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We've all experienced it. Hair puffed up like a tumbleweed, frizzed out beyond recognition and totally unmanageable. Besides hair's natural texture, there are two main components of frizz: excess absorption of moisture combined with a raised cuticle. If you combat each of these elements, you can go a long way toward winning the war on frizz! For excess moisture, you want to think along the lines of blocking that moisture and keeping it out of the strand so that it doesn't swell up. For hair care products, look for items that say "anti frizz" or "anti humidity." You can purchase moisture blockers or just make sure that you are using products that are not water soluble such as oils and silicones. Avocado and coconut oils are humidity resistant and make great humidity blockers. Raised cuticles can give the hair that rough, puffy look and cause the strands to stick together in unruly positions. Getting the cuticles to lie down is a matter of ph balance and smoothing. Always smooth the hair in a downward direction and avoid upward strokes. Make sure your products' ph is on the (low) slightly acidic side of neutral as this will cause cuticles to retract and lay down. An easy way to do this is with an apple cider vinegar rinse as your final rinse after shampooing and conditioning. Rinsing with cool water will also cause the cuticles to retract and smooth down. Beer and carbonated water both have low ph and can be used as a final rinse if you're not too keen on the smell of vinegar. Keeping the hair smoothed down with a silk scarf is another wonderful old school trick to avoid frizzing up in weather or between destinations. Avoid brushing out the hair or using fine-toothed combs to groom the hair, as these can lend a frizzy appearance. Stick to wide tooth combs or finger combing. Always finish ends with a dab of oil or moisturizer. With the right tools and tricks, frizz can be controlled or even eliminated!
We've all experienced it. Hair puffed up like a tumbleweed, frizzed out beyond recognition and totally unmanageable. Besides hair's natural texture, there are two main components of frizz: excess absorption of moisture combined with a raised cuticle. If you combat each of these elements, you can go a long way toward winning the war on frizz! For excess moisture, you want to think along the lines of blocking that moisture and keeping it out of the strand so that it doesn't swell up. For hair care products, look for items that say "anti frizz" or "anti humidity." You can purchase moisture blockers or just make sure that you are using products that are not water soluble such as oils and silicones. Avocado and coconut oils are humidity resistant and make great humidity blockers. Raised cuticles can give the hair that rough, puffy look and cause the strands to stick together in unruly positions. Getting the cuticles to lie down is a matter of ph balance and smoothing. Always smooth the hair in a downward direction and avoid upward strokes. Make sure your products' ph is on the (low) slightly acidic side of neutral as this will cause cuticles to retract and lay down. An easy way to do this is with an apple cider vinegar rinse as your final rinse after shampooing and conditioning. Rinsing with cool water will also cause the cuticles to retract and smooth down. Beer and carbonated water both have low ph and can be used as a final rinse if you're not too keen on the smell of vinegar. Keeping the hair smoothed down with a silk scarf is another wonderful old school trick to avoid frizzing up in weather or between destinations. Avoid brushing out the hair or using fine-toothed combs to groom the hair, as these can lend a frizzy appearance. Stick to wide tooth combs or finger combing. Always finish ends with a dab of oil or moisturizer. With the right tools and tricks, frizz can be controlled or even eliminated!
