If you and your hair were to start a competition on who lives the most stressful life, who would win? Hint? Most likely your hair. Think about it: the aggressive brushing when you’re late, the amount of time it spends crushed against the couch or your bedsheets, and then again humidity, salt water and sun damage over summer, not to mention heat damage and mechanical stress. If you stop to think about all these things, it’s surprising how strong our hair is.
But at what cost? Frizz is only one of the many consequences of stressed hair – let’s see what frizzy hair is and how to tame it.
1. What Does Frizzy Hair Look Like?
Poufy, cranky hair that stands or curls on its own without following the rest of your mane: you can usually spot this kind of hair on top of your head, giving your straight hair some sort of “halo” of smaller, creating a fuzzy texture of irregular hairs that seem to have a life of their own. Curly-haired people are more prone to this issue, but it’s not exclusive to them!
2. What Causes Frizzy Hair?
Here’s the thing: to locate one precise cause of frizz can be quite tricky, as that depends a lot on your lifestyle and hair type: frizzy hair happens when the cuticle of your hair is raised, allowing moisture to pass through and swell the single strands.
The environment plays an essential role as well: frizz is often associated with humidity. Then again, the thicker your hair fibre and the curlier your hair is, the harder it is for your cuticles to stay aligned and protect your hair.
As a general rule, the main root cause behind frizzy hair is lack of moisture as a consequence to damaged hair. That’s it, you heard that: your hair food isn’t working properly, or perhaps it’s not being retained!
3. How To Get Rid Of Frizzy Hair?
Thankfully, there’s many options for you to control frizz and get rid of it for good.
- The first option, although you may not like it, is to cut your hair. Chopping off damaged and split ends is a lifesaver to retain moisture within the inner layer of your hair shaft.
- Invest in moisturizing hair products! In order to keep your hair soft and nourished, go for products rich in glycerine, which is a powerful ally in the fight against frizz – on the other hand, you want to stay away from sulphates and parabens.
- Deep condition: leave your conditioner on for around 5 minutes when washing your hair.
- Use a leave-in conditioner: this new habit will change your hair game for good, keeping it soft and smooth throughout the day. Not to mention its amazing fragrance!
- Avoid products that contain alcohol – as we just mentioned fragrance, make sure it’s all natural. Alcohol dries your hair out, which is exactly what you want to avoid.
- Seal moisture in with the right hair oil! Argan oil and almond oil are the best for frizzy and unruly hair. If you don’t know which oil is the best for your hair and scalp type, you can always refer to our guide to hair oils here.
4. A Few Extra Tips On How To Tame Frizzy Hair
When it comes to our hair, skin, and body, many of the adjustments that we can do to make their life easier (and, subsequently, promote our own well-being and beauty), apply to different aspects of our lives. In order to save your hair from frizz, breakage, and damage in general, there are many other things that you can do on top of the topical remedies.
5. Frizz Control: You Are What You Eat
Spinach, broccoli and kale - to name a few - are packed with vitamins A & C which help in sebum production, the natural oils produced on the scalp. Keep an eye on iron deficiency as well, as it’s also associated with hair thinning and loss.
Avocados may also be your best friends! High in Omega-3 fatty acids, these fruits help moisturize your hair and scalp promoting hair that is silky and shiny. Don’t like avocados? Try salmon or nuts like almonds and walnuts. Last but not least, beans and lentils! These provide not only a source of protein but also iron, zinc and biotin, which is needed for strong healthy hair.
6. How To Reduce Frizz? Start From Making Your Bed!
Have you ever thought of investing in a good, glamorous set of silk bedsheets? Although it may have started out as a fancy trend, the benefits of a silk pillowcase are most pronounced for hair, experts say, because the silk fabric can help your hair with retaining moisture, natural oils and reduce friction that could cause tangles and breakage.
Might also be worth treating yourself to a silk hair cap to sleep in!
7. How To Comb Frizzy Hair? Change Your Hairbrush!
The way your brush your hair might also contribute to your hair giving up on staying put.
Avoid brushing dry hair – it is a common misconception that hair needs to be styled only when completely dry. Of course, this is a golden rule when it comes to heat, but if your brushing (even with dry hair) is causing nothing but mayhem on your mane, then you should try working with your hair straight out of the shower. After gently towel drying the water in excess, try using a wide-toothed comb on damp hair and work your way up from the ends, in order to minimize breakage. If you absolutely have to detangle dry hair, apply a detangling leave-in conditioner and use a natural boar bristle brush to help minimize frizz.
8. Why Is My Hair So Frizzy? Blame It On Heat Damage (Too)
There’s not much that you can do with this, you need to let go of your daily use of hair straighteners and curlers for a while. Keep it for special occasions or when you’re running out of time!
But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to give up on styling your hair completely. We would never do that to you! Try some heatless remedies to style your hair – for example, flexirods and Velcro rollers. Or, if you’re looking to straighten your hair, you may want to look into this method to achieve straight hair without heat damage.
Straight Hair WITHOUT Heat!! (Curly Hair Tutorial) - YouTube
9. In Conclusion:
If you want to change the way your hair looks, the journey starts from within as well as on your head directly. As always, do your research on any product before buying it, and have patience. Behind a glorious, shiny mane, there’s always a long journey made of trial and error and bad hair days. Get to know your hair type first, invest in good quality products and speak to your trusted hairdresser for more details.
Stay fabulous!
