The texture of your hair is determined by your genes. Depending on your genetic makeup, you may have straight, wavy, or curly hair.
Wavy to curly hair types are also more prone to frizz. In general, frizzy hair is caused by a lack of moisture. To combat frizz, it’s important to use styling and treatment methods that are friendly to curly hair.
What causes frizz?
While frizziness alone isn’t genetic, you may notice your curls get frizzy quite easily. You may also have oily roots, but the rest of your curls tend to be on the drier side. This is because natural oils, or sebum, in your hair follicles have a more difficult time traveling down the length of your hair.
Ironically, humidity can also make frizz worse. This is a direct result of water molecules in the air that penetrate your hair cuticle and cause it to reconstruct its shape. Humidity can make any hair type frizzy, but when you have dry, curly hair, the effects may be more pronounced.
Excessive sun exposure and swimming in chlorinated pools can also lead to more frizz because of damage to the cuticle.
The way you take care of your hair may also cause more frizz. Such habits include:
- skipping conditioner
- shampooing the whole length of your hair, rather than just the roots
- rubbing your hair dry with a towel
- using heated tools too often
- pulling your hair back in tight styles
How to Style
In general, you can keep your hair looking less frizzy by:
- shampooing your roots only and conditioning the length of your hair
- using a conditioning spray to remove tangles as needed
- using a wide-tooth comb on wet hair
- brushing only to style — the need for 100 brush strokes per day is a myth
For extremely dry hair, consider shampooing a few times a week only. Overwashing can cause more dryness, which may damage the cuticle and lead to even more frizz. Consider touching up oily roots with a dry shampoo in between washes.
If your curls are extremely dry and brittle, it’s best to let your curls air dry after each wash. You don’t want to use heated tools every day. These can damage the cuticle, leading to even more frizz.
You should also avoid scrunching your hair with mousse or gel if you have curly hair. This can inadvertently break apart your natural curls and lead to more frizz.
Apply an alcohol-free leave-in conditioner or moisturizing serum as your final step. This helps to seal your hair cuticle to prevent further dryness and damage, thereby reducing the risk of frizz.