Frizzy hair is the devil! Have you ever said that? Well, most curlies don’t care for frizzy hair as it looks a mess and makes you look out of sorts. You get the big hair or static hair or just bed head hair and all of those end up amounting to a bad day hair. A bad hair day can ruin your mood big time.
Frizz is caused when the cuticles in your hair shaft are raised instead of laying flat. This amounts to hair that appears to have a life of it’s own as it stands on end refusing to be tamed. When the cuticles are flat, the hair will appear smoother. Who knew that small raised cuticles could cause such aggravation…?
Curlies in humid climates can get the frizzies even worse and as we embark on warmer months and more moisture in the air, this means that frizz is coming for you…are you ready? Here are some tips to help you combat the frizz and limit your bad hair days.
► Super seal after a DC – The main cause for frizzing is humidity in the air entering your hair shaft. If your hair is already full of moisture and super sealed, there is less room for humidity to get in so less frizz.
Washday is the perfect opportunity to direct your hair on the right course…anti-frizz by applying your seal techniques after your Deep Conditioning* (DC). You’ve cleansed your hair, detangled it and deep conditioned it. Now, it’s time to seal in the moisture and all the hard work you’ve just completed.
By sealing in that moisture you are laying down that cuticle layer so the hair stays smooth and remains flat. Your number #1 culprit is dehydration so after you’ve used water and oils* to cleanse and revive your curls you need to seal that moisture in and keep your hair from being dehydrated.
► Do a cool rinse – Cold water is known to close the hair cuticles so some suggest that after applying your leave-in you should fill a bowl with cool water, even adding ice then you dunk your hair in it! Tilt forward and scrunch out the water before applying your styling products. Seems a bit extreme? Uh, yea, so here’s a much tamer version.
Just stand in your shower before applying your leave-in and allow the cool water run down your hair as it will help seal in the moisture by closing the hair cuticle. Depending on your tolerance, turn the temperature to col; yes, you can do it!
That’s all well and fine for those who hair will go into a bun but what about those with short hair? What style can I do to avoid frizz?
You can still do many of the tips mentioned above like the cool rinse, air drying and not touching your hair until it’s dry. Using anti-humidity products and drying your hair with a microfiber towel or with an old t-shirt will combat any frizz you get from any style.
Good tips, thank you Sabrina! I often look like a brillo pad after washing and drying. Will try some of these and see what happens!
Thanks for these tips, I’ve tried them and they help a lot. Another thing I’ve recently learned is that washing your hair with soap raises the ph which opens up the cuticle as well. The solution is to spritz with diluted vinegar to make the hair acidic again and close the cuticle.
This was a great article! I will definitely try to cool rinse after my next wash. Whenever I’m wearing my hair out and curly I use the CURLS Curl Gel-les’c that gives me definition, hold, shine and blocks humidity. It’s may absolutely fave product for curly styling and I’ve tried quite a few.
http://www.curlkitshop.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=171
i want my hair frizzy how do i do?
Lovely tips. Thanks Leeznijis Blog
IMO the colder the water the better. Those of us who swear by this have SHINY hair as well as strong healthy cuticles–the cold water helps our cuticles to contract and THAT action along with sealing in our moisture goodies ensure our good stuff does not leak back out–the UP side is healthier, more luscious hair that stays soft and has the BOING factor.
The SHINE is a result of intact cuticles SLAMMED SHUT. We do this by ending the wash day or moisturizing session with an weak acid diluted with water (ACV or Aloe juice or lemon juice) all ICE cold and mixed with water then spritz it on our hair as we pull DOWN, allowing the cold water to pour over from root to tip–in the end–SHINE
Shine is the result of light reflecting off closed cuticles and bouncing back off of hair–true shine is from healthy closed cuticles–you can fake the shine if your hair is damaged with hair gloss or oils but true shine won’t mess up your clothes and is a sure sign your cuticles ergo your hair is really, really healthy!
Of course it goes without saying that the less frizz the more shine and the more closed the cuticle, the more all these things are achieved!