Unruly, frazzled locks? You’re not alone. So many people suffer from this common mane mishap and alarmingly it’s something more of us will have to contend with in years to come too – as frizz in hair tends to grow as you age.
Frizzy hair refers to hair strands that stick out or curl up sporadically in different directions causing uneven and messy textures that don’t align with the main body of the hair. Whether you have curly, wavy, or straight hair-frizz is often inevitable.
Depending on your hair type and condition, frizz can manifest in many different ways. Still, the result is almost always the same – Fuzzy and irregular textures that refuse to blend in, making your hair look unruly, unkempt, and difficult to manage. While there is no precise dictionary definition of what frizz means, most women would describe it as their number one struggle in doing their hair.
Do I Have Frizzy Hair?
To determine your hair type, ask yourself these questions: Do they look untidy, frazzled, frayed, fluffy, fuzzy, or damaged?
To put it simply, it’s a hair strand that’s completely worn out and has lost its suppleness, smoothness, and natural pattern, making it unpredictable to style and manage. That’s why frizziness is often associated with the term “bad hair day” .
What Causes Frizzy Hair?
If you live in a humid climate, summer weather doesn’t only bring good things with it — it can bring frizz. Frizzy hair can be frustrating, especially when nothing seems to tame it.
But as annoying as frizzy hair might be, most of us aren’t exactly sure what causes it, which means we’re in the dark about the best possible way to manage it.
Here are a few of the most common culprits of frizzy hair:
- Dryness and dehydration cause your hair to absorb excess moisture. Curly and wavy hair is more prone to dryness, which means it’s more prone to frizz. When your hair is dry, frizz can happen when it absorbs moisture from the environment. Even for healthy hair, high humidity environments can lead to frizz when your hair absorbs excess moisture. With 70% humidity on average in Pakistan, our weather practically nurtures frizz.
- Over washing and Over-shampooing. This causes the hair to lose moisture and lose its natural oils.
- Over-styling damages the hair cuticle and causes frizz. Heat damage and styling are other common culprits of frizzy hair. The high heat from blow-drying or flat-ironing can damage the hair’s cuticle, causing frizz. Dying, bleaching and other chemical treatments also damage the cuticle, causing brittleness and breakage, a recipe for frizz.
- Friction lifting the hair cuticle and creating frizz. If your hair is curly, wavy, or prone to frizz, brushing when it’s dry is a big no-no. Brushing lifts the cuticle, creating frizz. Sleeping on a rough cotton pillowcase or vigorously towel-drying can also ruffle the cuticle layer.
- Washing your hair with very warm water. Washing your hair in really hot water can cause the same effect as humidity. It also stresses your hair and your scalp, That’s why it’s best to wash your hair in lukewarm water.
How To Tame Frizzy Hair?
If you’ve wondered how to manage frizzy hair on a day-to-day basis, Here is Sunday’s guide to frizzy hair! The first thing you want to do is start with the right shampoo and conditioner. Use products that are formulated for your hair type with added ingredients that help eliminate frizz and increase shine, like keratin and sweet almond oil.
In addition, these steps might also help:
- Reduce heat styling.
- Use lukewarm water for washing your hair.
- Don’t wash your hair too often.
- Use leave-in-conditioners or masks.
- Use hair serums to lock in moisture and tame your hair.
- Avoid harsh products. look out for Paraben-free and Sulphate-free products!
- Use a microfiber towel to dry your hair.
- Use a frizz protectant if you live in a humid climate.
- Trim you hair regularly, as this will help remove any damaged ends as they develop.
- Hydrate from the inside out. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water. If your body’s dehydrated, your locks can look frizzy and dehydrated as well.
- Avoid brushing your hair when wet. This abrasively damages your cuticle and can remove large sections of it, exposing your cortex and increasing frizz and split ends.