As you all know, fall is here and winter is approaching! As these glorious, beautiful months move in, the weather changes, and the air gets drier. As the air gets drier, this little thing called “static” gets rambunctious and does wild things to our hair. If you’re like me and prefer not to resemble good ol’ Albert Einstein, these tips and tricks may benefit you. Because no matter the season, there’s always potential for a hair disaster.
In case you have a frizzy hair emergency, follow these steps to put moisture back into your hair. Some of these tips may be the same, because the common denominator here is dryness. Your hair may get frizzy when it is dry and there is no moisture in the air, or it may get frizzy when it is dry and there IS moisture in the air.
Static
Static electricity is formed most often when the air is dry (the humidity is low). When the air is humid, water molecules can collect on the surface of certain materials. This can prevent the buildup of electrical charges, thus the reason static in your hair is so common during the cold, dry months.
A few ways you may be able to prevent static in your hair:
- Avoid using a plastic comb
- Rub a dryer sheet on your hair
- Run some light moisturizer or hair oil over your ends
- Dry your hair with an ionic blow dryer (when needed)
- Hairspray or a hair mist (or water)
Now, onto “The Frizz.”
Frizz usually occurs when your hair is lacking moisture.
The three main causes of frizzy hair:
- Hair type
- Hair damage
- Humidity
When your hair is dry, it tries to pull moisture from the air around it, causing dampness which makes dry hair meet up with wet hair in an unwanted visit.
Wet hair mixed with dry hair = frizz.
This is the reason humidity often makes frizz worse, and also why your hair may sometimes dry frizzy if you allow it to air-dry in weather with a lot of humidity.
The key to getting rid of “The Frizz” is to obtain moisture in your hair. This may be harder for some than others, but ultimately the goal is to have healthy hair, even if that means having a little bit of frizz now and then.
More reasons you may be dealing with “The Frizz”:
Excess washing.
Learn your hair type so you know how often you should be washing your hair, and also which products you should be using. Check out this chart to learn your hair type, or this one for more info about how to determine your hair type and hair density. This article does recommend to pull a few hairs out to test (you’ll see what I mean after reading it), but you don’t have to do that.
Washing with hot water.
Plain and simple, heat dries things out. If you’re washing with hot water, using a hair dryer, and then using various other heat tools, you can bet your hair will be FRIZZY after a while. To prevent this, rinse your hair in cold water and use the heat tools in moderation.
A few ways you can help eliminate frizzy hair:
Put moisture back in your hair by using a leave-in oil or leave-in conditioner, along with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.
Note: If you have oily-prone hair already, I suggest avoiding a moisturizing shampoo. People often ask me why their hair dries oily immediately after washing. After asking them if they use a moisturizing shampoo, I have often found that that is the problem. Using a moisturizing shampoo on type 1A, 1B, and 1C hair may cause excessive oil production, but never fear, this is a commonly made mistake and can easily be corrected by switching to a volumizing shampoo or one for “normal” hair.
You may ask, “Like, what does NORMAL hair even mean?!”
This just means any hair type that is not dry or curly/kinky, so type 1A, 1B, and 1C hair and type 2A hair (usually).
You can still use the moisturizing conditioner, just not on the scalp. This is what I do because I want the ends of my hair to have ALL of the moisture. ALL OF IT.
*insert sinister laugh here*
ALWAYS use conditioner.
Always, always, always.
I’m amazed when I hear someone say they don’t use conditioner.
Oh my goodness, WHY?
If you have curly hair and you’re worried about weighing down your curls, simply use a shampoo/conditioner for curly hair (refer to hair type chart linked above), then do your oil treatments right before your hair-washing day. Only use conditioner on your roots if you have a very dry scalp. I typically start at the base of my neck and condition down.
Do hair treatments often.
Just a few suggestions:
- Avocado & Olive Oil Mask
- Raw Egg & Olive Oil Treatment
- Coconut Oil or Olive Oil Treatment
- Carbonated Water Rinse
- Argan Oil
You can also apply a few drops of leave-in oil to your hair throughout the day as you see those little frizzies starting to attack. (Here’s what I do.)
Avoid Excessive Heat
Don’t hold heat on your hair for long periods of time. If you use a hairdryer, first let your hair air dry about 75% (ish) of the way, then finish off with the hairdryer. I actually do this a lot. The ends of my hair don’t receive as much damage this way. I’m basically just drying my scalp and the middle of my hair.
Curling wands, curling irons, and crimping irons are some of my favorite tools to use, but they can sometimes cause noticeable frizz. Never use them on the highest setting unless you have very coarse hair and you’re positive it’s not too much for your hair. Always be sure to not let the tools linger on your hair very long.
Well, ladies, I hope these tips help you and make your life so much easier!
Until next time,
Hugs and blessings to you all —
Hannah