Don’t get us wrong; we love warmer weather as much as the next person — trips to the beach, outdoor BBQs, warm, sunny weather — but one thing we don’t love is hair frizz. While some of us are more prone to it than others (i.e., those with coily or curly hair), higher temperatures and humidity can turn even the sleekest hair types among us into a poofy, frizzy mess.
Just because hot weather inevitably leads to frizz doesn’t mean you have to hide beneath a hat or umbrella. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite hair care tips, styling products, and strategies for how to get rid of frizzy hair. These tricks will help keep your hair sleek, smooth, and frizz-free from Memorial Day all the way through Labor Day.
Wait, what causes frizz anyway?
Before we dive into how to get rid of frizzy hair, let’s talk about what causes frizz in the first place. While it’s just a part of some people’s DNA, frizz typically affects those who repeatedly alter their hair texture with heat styling and harmful grooming habits. All of this can cause breakage, tangling, and split ends — making your hair look dry, dull, and frizzy.
At a microscopic level, frizzy and damaged hair has undergone excessive weathering that’s worn down the outermost layers of your hair shaft, known as the cuticle. Once this is removed, the inner cortex layer is exposed, which can lead to hair breakage. In other words, having frizzy tresses is a sign of major hair damage that has compromised the structure of your hair strands and stripped its hydration away.
How to get rid of frizzy hair once and for all
The more hydrated your locks are, the more the cuticle layer will lie flat, leaving you with smooth, flyaway-free hair. So how do you achieve these types of strands? By following these tips for how to get rid of frizzy hair.
1. Choose a glycerin-packed shampoo + conditioner
While we always make it a point to create sulfate-free formulas, avoiding this ingredient may be particularly helpful for those prone to dryness and frizz. It’s also helpful to reach for products rich in glycerin, which helps combat frizz by penetrating the hair and hydrating it from the inside out. Glycerin is an excellent humectant, meaning it absorbs the extra moisture in the air and creates a protective coating around the outside of the hair shaft to help lock in moisture.
Not sure where to start in your product search? Look no further! Our customized shampoo and conditioner are packed with glycerin, and they can also be tailored to your specific hair goals. You can enhance your formula to be frizz-fighting by adding goals like anti-frizz, shine, straighten, and curl definition, so your hair can stay smooth and look healthy all year round.
2. Use a deep conditioning mask at least once a week
For an extra boost of hydration, reach for a rich deep conditioning mask at least once a week. A high-quality hair mask not only helps moisturize your hair from the inside out; it also protects your tresses from things like heat damage and split ends — two major causes of hair frizz.
Pro Tip: Here’s what causes split ends and how you can prevent them.
3. Ditch your regular hair towel
Using the wrong towel can literally make or break your hair (specifically the latter), as wet hair is in its most vulnerable state. Rather than using a cotton towel, which can cause friction and breakage, reach for a plush microfiber towel instead.
The softer fabric is not only more gentle on your strands, but it’s specially designed to dry your hair faster and reduce the amount of swelling that occurs in wet hair, which is what makes it prone to frizz and damage. If you have curly or coily locks, you can even dry your hair by “plopping” it in a T-shirt to cut down on frizz.
4. Use a diffuser when drying your hair
Listen up, curly-haired girls — this one’s for you! While heat styling can be damaging, you don’t need to swear off your blow dryer to get rid of frizzy hair. When you blow-dry your hair, be sure to add a diffuser attachment to help limit the amount of direct heat and forceful air hitting your strands. Blow-drying with a diffuser will keep your hair from being tossed around too much while you dry. This creates less friction and, thus, less frizz.
Pro Tip: Here’s what scientists have to say about blow-drying.
5. Condition your hair all day long
Dry hair is prone to frizz and damage, so you need to fight the frizz with all-day moisturization. Go beyond in-shower conditioner with a good-quality leave-in product, like our customized leave-in treatment. In addition to providing your hair with a hefty dose of long-lasting moisture and nourishment, it also helps smooth, hydrate, and protect your hair in ways that rinse-out products can’t. Apply the leave-in to clean, wet hair or use it on dry hair to smooth out frizz and flyaways.
6. Invest in a silk pillowcase
It might seem a little extra, but a silk pillowcase can do a lot to help combat frizz and split ends. That’s because, like your cotton towel, the standard cotton pillowcase can pull at your hair fibers and create friction while you’re tossing and turning at night, leaving you with frizz, breakage, and tangles come morning. Silk, on the other hand, is a far smoother and gentler fabric that will help maintain your hair’s natural oils while you sleep, reducing the amount of friction and damage it’s exposed to overnight.
Pro Tip: Satin wraps can also benefit your hair, day or night.
7. Skip the hairspray
While a generous spritz of hairspray might seem like an essential step before heading out on a balmy day, it will actually cause more harm than good. Even the most lightweight hairsprays tend to contain drying alcohols, which create build-up and cause the hair cuticle to swell and become puffy. In other words, this hair product is basically frizz’s best friend, so just do yourself a favor and stay away.
8. Touch up with a mascara wand
For stubborn flyaways that need extra help staying flat, try reaching for a mascara wand (no, seriously!). Just spritz the end of a clean mascara wand or toothbrush with a bit of dry oil spray and gently skim it over the frizzy area for extra hold and smoothness.
Pro Tip: Here are some more tips on how to protect hair.
9. Don’t be a stranger to your hairstylist
If you ask a hairstylist how to get rid of frizzy hair, they’ll probably tell you it’s time for a trim. Split ends and breakage often make your hair frizzy, which is why you should keep your locks trimmed. Plan on getting a haircut every eight weeks or so. A fresh trim will help rid your mane of any damaged ends, which reduces your potential for frizz while also keeping your hair looking healthy and smooth.
10. Let your hair air-dry before blow-drying
Although hot tools may seem counterintuitive here, they can help seal the hair cuticle so that your strands lay flat and smooth. Just like with your blow dryer, the key is not to overdo it, as thermal damage can also cause frizz.
The secret? Apply a heat protectant, like our customized hair serum, while your tresses are still damp. Then allow your hair to air-dry the majority of the way (about 75%) before finishing it off with your blow dryer. Just be sure to set the dryer on low heat, hold it six inches away from your hair at all times, and keep it moving so that it doesn’t overheat a section of your hair and cause damage.
Pro Tip: Here’s how to get the perfect air-dried look.
11. Hands off the hair!
We know it’s hard, but if you’re already following most of these tips and still wondering how to get rid of frizzy hair, you gotta stop touching it. Your hands might be the culprit making your hair frizzy. The more you run your fingers through your hair, the more friction and frizz you create — especially in curly or wavy hair.
If you have a habit of playing with your tresses throughout the day, try wearing a braid or sleek topknot to help keep your fingers away. You can also embrace these hair accessory trends and use a headband or embellished clips to keep your strands in place and away from your face, where you’re more likely to touch them.
Get rid of frizzy hair and embrace your natural texture
For those wondering how to get rid of frizzy hair, these hair-healthy products, tips, and tricks can certainly do wonders. But on your mission to tame frizz, it’s also important to work with what your mama gave you. Rather than fight your hair’s natural texture and style, embrace it! Let your straight, wavy, curly, or coily hair do its thing because trust us; there are going to be times where no matter what you do (or how many products you layer on), your hair is just not going to stay straight and smooth. So why stress? Get out there and live your life instead!
Whether you want to tame frizzy hair or embrace your natural texture, we can help you create the perfect shampoo and conditioner. Start here to take our hair quiz!
