We all have mornings when the stray strands in our hair are a little too much. These untamed strands are what we call frizz and are often challenging to handle, especially when you want to retain a certain hairstyle. Frizz occurs in all hair types, whether straight, wavy, curly, or coily. Knowing how to play with your hair type is the best way to control frizz. This post focuses on what causes frizz and what you can do to prevent frizz in your hair type.
What Causes Frizz?
Frizz is essentially dry hair. When you head outside after styling your hair, the dehydrated strands start seeking moisture from the surrounding humidity, which causes them to swell and lift. This is why you may experience more frizz when it's humid or if you're in a humid area.
However, frizz varies depending on different circumstances. For example, wet and humid weather increases frizz because dry hair strands absorb moisture from the air and swell. In cold weather, the dry air dehydrates the hair strands, causing them to dry up and form frizz.
In addition, if your hair is damaged from heat, over-processing, and chemical manipulation, it tends to form frizz. Damaged hair strands tend to be dry and porous, which causes them to absorb moisture from the air and cause frizz.
Sometimes, tight hairstyles such as ponytails stretch the hair thin and increase breakage, which increases frizz. Also, products that dehydrate your hair tend to increase frizz.
Managing Frizz For Straight Hair
Straight hair can get frizzy, which makes it challenging to manage, and style. Here are some frizz prevention tips for straight hair.
- Always apply heat protectant when using heat curlers, blow dryers, flat irons, and crimping tools to prevent heat damage.
- If you have to blow dry your hair, reduce the heat you use. Use a low or cool setting, or invest in a tool such as RevAir that draws moisture from your scalp and hair strands to straighten your hair.
- Invest in a blow dryer with a diffuser, because it distributes the heat evenly on the scalp instead of concentrating the heat on one section of your hair.
- If you're going out in the sun on a hot day, cover your hair to protect it from the extreme heat.
- Invest in products that moisturize your hair type, and prevent dehydration. Deep conditioning treatments, moisturizing leave-in conditioners with keratin, and hair oils that lock in the moisture are excellent for managing frizz in straight hair.
- After a shampoo session, remember to go in with a conditioner to balance the moisture and reduce the friction between fibers that causes frizz.
- While shampooing is essential to keeping clean hair, avoid over-shampooing because it dehydrates your hair and removes essential oils that prevent frizz.
- Avoid washing your hair in hot water. Instead, use warm water and rinse with cold water to seal the hair cuticles.
- Dry your hair gently after washing. Rigorous towel drying can damage your hair cuticles and increase frizz.
- After brushing down your hair, or before going outside, apply an anti-frizz serum.
- Remember to cover your hair with a silk bonnet or scarf before sleeping.
- Get a regular hair trim, especially along the edges, to remove split ends that increase frizz.
Managing Frizz For Wavy Hair
It seems challenging to manage beautiful wavy hair without frizz getting into the way and ruining the look. However, it's possible to control frizz in your wavy hair while maintaining your hair's natural and healthy appearance.
- Wash and treat your hair with healthy sulfate-free and alcohol-free products. Products that cleanse your hair while stripping the moisture and natural oil increase dryness and give you more frizz.
- Rehydrate your hair strands with a deep conditioning mask at least once every week or two weeks, depending on how dry your hair is.
- Wavy hair tends to perform well with silicone-based shampoos. The silicone coats the hair strands and smooths the hair shaft to prevent extra moisture absorption.
- Right before you finish your wash, rinse your hair with cold water to seal your cuticles.
- After washing your hair, gently squeeze out the excess water with a towel. Avoid twisting the hair or rubbing the towel vigorously into your hair because it increases frizz.
- Work the conditioner into your hair after a shampoo wash to increase hair hydration, and prevent sudden swelling during the day. Separate your hair into sections and take time to apply the product from the root to the tip. Remember to detangle the hair gently as you apply the product to avoid hair breakage.
- If you have the time, air-dry your hair. However, if that's not possible, use a hairdryer with a diffuser.
- Invest in a regular trim to remove damaged edges that cause frizz. If you regularly style your hair with chemicals and heat, you'll require more frequent trims.
- Use gel or mousse for light styling before blow-drying your hair. A mousse is incredibly wonderful for taming frizz without weighing down your hair.
Managing Frizz For Curly Hair
Big, juicy, and bouncy curls are a dream for most people with curly hair. However, frizz tends to interfere and result in a halo or web-like situation. Fortunately, you can reduce the frizz in your curly hair with the following frizz prevention tips.
- Use the right products and techniques for your hair type to prevent dryness.
○ If you have low porosity hair, you need to place more effort to get moisturizing products into your hair shaft. Use warm water for washing the hair and heat caps for hair treatments. Also, use hot-oil treatments for pre-shampoo and light oils to seal in the moisture.
○ If you have high-porosity hair, protein treatments, deep conditioners, moisturizing creams, and butter are your friends because they help the hair retain as much moisture as possible. Use cold water to rinse off the hair, and use oils to seal in the moisture.
- If your hair is dry, increase your deep treatments. Have at least two treatments weekly or bi-weekly. Also, use water-based moisturizers for daily moisture to keep your hair hydrated.
- Wash your hair with clarifying shampoos that remove product build-up, especially if you frequently add products to your hair. Product build-up covers the hair shaft and prevents product absorption, which causes dryness and increases frizz.
- Avoid products that contain sulfates because they remove your natural oils and alcohol because it dries your hair and increases frizz.
- Apply your styling products when your hair is wet and let the hair dry with the product on your hair. It's also better to manipulate your hair when it's wet.
- Avoid using high heat on your hair because it causes heat damage. If you need to use blow dryers, use one with a diffuser because it distributes the heat evenly and improves your hair's overall appearance once it dries. Also, remember to use a heat protectant before applying heat to your hair.
Managing Frizz For Coily Hair
It takes time to style your coily hair, and the last thing you need is frizz destroying your look. Fortunately, it's possible to tame the frizz and enjoy your glamorous natural crown for an entire day. Here are some frizz prevention tips for coily hair.
- Wash your hair with lukewarm water. Hot water strips all the oils and products from your hair, leaving it dry and brittle, while cold water decreases your hair volume. Warm water is the best option.
- Dry your hair with a microfiber towel. Gently pat your hair and squeeze out the water instead of rubbing the towel vigorously over the scalp. If you don't have a microfiber towel, use a cotton t-shirt.
- Dryness is the leading cause of frizz. Therefore you want to keep your hair moisturized all the time. Invest in deep conditioners and sealing oils that trap the moisture in your hair. Oils such as jojoba, argan, olive, and avocado are easily absorbed into the hair shaft and improve your hair softness to prevent breakage.
- If you have tightly coiled hair, protein is your friend. Invest in protein treatments to lock in the moisture and add structure to your hair to prevent moisture absorption in humid environments.
- Avoid dry styling, especially when undoing style. Use light butter and oils to coat the hair before gently undoing the hair and styling it. If you're using combs, manipulate the hair when it's damp instead of dry. Avoid heat styling but if you have to, ensure that you treat your hair and use a heat protectant.
- Avoid using products with humectants in humid places or in wet weather because they draw in moisture and increase the frizz in your hair.
- Use protective styles such as braids and twists that help the hair retain moisture and styling. You should also sleep in a silk bonnet or scarf.
- No matter how hard it gets, keep your hands away from your hair during the day.
RevAir is always looking for tips to help you manage healthy hair. Check out more of our blogs for information about keeping a frizz-free crown.
