to minimise the damage, form a protective barrier, and lock in the moisture.
One of the most effective ways to tame frizzy hair is the LOC method, which involves layering to lock in moisture.
Liquid - Your frizzy hair care routine needs to start with a water-based leave-in conditioner.
Oil - Follow it with nourishing hair oil, such as jojoba or argan.
Cream - Seal the cuticle to lock in hydration with a creamy product - the cream.
Try this method only if you have extremely dry lengths, as it can weigh down hair and make it appear limp.
How to Prevent Frizzy Hair?
Equipped with the details on how to get rid of frizz, our sights should be set on maintaining the frizz-free lengths. These basics on how to prevent frizzy hair are the perfect place to start.
Choose the right hair care
Learning how to deal with frizz comes with the right hair care products. Hydrating shampoos and conditioners with no sulfates, parabens, or alcohol are a perfect place to start. Crowd your frizzy hair care with labels that say "anti-frizz", "hydrating" or "moisturising".
- Stop overwashing
- Shield Hair from Humidity
- Dry and Brush Hair with Care
- Protect Your Hair While You Sleep
Washing your hair too often can strip the hair of its natural oils, making it dry and frizzy. Now that you know what frizzy hair is and what aggravates it, limit your washes to 2-3 times a week and use some dry shampoo on non-wash days to soak up excess oils and freshen your hair.
Frizz is caused by humidity. Learning how to prevent frizzy hair is all about humidity-resistant formulas, like anti-frizz hair sprays and gels. This helps seal the cuticle and prevent excess moisture from penetrating it, dodging the frizz.
Whenever you dry and brush your hair, be gentle. Handle it as though you were holding a silk dress. Go gentle while drying and brushing your hair so as not to create ugly tangles and knots. Avoid rubbing your hair with a rough towel after frizzy hair care as this creates friction and opens the cuticle, creating frizz.
Cotton pillowcase causes friction that might lead to frizz and breakage. Change to a silk or satin pillowcase as it is friendlier for your frizzy hair care and makes your lengths retain moisture. Moreover, you can tie your hair up in a loose braid or bun before sleeping to cut down on the friction and wake up with smoother hair.
The best way to deal with hair concerns is by nipping them in the bud. Now that you know all there is about ‘what is frizzy hair’, it’s time to create your routine. Check out the extensive Frizz Dismiss range by Redken to create an end-to-end routine. For more scoops on how to get luscious hair, check out the hair care blogs by Redken.