“How can I get rid of frizz?”

...is our most commonly asked question here at Only Curls.

Here’s our expert tips to help reduce frizz and get your curly/wavy locks under control.

What is frizz and what causes it?

Frizzy hair is hair that doesn’t align with the rest of your hair, but stands up or curls independently. It often sits up in individual strands, creating a halo or fuzzy effect around the hair. Curly and wavy hair is particularly prone to frizz. 

To understand how to tame frizz, it’s important to know the cause of it:

Lack of moisture – hair absorbs moisture from the air, dry hairs will rise up to grab the moisture from the air, causing frizz. This explains why hair is more frizzy in damp or humid climates.

Heat Damage –overstyling with heat tools will strip hair of its natural oils and cause vulnerable frizz prone strands.

Over Brushing – brushing curly or waving hair when dry will break up the curls and cause friction, resulting in immediate frizz.

Towel Drying– vigorous drying with a regular cotton towel will roughen up the cuticle and leave hair frizzy before you’ve even begun styling.

Split Ends– split ends = frizzy ends and the longer you leave them the worse they will get.

Hot Shower temperature– as in humid climates dry hair will love all the steam in the air from a hot shower. 

Humidity/moisture in the air –impossible to control but our tips below can help.

"What can I do to get rid of the frizz?"

Here’s 25 ways to help:

1. Hydrate – like skin, your hair needs hydration. Keep your hair and body well hydrated by drinking plenty of water, especially in the Summer months.

2. Turn down the shower temperature and wear a shower cap– less steam in the air = less frizz and if you cover your hair with a shower cap on non wash days, that’s an extra barrier to stop your hair reaching for all the moisture. 

3. Add additional Moisture into your routine – curly hair usually needs extra moisture. Always follow shampoo with conditioner and consider a leave-in styler like our Hydrating Curl Creme. 

4. Ditch the sulfates – while a great cleansing ingredient, sulfates can be really drying and this isn’t good for our already frizz prone locks. Try a gentler option like our Sulfate-free foaming All Curl Cleanser, or our non foaming Cleansing Co-Wash. 

5. Avoid silicones - silicones will leave your hair feeling silky and smooth, but can usually only be removed with a shampoo containing sulfates. When using a sulfate-free shampoo it’s good to avoid silicones also, otherwise they have a tendency to build up on the hair, blocking further moisture from entering and creating brittle hair underneath. Only Curls products are all sulfate and silicone free.

6. Reduce the heat – don’t over style with heat tools. Try to limit use, and if you do use them, use some heat protection spray (just find a silicone free one)

7. Make time for a Hair Mask – regular deep conditioning treatments offer some extra TLC and much needed moisture for our curly locks.

8. Brush curls when wet – brushing curly or waving hair when dry will break up the curls and cause friction, resulting in immediate frizz. Instead try gently detangling your curls, while your conditioner is in there, in the shower.

9. Switch to a microfibre towel or cotton t-shirt– vigorous drying with a regular cotton towel will roughen up the cuticle and leave hair frizzy before you’ve even begun styling.

10. Don’t over wash– curly hair doesn’t usually need washing every day. If you like to wash your hair regularly, but are finding your curls a little dry, try a more moisturising cleanser like our Cleansing Co-Wash. You can even try using this every other wash.

11. Get a regular trim– banish split, fuzzy ends with a regular trim. If you are looking for a curl expert find your nearest salon stockists here.

12. Keep your Hydrating Curl Creme in the shower and apply to soaking wet hair– hair is smoothest when wet, so applying your first styling product to soaking wet hair often results in smooth, glossy curls.

13. Invest in a misting bottle– next day curls/ non-wash day curls are often a battle for us curlies. Add a little conditioner into a misting bottle full of water and use this to hydrate and refresh next day curls. You can find our how to refresh tutorial here.

14. Sleep in a Satin Bonnet -Sleeping in a satin bonnet will help retain moisture in the hair and will help to keep your curls intact with less frizz. This means longer lasting, well conditioned curls, and a faster morning routine.

15. Not keen on a bonnet, try a Silk Pillowcase –as with a silky bonnet, the smooth fabric absorbs less moisture than a cotton pillowcase keeping your curls hydrated through the night. A silk pillowcase will keep your curls and skin looking fresh.

16. Try a gel in your routine– the word gel can sound scary and reminiscent of 90’s hair care. But scrunching a gel into curly hair adds definition, hold and maintains frizz. We have a medium hold Enhancing Curl Gel and the strong hold Mega Curl Gel, both of which can be applied as the last step in your hair routine before drying.

17. Try the ‘Smasters’ technique– if you are seeing some frizz during your drying process, try this. Once around 80% dry simply scrunch in a little more gel. It works best to do this with damp hands for a more even application.

18. Squish to Condish– water is key for hydrated locks. After applying your conditioner and combing through. Tip your hair upside down and squish in the conditioner and water for maximum hydration before rinsing.

19. Scalp Massage– get your circulation going and encourage sebum production with regular scalp massages. You can do this with a little coconut oil on your fingertips which is also a great way to promote a healthy scalp.

20. Don’t fully rinse out the conditioner– try leaving in a little of your conditioner for extra moisture.

21. Finger Coil– defined curls usually appear less frizzy. Taking 5 minutes to finger coil your damp curls, gives extra definition and helps frizz align frizz back into the curl pattern. Check out our finger foiling tutorial.

22. Experiment with application -Try different techniques when applying your styling products such as praying hands (palm flat either side of the hair) or using the Denman Brush technique to ensure even product application.

23. Diffuse– using a diffuser attachment on your hairdryer disperses the air and is a much gentler way of drying curls, keeping your curls intact and encouraging curl formation. Regular nozzle attachments apply direct air/heat and the forceful air will blow out the curl clumps creating a frizzy look. Here are our guide to diffusing curly hair.

24. Glaze –once your hair is dry, you can combat any halo frizz by glazing a very fine layer of the Enhancing Curl Gel over your curls.

25. Try a new updo –if it’s humid, or you’re having a day where your curls aren’t cooperating, don’t fight it. Instead accessorise and try a new up do! We have so many gorgeous accessories for curls here.

I’ve tried all this and my hair is still frizzy:

For us Curlies, it may not be possible to banish frizz 100%. Thanks to the natural oils from the scalp not easily travelling down all the loops and spirals, we are prone to dryness, which we know causes frizz. 

While we do our best by creating fabulous products and tools to help define curls and reduce frizz, we do think a little frizz often needs to be accepted and embraced when it comes to curly hair. 

A little frizz can equal extra volume, and we’re ok with that!

If you’re still suffering from frizz and need help do let us know. Our team of curl experts would love to hear from you.