How to Defeat Frizzy Hair, Once and For All

Frizzy hair is great when you’re showing off your voluminous and luscious curls. But for times you want a sleek smooth look, that’s where you might want to look at certain products and tricks and tips to keep those flyaways at bay.

To do that, you have to understand how frizzy hair is formed in the first place before applying any product or changing up some daily habits. To help guide you, we turned to our trusty hairstylists for their advice on how to keep hair moisturized and smooth. See what the experts had to say below.

What causes frizzy hair?

 There are many things that contribute to frizzy hair. The main one is lack of moisture. While she says all hair types can get frizz, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Deeper Than Hair Annagjid Kee Taylor explains that curlier hair types are more susceptible to being frizz because they are naturally drier than other hair types and it’s harder for the scalp’s natural oils to make its way down from the roots. 

Celebrity hairstylist Sophie Gutterman agrees and adds that when the natural texture is compromised, that’s when hair is most likely to get frizzy. “This can happen from not properly styling the hair when it is wet in its natural state,” she says. “Brushing out curly hair when it’s dry will cause frizz because it’s changing how the hair was set when it was wet.”

Celebrity hairstylist and lead artist at Sexyhair Graham Nation also lists habits such as running your fingers through your hair before it’s completely dry, over drying your hair, using hot tools with excessive heat, and color damage as things that can cause frizzy hair. Not to mention if you happen to be prone to split ends. 

How to tackle frizzy hair:

1. Cool it with the hot tools. So, how do you begin to smooth out frizzy hair? First thing would be not to overheat the cuticles. Nation says that if you’re using hot tools, it’s important you use it asses how much heat you’re using. Something like a hair dryer, for example, he says you should turn down the heat setting as your hair gets dry. Never blast your hair with high and max heat.
2. Say goodbye to scorching hot showers. We’re all guilty of this, but those high temps does more than just dry out our skin and hair. Nation explains that extra hot water on your hair opens up the hair cuticle, causing it to be more frizz-prone. This doesn’t mean you have to shower in the cold. Instead, he says to end your shower with a quick cold rinse to close the cuticle. 
3. Sleep on a silk pillowcase or wear a silk bonnet to bed. The benefits of silk on your hair are many. Taylor says that sleeping on a silk pillowcase or silk bonnet prolongs the life of whatever hairstyle you’re wearing that day and reduces friction when you sleep so that you have fewer tangles, frizz, and breakage. 
4. Use the right hair care ingredients. Gutterman says hair oils and creams are going to be your go-to products when wanting to smooth out frizzy hair and to looking for nourishing and moisturizing ingredients such as argan oil, shea butter, and keratin. She likes the All About Curls Luxe Leave-In as it provides hydration to help hair control frizz.  “Think of products as problem solvers,” adds Nation. He agrees with Gutterman and says that you’ll want some sort of leave-in product or detangler to protect strands from hair and that it should be the first product in your hair regimen as it will go the deepest in the cuticle. Next, he recommends a styling product that addresses the frizz directly. You’ll want to use a heat protectant spray to shield hair from hot tool damage and a cream like the SexyHair Curling Crème is packed with moisture to help hair that’s prone to frizz stay smooth. Taylor recommends using an oil treatment a few times a week — depending on your hair’s porosity and texture. Something like the Deeper Than Hair First Class To Jamaica Castor Oil boosts your hair’s natural shine and conditions strands to fight off frizz.