If you regularly experience frizzy hair, chances are that you’ve experimented with different strategies to tame your mane. Frizzy hair typically happens when the cuticle layer of hair raises, allowing moisture to pass through and swell the strands. That ultimately makes hair appear dry and frizzy. Individual hair fibers also run in different directions, which is why frizzy hair feels rough instead of soft and smooth.
If you were to look at the cuticle layer underneath a microscope, you would see that it looks like shingles on a roof. This is because hair consists of several different layers of keratin protein. The cuticle is the external layer and the inner layers are the cortex and medulla. When your cuticle layer is sealed properly, it easily retains moisture in the hair shaft for longer, making your hair less frizzy.
What Causes Frizz?
There are four contributing factors to frizzy hair, the first being the environment, e.g. humidity. Hair fibers are just like sponges when exposed to moisture and the hydrophobic bonds from styling products break as moisture weaves in and out of hair fibers. The diameter of the hair fiber also contributes to frizz. As mentioned earlier, frizzy hair is essentially misaligned hair fibers and the thicker the fiber, the more difficult it is to reshape and tame. The third cause is how curly a person’s hair is because curlier hair has a greater challenge of aligning hair fibers. Finally, the amount of damage to hair also contributes to frizz. Consider that breakage, split ends, and cuticle loss can all give hair a frizzy appearance because hair fibers are not uniform.
What Can You Do To Reduce Frizz?
There are many things that can help you control the frizz. Frizzy hair is not easy to deal with and your efforts to control it may differ depending on hair type. Many stylists encourage people to consider the following tips when trying to control and reduce frizz:
- Avoid washing your hair every day because washing too often can deplete the hair of moisture. The lack of moisture raises hair cuticles and causes frizz. Ideally, wash your hair two to three times per week to prevent frizz.
- Don’t use a traditional bristle hairbrush because they may damage hair cuticles and contribute to frizz. Instead, switch to a wide-toothed comb to help prevent breakage and damage.
- Try to avoid terry cloth towels for drying your hair because cloth towels can add damaging friction to your hair. Instead, use a microfiber towel or simply allow your hair to air dry to reduce frizz.
- It may seem like a great idea, but stylists encourage you to avoid hair dryers if you want to control the frizz. Excess heat can damage the hair and lead to frizz. Ionic hair dryers, however, reduce damage while effectively and safely drying your hair.
- Use the homemade anti-frizz serum below because it helps to restore shine and texture, making your hair appear soft and silky. The ingredients provide your hair with moisture and help protect the hair follicle, which calms the hair and reduces frizz. If you use it, let us know how you like it in the comments below.
Homemade Anti-Frizz Serum
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon castor oil
- 1/4 cup flaxseed oil
- 10 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 6 drops rosemary essential oil
- 6 drops peppermint essential oil
Instructions:
- Using a funnel, pour the avocado oil, castor oil, and flaxseed oil into a four-ounce spray bottle.
- Add the essential oils, screw on the top, and shake well to combine.
- In order to use, fritz the serum lightly over wet hair after a shower. Don’t apply too much because you only need a couple sprays. Too much serum will make your hair appear oily.
- Comb the serum through your hair and then apply other styling products as needed.
- If you have curly hair, turn your head upside down and scrunch your curls up toward your scalp. That will help your curls form a uniform pattern. Finally, comb your using a wide-toothed comb.
