9 Simple Tips To Avoid Frizzy Hair

Frizz is often an unwanted companion of natural hair and although some of you don’t mind a bit of it, for others it can ruin an entire Sunday’s washing routine. You can watch and read endless tutorials, visualise your goals, and put the law of attraction into work and you can still fall short trying to achieve that perfect wash and go or that gorgeous bantu knot out. It can be infuriating and frustrating at times, but fear not my friend help is on the way! Here are a few simple tips you can implement to avoid frizzy hair.

 

 

You can easily identify if your transitioning or natural hair has frizz when you have perfectly clumped curls or braid textured hair and you can see a “halo” of flyaway hairs. These unruly, authority-defying hairs “cut ties with the rest of the family” and decide to explore their surroundings. To make matters worse, sometimes anarchy sets in when the rest of the family joins in, and you’re standing in front of the mirror thinking “WHY! WHY!”.

 

 

I don’t care if you say you don’t mind or you love some frizz, the truth is, all of us, at some point in the history of our hair, want to know how to control frizzy hair. At some point, we all want our hair to be flawless for that perfect occasion or picture, just think of your wedding day for instance. Got you there, didn’t I? OK, let’s stop this frizzy hair madness now and go down to business!

 

 

#1| MICROFIBER TOWEL

If you read my article on How To Transition To Natural Hair you know I recommend ditching the cotton towel for the microfiber one. They not only suck the natural oil (sebum) off of your hair and pull it out sometimes but they also “help” to create frizz. With a microfiber towel, you don’t need to rub and squeeze your hair to remove excess water. These towels absorb water fairly quickly without unnecessary motion.

 

 

#2| PINEAPPLE YOUR HAIR

If you’re wearing your hair out, grabbing it at the top and front of your head (the pineapple) will ensure that you maintain your style for longer without any frizz. If you do have some frizz it will be hardly noticeable when you let your hair down. This is a style you normally wear to bed at night, but you can also rock it during the day, it’s super cute!

 

 

#3| MINIMISE MANIPULATION

Yes, we are all mesmerised by the beauty of our curls, but that doesn’t mean you should be touching it all the time. You’re not only  taking its natural oils but you’re also disrupting your curl formation and therefore creating frizz. Stop this at once! Unless of course, you looove frizz.

 

 

#4| SATIN PILLOWCASE/BONET

Just as cotton towels create frizz so do your regular pillow cases. Imagine yourself turning in bed at night, rubbing your hair against the pillow. You are basically creating friction and allowing your curls to set apart while the pillow is sucking the moisture out of your hair, which is one of the main causes of frizz. A satin pillowcase or bonnet will avoid all of these problems. They are quite inexpensive, so go and buy yours quickly!

 

 

#5| PROTECTIVE STYLES

Some of you might find it boring while for others it will be a godsend, but keeping your hair set in protective styles for longer throughout the week will minimise hair frizz. If you prefer, you can do low maintenance styles. Don’t know the difference between the two? Read this post here.

 

 

#6| AVOID HUMECTANTS

Using products with humectants during summertime in high-humidity conditions can create and exacerbate frizz on your hair. Depending on where you are, during the summer, there is a lot of moisture in the air, and because humectants are attracted to water they will seek to bond with it. In other words, they will draw moisture from the air into your hair which will swell and create those unruly frizzy hairs. Check to see if your products have humectants in their first five ingredients. Here are a few examples: glycerin, honey, hydrolyzed silk keratin, hexylene glycol, potassium PCA, glucose, sorbitol, panthenol,  propylene glycol, laureth (1-30), etc.

 

 

#7| MOISTURISE

Lorraine Massey, author of the book  “Curly Girl: The Handbook”, says it and I have to agree with her “Wherever there is frizz, there is a curl begging for moisture”. Curly hair begs for moisture and to stay frizz-free you have to keep it hydrated. Pick a good moisturiser and seal your hair, this will quench your hair’s thirst and keep your frizz under control.

 

 

#8| AVOID HARSH SHAMPOOS

Although conditioners are meant to balance the hair’s pH, and lay the cuticle layers of the hair down and smooth after the use of shampoos, the latter can be particularly ruthless on naturally curly hair and you can still end up with frizzy hair. Try using a sulphate free or low sulphate shampoo, they are gentler on the hair.

 

 

#9| SET YOUR STYLE RIGHT

Not all people will attest to this, but setting your style in wet or soaking wet hair as done the trick for me. When I apply my products on wet hair and style it the way I want (the LOC Method), the moisture is trapped inside and I can stay frizz free for several days. However, it is very important to follow all previous tips to maximise your results and avoid frizz.

 

There are several other tips I could give you to avoid frizzy hair, however, I will leave those for another post. For now, I want you to try some or all of these suggestions, and tell me how they worked out for you.

 

What do you do to avoid frizzy hair? Do you have any tips you can share here? 

Featured Image Credit: Unsplash