I live in the worst possible environment for my hair and skin type. Oily skin in humidity is an oil slick. Frizz-prone hair can go from Gwyneth Paltrow to Don King in a snap. What can you do? Live with these tools in close reach and you'll be steps closer to not looking like you're a troll doll.
ALWAYS:
- Wash and condition hair with heavyweight products that are designed to combat frizz. As much as I love the sulfate-free brands I do better with silicone products. They weigh hair down without flattening it.
- Use products every day. Every day.
- Dry your hair completely before styling it. This counts as much for air-dried hair as much as blowouts. The frizz you see above is because my hair was mostly dry, but not totally dry.
- If you have wavy or curly hair, never brush it after it's dried. You will have a solid wall of frizz. If you must detangle use your fingers.
- Try to skip a day to wash hair if you can. The oil from your scalp naturally weighs it down.
- Don't overuse product. Mousse or gel in large quantities create crunchy hair. You don't want crunch, do you?
- Try to go with the texture God gave you. Haters gonna hate...their own hair. Roll with it, baby.
- Go for what works for your hair...These work for me, but you may find something better (and if you do...tell me!!)
- Beware of expensive products. I promise you I have tried (most of) them all.
- Carry hair fixers: pins, hair ties, spray. Don't go nuts, but don't go without.
Quick Fix: Light coat of hairspray. Honest to God it works. Must be light and must be the right hairspray. We're not looking to shellac your head here. Spray lightly, then quickly and lightly smooth immediately with your hand. If necessary use more, but never overspray and never use heavy hold stiff hairspray to tame frizz. Unless you're a ballerina or a figure skater, in which case you can ignore me. For now. This is the best spray I've found. Used to create the after shot above. Another secret trick: Twist hair around itself and run hands through it letting the oils in your hands weigh it down.
Long-Term Maintenance
Use product everyday. BedHead Control Freak is my jam. About $15 at Walgreens.
Should you:
Get a Brazilian Keratin Treatment? Yes, please. Sooo sleek and yum. A little costly, but a nice splurge if you can afford it. Lasts the length of your hair and weighs down the follicles excellently. Doesn't permanently straighten, but makes straightening easier.
Chemical Treatments? Nope.
Get Frequent (6 weeks to a few months) trims? Of course. Dead ends = bad news. Scraggly mess + nobody likes you (jk. Wedding Singer)
Do Heat styling? Of course, but not as your main way of styling your hair. I've been doing a lot of updos this year and it's actually tamed a lot of my frizz in the long run. I alleviated some of the stress of heat treating my hair (blowouts and straightening) and allowed my follicles to snuggle in closely with each other. I think they're happier now. And it's only March! Let your hairs be themselves, loud and proud.
Color your hair? Mmm. A little. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE TO CHANGE MY HAIR. But...I end up looking crazier for the wear. And my hair hates me for it. Too much coloring/stripping/chemical treating = damaged hair = dry = thin = hard to tame frizz. Healthy coloring (once in a while) can add a little bit of diameter to your individual strands. Toss-up really. It's a fine line there!
xo
P.S. I have tried SO many products, cheap and expensive. These are the ones I constantly come back to.
*Every few weeks or so I spazz out and forget to follow my own routine. Whether it's one product or all (see my awesome hair-fail post) my hair loses control. Just when I think, "Man, I have fabulous hair. I don't need product!" ... I am brutally wrong. These are my three go-to's. I try to replace them and try new products frequently, but these are the triumverate of keeping frizzy hair under control.