Guide to Buying the Best Shampoo for Frizzy Hair

Hair gets frizzy when the cuticles of the strands lift, resulting in a rough hair texture and increased friction between hair fibers. As a result, if your hair is prone to frizz you may find it difficult to keep your hairstyle in place.

But not to fear! Certain types of shampoos can help you tame your frizzy hair, transforming it to have a smooth and shiny texture. The following post will give you a better understanding of how to purchase the right shampoo to keep your frizzy hair under control.

Frizz mostly occurs due to a lack of hair moisture and an increase in atmospheric humidity, but some other factors can make your hair susceptible to frizz.

woman with dark skin and afro frizzy hair

What Causes Frizzy Hair?

Dry hair: Frizz mostly occurs due to a lack of moisture in the hair and an increase in atmospheric humidity but some other factors can make your hair susceptible to frizz.

Damaged cuticle: The outer layer of your hair consists of small scales —cuticles. When cuticles lay flat, it’s difficult for moisture from the air to pass to the inner layers of your hair. The tightened cuticle layer also helps to keep internal moisture inside your hair.

On the other hand, a raised cuticle allows the internal moisture from the hair to escape, leaving your strands thirsty. A raised cuticle also allows moisture from humid air to pass easily through the cuticle layer, causing hair fibers to swell.

High porosity hair: Chemically treated hair is overly porous and more prone to frizz than virgin and healthy hair. High porosity hair can easily be deprived of natural moisture.

Hair type: When it comes to curly hair, the natural oils can’t flow down the strands smoothly as they can flow down naturally straight hair. This is why kinky hair lacks internal moisture and is particularly susceptible to frizz due to changes in humidity.

Sulfate-Free Shampoos for Better Frizz Control

For those who struggle with frizzy hair, it is especially important to realize that the problem they experience can be associated with the type of shampoo they use.

Ordinary shampoos lack the moisturizing agents needed to soothe and prevent frizzy hair. These shampoos can dry out your hair, stripping away the much-needed natural oils.

The reason why ordinary shampoos pose such a problem is sulfate-based cleansers. Sulfates are effective cleansing agents that also create rich foam and bubbles, but they are also responsible for excessive dryness of your scalp and hair. Harsh sulfate-based cleansers in hair shampoos can damage the cuticle, leaving your hair vulnerable to changes in humidity levels.

beautiful dark skinned girl with frizzy hair

How to Buy a Good Frizz-Control Shampoo

Not every shampoo advertised to tame frizzy hair is effective. Those who want to put an end to their frizz problem must learn how to pick their regular hair care products wisely.

A good shampoo for frizzy hair not only should be free of all harmful ingredients, such as sulfate cleansers and other harsh chemicals, but it should have moisturizing and nourishing ingredients that help repair damaged strands and keep hair hydrated.

Hair shampoos enriched with amino acids and hydrolyzed proteins repair the damaged cuticle and lock in moisture making hair more resistant to humidity.

Shampoos that contain humectants, such as glycerin or Panthenol are proven to help manage frizz. An anti-frizz shampoo should also contain natural oils, such as argan, jojoba, or coconut oil.

Another thing to watch out for is the optimal pH value. Contrary to some misconceptions, it’s actually better to use a slightly acidic shampoo, as this helps to keep hair cuticles flat. 

Good looking afro woman with frizzy hair

Shampoo Brands Designed to Tame Frizz

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1. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Defrizzing Shampoo is formulated to moisturize and tame frizzy hair, giving you the curls you have always desired. The gentle cleansing action and moisturizing properties of this shampoo make your curl soft, well-defined, and frizz-free. This shampoo is most suitable for wavy, curly, and coiled hair.

2. Silk18 Natural Hair Shampoo contains silk amino acids that have been hydrolyzed from raw silk. Due to their small molecular weight silk amino acids have excellent penetrating and moisture-binding abilities. Amino acids contained in the formula penetrate through the hair cuticle and draw moisture into the hair shaft, improving hair hydration. This results in well-hydrated, softer, and smoother hair. Such hair is more manageable and less prone to frizz.

3. Maple Holistics Argan Oil Shampoo is formulated with six hair oils that are highly beneficial for hair and scalp health: Argan, Jojoba, Avocado, Almond, Peach Kernel, and Camellia Seed oil. These ultra-nourishing oils lock in moisture and strengthen dry and damaged hair while restoring shine and softness. While some moisturizing shampoos can make hair look greasy and heavy, this shampoo doesn’t weigh your hair down or reduce volume. The gentle formula is safe for color-treated hair. A neutral, mild smell makes this product suitable for both genders.

4. Agave Healing Oil – Smoothing Shampoo (Walmart) is infused with Agave plant extracts and moisturizing emollients to nourish and hydrate your hair while helping boost color vibrancy. Agave Smoothing Shampoo also tames curls and coils, prevents frizz, and adds shine to your dry, lifeless hair. It leaves your hair soft and easy to style. This shampoo has a fresh soothing scent.

5. Moroccanoil Smoothing Shampoo is a highly concentrated hydrating shampoo formulated with amino acids to replenish lost keratin, tame frizz, and improve manageability. It softens and moisturizes hair, leaving it clean, shiny, and more resistant to frizz in humid weather.

beautiful dark skinned girl with frizzy black hair

Anti-Frizz Conditioners

Taking care of picking out a good shampoo for frizzy hair will prove to be in vain unless complementing products are also used, including an anti-frizz conditioner. Some people have the habit of simply buying the matching conditioner to go along with the chosen shampoo, but that might not always be the best approach.

Much like shampoos, conditioners must be free of all the wrong ingredients, and full of the right ones. Some of the right ingredients for conditioners meant to combat frizzy hair include vitamin E, Panthenol, and Aloe Vera.

In addition to washing and conditioning the hair regularly, it’s also important to do deep moisturizing treatments once a week. This helps combat the original problem of the hair not having enough moisture.

Choosing the right shampoo and conditioner is a powerful approach to preventing frizz, but how those products are used is also important. Add a bit of the conditioner to the shampoo when washing, then let the hair air dry after applying the conditioner. Finish up by rinsing with cold water, which helps seal the cuticle and prevent the appearance of frizz.

Hair Care Routines that may Lead to Frizzy Hair

  1. Frequent shampooing, accompanied by using harsh, sulfate-based shampoos can result in dry and frizzy hair.
  2. Hot water can strip your hair of natural oils and lift the cuticle, leaving hair prone to frizz.
  3. Overuse of hot styling tools can damage the cuticle and dry out hair, causing it to look tangled or untamed.
  4. Hair coloring and other chemical treatments can damage the hair cuticle, leaving your hair dry, overly porous, and prone to frizzing.
Girl with curly hair washed with frizz-control shampoo