How to Reduce Frizz in Your Hair

Last Updated on January 2, 2023 by Gaga

Frizzy hair is one of the most annoying problems that many women deal with, especially during the humid summer months. Frizz makes hair unattractive and difficult to manage. Although the problem may seem overwhelming, some effective practices can help to keep the frizz under control.

Hair gets frizzy when the outer layer of your hair (cuticle) doesn’t lay flat. Ruffled and damaged cuticles cannot lock in the moisture needed to keep hair strong and elastic. Moisture-deprived hair tends to absorb water from the air. The porous exterior surface of the hair strand allows moisture from the atmosphere to pass through, causing the hair strands to swell, creating a frizzy look.

Before trying to prevent or tame frizz, you need to understand what causes your hair to look frizzy.

a cute African American girl with frizzy hair

What Causes Frizzy Hair?

  • The Environment: Changes in humidity levels make hair look frizzy and lose its smooth texture and shine. Humid air, wind, and UV radiation are the most common frizz-causing environmental factors. Heated indoor air can also cause frizz and flyaway hair.
  • Genetics: Naturally dry, delicate hair can be inherited. Different hair types have different reactions when exposed to humidity. Curly hair is dry because it lacks protective oils that provide a barrier against humidity. We already know that dry hair tends to suck up moisture and turn frizzy.
  • Hair care regimen:  Some hair care and hair styling practices such as over-washing or using excessive heat, can lead to dryness, damage, and breakage, contributing to the appearance of frizz.
  • Chemical treatments: Other sources of frizz are chemical hair treatments, like hair coloring, bleaching, and perming. Using too many chemicals can strip the hair of protective oils and damage the cuticle layer which assists in the moisture retention process. Over-processed hair is dry and porous and readily absorbs moisture from humid air.

How to Prevent Frizz from Occurring?

To get your frizz under control, you have to deal with the root causes of frizzy hair. Below are a few guidelines on what changes you need to make in your current routine to prevent frizz from developing and get smoother hair.

  1. Reduce the frequency of washing. Don’t wash your hair daily. Overwashing can strip hair of its natural oils, which help control and prevent frizz. For people with normal or dry hair, it is advisable to wash their hair twice a week at most, using a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo. Don’t rinse your hair with hot water after using shampoo and conditioner, as hot water raises the cuticle and causes frizz.
  2. Avoid excessive brushing. Avoid using a hair brush for combing your hair. Brushing, especially when using a plastic comb, can disrupt the hair cuticle, resulting in hair static. Excessive brushing also stretches hair strands, which may lead to breakage. Breakage leaves twisted hair pieces that lead to that “poofy” appearance.
  3. Don’t rub your hair with a towel. Rough towel drying can disturb the cuticle and create frizz. Gently squeeze excess water from your hair and wrap it in a microfiber towel or a T-shirt to soak up moisture, keeping the cuticle smooth.
  4. Avoid alcohol-containing products. Alcohol and other preservatives are often used in hair products to extend their shelf life. Alcohol-filled hair styling products can dry hair, causing the appearance of frizz. To reduce frizz, make a switch to alcohol-free styling products.
  5. Be careful with flat ironing. If possible, stop or reduce the use of hot styling tools. If you do use a flat iron, start at a low-temperature setting and don’t exceed 365 F to avoid damage to hair from excessive heat.
  6. Protect your hair from environmental factors. To prevent frizz, avoid exposing your hair to the wind and humidity. Put your hair in a bun or pull it up into a ponytail on windy and humid days. Before you go swimming, protect your hair from chlorine, which can strip the hair of natural oils, resulting in dryness and damage. Saturate your hair with fresh water before you enter the pool and rinse it immediately after you finish swimming.

How to Tame Frizzy Hair

  1. Use conditioner after each shampoo. Use a rinse-out conditioner each time you shampoo to smooth the cuticle and keep your hair well-moisturized.  Use cool water during the conditioning stage to close down the cuticle, prevent frizz, and impart shine.
  2. Dry the hair properly. Let your hair air-dry 90 percent of the way before you blow-dry. Select a hairdryer with ionic technology that helps reduce static electricity. Use low-temperature settings and blow dry in a downward motion to smooth the cuticles and prevent your strands from developing frizz.
  3. Do deep conditioning. Apply a deep-conditioning treatment once a week to infuse your dry hair with moisture, repair damaged strands, and increase softness and shine. Use packs with potent moisturizing ingredients, such as olive, avocado, and jojoba oils. Doing hot-oil treatments also helps keep your hair properly moisturized and frizz-free.
  4. Use leave-in conditioners. Apply a leave-in conditioner while your hair is still damp to gently remove tangles and prevent damage from combing. A leave-in conditioner fills your locks with extra moisture and helps smooth frizzy strands.
  5. Use a wide-toothed comb. Gently comb your hair while it is still wet, using a wide-toothed comb, to reduce breakage. Avoid using plastic combs or brushes to keep static away from your hair.
  6. Use anti-frizz serums. You can use anti-frizz styling products, such as anti-frizz serums and hair sprays that contain water-soluble silicones (Dimethicone Copolyol and Cyclomethicone). Those products coat your hair with a thin film, which acts as a barrier between the hair strands and outdoor humidity.
  7. Use hair oils. Plant oils, like argan, almond, and coconut oil trap moisture inside the hair, tame static and frizz, and add a healthy shine. Apply a dime-size amount of oil to clean, damp hair, preferably to the ends. These nourishing oils differ from heavy synthetic products because they help repair hair damage, instead of just covering it.
  8. Switch to a satin pillowcase. Cotton pillowcases suck up the moisture from your hair. Satin or silk pillowcases are smoother and gentler to hair, which helps retain moisture and reduce frizz-inducing friction.
  9. Get regular trims. Trim your hair regularly to remove damaged ends. Damaged hair is more prone to develop frizz than healthy and well-nourished hair.
a student girl with frizzy hair

In-Salon Treatments for Frizzy Hair

Keratin Hair Treatment

This procedure involves the application of liquid keratin into the hair and intense flat iron heat to seal the treatment. Keratin straightening products coat the hair strands and create straight, smooth, and frizz-free hair.

Brazilian Blowout

This hair smoothing treatment infuses a mixture of amino acids into the cuticle layer to make your hair smoother, shinier, and less frizzy.

Hair Botox   

Hair Botox is a new ultra-nourishing technology that uses organic compounds to restore damaged hair. The formula contains nourishing active ingredients that penetrate the hair shaft to repair damaged fibers, seal the gaps, and flatten ruffled cuticles.

Hair Glossing Treatments

Hair gloss and hair glaze treatments will coat your strands to reduce porosity, eliminate frizz, and add reflective shine to your hair. Those treatments also enhance the color vibrancy and slow down the color-fading process.

A young girl holding an umbrella and protecting her hair from frizz

About the author

Website | + posts

Gaga is a blogger and founder of the Softer Hair website. She often says that insomnia is to blame for her first blogging attempts. Being the night owl, she hated the morning alarm. She left her office job and returned to what she loved most - writing.

 

5 thoughts on “How to Reduce Frizz in Your Hair”

  1. I have natural white hair I want to use leave-in keratin with no colors added with sunflower seed oil coconut oil do you think it will turn my white hair yellow

  2. To avoid discoloration on your white hair, you can use Moroccanoil Light Oil which is developed for lighter blonde shades. If your hair picks up yellow tones, there are many purple toning products available. Purple shampoos, masks, conditioners, and purple drops can fix the yellow tones in your hair.

  3. My hair type is curly, white with a haircut an inch below my ears. My question is if coloring my hair with a platinum color, would that help my hair from being so frizzy?
    I do use defrizz products and purple shampoo.
    Thank you,
    Carolyn

  4. I don’t think that coloring your hair would help to tame frizz. Chemicals in coloring products can make hair drier, more porous, and susceptible to frizz.
    Discuss with your stylist about applying a clear gloss or glaze treatment to enhance brightness, minimize frizz, and increase softness and shine. There are also some gentle smoothing treatments available which can be used either in a salon or at home.
    Use only sulfate-free, pH balanced or slightly acidic shampoos that include amino acids and hydrolyzed proteins that give smoothness to hair.
    Use conditioner after every shampoo.
    Use a keratin mask once a week.
    Use an ionic blow dryer.
    Apply a leave-in conditioner enriched with keratin to damp hair to infuse your locks with extra moisture and smooth frizzy strands.

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