Frizz: some naturals embrace it, others hate it.
For me personally, there is a right time and place for frizz — and it is not after I’ve worked super hard to achieve a defined style or a straightened look. Take a look at these 6 tips for fighting the battle against the frizz, and keep your curly hair in check longer!
Frizz Prevention Tips
1. Beat the Weather
Ah, humidity: the natural enemy of curly hair. One of the best ways to brace your hair against humidity and frizz is to check the weather report. Low temperatures generally mean low humidity, which means the air will literally suck the moisture out of your hair. When temperatures and humidity run high, the opposite occurs, and your hair swells with the uptake of moisture from the atmosphere, causing frizz. Knowing what to expect can help you plan accordingly!
2. Avoid Humectant Leave-Ins
In the aforementioned scenarios, using humectant-based leave-ins, moisturizers, and stylers or products that contain humectants within the first 5 ingredients on the outer layers of hair should be avoided. Humectants in shampoos and conditioners are fine, since ingredients like Propylene Glycol and Glycerin don’t stick to the hair unless you leave them in. If you absolutely cannot avoid humectants, be sure to limit them to sprays and leave-ins that go underneath butters, oils, and stylers.
3. Yes to Fixatives, Films, & Sealing
Many curlies tend to hate the crunchies that come with strong hold stylers like Kinky Curly Curling Custard, TIGI Curls Rock Amplifier, and even some EcoStyler gels. But when it comes to beating frizz, those gel casts can mean the difference between a style that lasts all day, and one that falls flat the second you hit the front door. When seeking a styling, curl defining, or holding product, opt for those that contain fixatives and film forming agents like PVP and Polyquaternium-11.
Some of my favorites that contain these ingredients are: tgin Twist & Define Cream, TIGI Curlesque Curls Rock Amplifier, Curls Gel-Les’c, and Jessicurl Spiralicious Styling Gel. If you can, ride out the crunch for a day or two. It goes away and reveals soft, bouncy, shiny and defined hair. However, if the super-defined look isn’t your cup of tea, scrunch it out gently with a little bit of coconut, olive, or jojoba oil. Speaking of oils, don’t forget the all-important step of sealing! Not only will layering your favorite oil, butter, or humectant-free serum help lock moisture into your hair, it will also prevent frizzing by blocking humidity. Any oil will do the job, and so will many silicone-based protection serums.
4. Detangle Thoroughly Before Styling
Whether you’re going for a wash and go, or a super amazing bantu knot-out, having thoroughly detangled hair is a must. Tangles not only lead to breakage and knotting, but they can prevent products from evenly and thoroughly dispersing through the hair. On top of that, tangled hair is prone to premature frizzing, which can completely ruin any style. The more definition and controlled hair you seek, the more detangled your hair will need to be. Anything from a good finger detangle to a Denman Brush or Ouidad Double Detangler will do.
5. Go Protective
True story: the best twist outs I’ve ever had were the result of wearing twists for at least 4 days prior. While I never intended to have a weekend twist-out while going protective, that was always the outcome. The point here is, the more time hair has to set, the better, and longer lasting the end result will be. To combat frizz, consider rocking chunky or mini twists, braids, or even bantu knots for a few days, and then take them down to reveal super defined, long lasting style with minimal frizz. The key to a set that doesn’t frizz out? A fixative gel, serum or styler (like the ones mentioned earlier in this article”>.
6. When All Else Fails…Just Bun It
Sometimes, the frizz just wins. No matter what you do, or what you try. And when that happens? Bun it, baby! To downplay the frizz, throw on a cute headband with your bun and rock that top knot!
Watch: Upside Down French Braid Bun
