5 Causes of Frizzy Curls & How to Prevent It
Do you struggle with very frizzy hair? If you have naturally curly hair, it’s likely that you have experienced frizz. It’s completely normal to get frizz, however, if you prefer a more defined, tamed look for your curls, there are ways to minimise frizz using Curlsmith’s expertly created products and the right techniques.
Table of contents:
Top Causes of Frizzy Curls
Natural Hair Characteristics
Curly hair is known to be much frizzier than straight hair due to its unique curved shape. Straight hair appears less frizzy because each hair strand lays uniformly and smoothly. With curly hair, our hair strands bend and curve and often don’t lay smoothly, which makes them so unique! Those with a tighter curl pattern such as coily and curly types are more likely to experience frizz, whereas wavy hair may not have as much frizz.
Texture also plays a factor, because coarse hair is not as smooth. Porosity also impacts how frizzy your hair may be. High porosity hair or damaged hair does not have a smooth cuticle and can easily lose moisture, resulting in dry frizz.
Dryness
Curly hair also tends to be naturally dry, especially those with curly to coily patterns. Our scalp’s natural oil, sebum, has trouble travelling down the strands so the lengths of the hair can lose moisture quickly. Frizz caused by dryness often appears as flyaways, static, and an overall rough feeling. Dry, frizzy hair also usually appears dull.
Lack of Hold
One of the biggest causes of frizz is due to a lack of hold in your styling products. “Hold” is that cast or crunch that forms when your hair dries after using styling products. This cast provides a protective barrier on the hair to hold frizz in and help curls maintain their definition. Frizz that is caused by lack of hold will feel overly soft or fluffy after the hair is dried.
If you’re not currently using styling products, your hair will lose moisture quickly and become frizzy. While styling creams are great at providing moisture, they often don’t provide enough hold for those with frizzy hair. Also, if you are using a gel that does not dry with a cast, you likely will develop frizz after your hair dries or by the next day.
Styling Technique
The way in which you apply your curly hair products will also affect how much frizz you have. If your hair is not wet enough when you’re applying your styling products, you may experience wet frizz. Wet frizz can also be due to build-up on the hair that is hindering the stylers from being effective.
Not evenly applying your products can also result in frizz. If you are simply glazing in your gel over the surface of your hair, you may see frizz poke through as it dries. Applying your gel in sections will ensure each strand is evenly coated with gel from root to tip for maximum frizz protection. This will also smooth out tangles that will often dry frizzy.
Humidity
If you live in an environment that is often humid in the summer or even year-round, your curls will fall flat and frizz up when you go outside. Humidity is defined as the amount of water vapour in the air. Water molecules penetrate the hair’s surface and cause frizz to form. The hair will often feel slightly damp, fuzzy, and overly soft. Your gel cast can also disappear after being out in the humidity.
Prevention
Fortunately, there are ways to get rid of frizz and prevent it from forming. Keeping your curls moisturised, using products with hold, and applying them with the right styling techniques will tame frizz.
If you are experiencing frizz from dryness, using products that contain moisturising ingredients will smooth the hair's cuticle and prevent frizz from forming as the hair dries. If you have dry hair, use a moisturising shampoo and conditioner. In addition, deep conditioner regularly, such as once a week or every two weeks, to maintain moisture. Those with hair that is not very dry can deep condition once a month or less.
Most curl types can also benefit from using a leave-in conditioner or a curl cream as the first step in their styling routine. This provides a base layer of moisture to keep the hair from drying out throughout the week.
It’s important to evenly apply your products to damp or wet hair to reduce frizz, and add water as needed while you’re styling. Also, ensure your hair is fully detangled before applying products. Use a brush or your fingers to smooth the hair as you’re styling.
Deep conditioners, conditioners, and leave-in conditioners will provide moisture to prevent dryness that can lead to frizz, but they are not designed to actually tame frizz. Styling products such as gel will tame frizz and keep it at bay. Gels create a protective cast on the hair once dried that will prevent frizz from forming.
Fortunately for those who don’t like crunchy hair, you can scrunch out the gel cast after your hair is fully dry. A well-formulated gel will not cause your hair to frizz up right after scrunching out the gel cast. There are various techniques to achieve a gel cast without that crunchy look. You can also leave some of the gel cast in for longer-lasting frizz-protection, which is especially beneficial in humidity.
While humidity is inevitable and frizz is tough to avoid, there are some ways to reduce the effects of it on your hair. Ensure you are using a gel that has strong hold, and look for ingredients that fight humidity such as “Polyquaternium-69.” This ingredient provides a protective barrier on the hair that can help shield it from humidity.
Properly diffusing is key to not causing frizz as your hair dries. Avoid touching and disturbing your curls as they’re drying. Begin by hovering your diffuser at a distance, and then you can gently scrunch your hair with the diffuser once the protective gel cast starts to form.
If you prefer to air dry, refrain from touching your hair as much as possible and avoid going out in wind and humidity until your hair is fully dry to prevent frizz.
Oils can also help seal moisture in your hair and protect it from humidity. Oils likely will not tame frizz entirely, but they can help smooth the hair's cuticle and prevent moisture loss.
Frizz Control Products from Curlsmith
For dry, frizzy hair, Curlsmith’s award-winning Frizz Control Cleanser is a great option. This gentle cleanser effectively removes dirt and impurities, helping to prevent frizz and leaving hair soft and manageable. Suitable for all curl types and textures, it’s packed with curl-loving ingredients like sunflower seed oil, blackcurrant, and argan oil.
For intense conditioning, Curlsmith offers multiple different deep conditioners that work for all hair types. Some are thicker than others, such as the Double Cream Deep Quencher which makes it ideal for extra dry or coarse hair. The Multi-tasking Conditioner or the Hydro Creme Soothing Mask are great options for medium to fine hair because they are more lightweight.
A leave-in conditioner will provide an extra boost of moisture for dry hair. Curlsmith’s Leave-In Conditioners range from lightweight moisture such as the Moisture Memory Reactivator or Frizz Control Duo Conditioner for fine to medium-textured hair to oil-based creams for coarse hair that is very dry such as the Curl Conditioning Oil-in-Cream.
Using a gel is the key to controlling frizz, and fortunately, all of Curlsmith’s gels are great at taming frizz and won’t dry out your hair or make it feel brittle. Curlsmith’s gels range from soft, flexible hold to strong hold. The stronger the hold, the more long-lasting frizz protection. The Shape Up Aqua Gel is the lightest hold gel, the Frizz Rescue Curl Retainer provides a medium hold, while the In-Shower Style Fixer is the strongest hold.
The Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Shine Gel and the In-Shower Style Fixer both contain the humidity-blocking ingredient, Polyquaternium-69. Some people prefer to use one of those as their main styling product, or they add a small amount on top of their other stylers as an extra layer of protection from humidity.
Finishing off your style with an oil or a serum can help reduce moisture loss once your hair is dry. The Curlsmith Frizz Rescue Finishing Serum Intense is a unique oil-to-gel serum that helps reduce frizz by 65%, adds shine and defines. Designed for application on dry hair, it’s the ideal finishing product to keep those flyaways at bay.
Shop Curlsmith’s Frizz-Control products for the best products for frizzy curls and if you are unsure of what products would suit take the Curl Quiz.
