Anti-frizz shine serums, smoothing pomades–we all are aware of them, we all have tried them. And most of the time they can save us. But what about those times when you do not have your entire proved and tested arsenal of products with you to tame the frizz beast on your head? These 7 frizzy hair hacks will save your hair and day when your home stash is out reach. They have been tested and recommended by yours, truly!
1. Lint Dryer Sheets
A couple of weeks ago in a local beauty supply store I stumbled into a new and “revolutionary” product that should be a day and life saver in case your hair decides to misbehave, which is something my hair likes to do on a daily basis. However, it turned my canopy–the outer layer of your hair–into a field of frizzy, scattered strands. I was already excited for this new discovery when I flipped the package, looked at the ingredients, and saw that the 50$ product was a package of none other than …lint dryer sheets!
Of course, the package was cute and stylish. But that was the only difference. At home, I double-checked the ingredients of my natural lint dryer sheets and they pretty much matched. Why spend 50$ on a fancy product when you can use 4$ lint dryer sheets? Be sure that they are from a natural brand, you don’t want to use overly perfumed and synthetic stuff on your tresses.
How do they work?
The sheets are normally contain cationic surfactants: The same as you can find in your favorite leave in or conditioner (think about Cetrimonium Chloride”>. The positive charged head of these surfactants has an electrostatic attraction to the negative charged surface of the hair: The hydrophobic chain of the surfactant can adhere flat to the hair cortex, forming a film that reduce frizz, static, and smoothes the strands. Again, be sure to use an organic and natural brand because most of the non organic household items are fully packed with nasty chemicals. Yeek!
2. Lipstick or Lip balm
I have probably the worst hairline ever: I have a tons of little curly baby fine hair that NEVER lies flat. Never. It drives me crazy, especially when I forget to put some edge taming gel on it. If that is the case, I luckily always carry a lip balm with me. I tend to use almost only natural products, and the positive thing about it is that organic lip balm are normally made with waxes and oils as a base. They are normally pretty good at glueing down my edges if I can’t use my normal products.
How to apply it
Take a little bit of lip balm with your fingertips and smooth down the baby hair. It works on fine hair, so I can’t promise it will work if you have coarser hair, but give it a try! Another great hack that we use at shootings and runway is to use the infallible 8 hours cream by Elizabeth Arden. It works for smoothing down flyaways and frizz. I tend to prefer the lip balm than lipstick because the 8 hour creams are full of mineral oil.
3. Vinegar Rinse
No more conditioner? No worries. It seems impossible, because we all are products junkies. But once, it actually happened to me! I go through conditioner faster than shampoo, but for a strange reason I always buy them together and in the same amount. If you can’t rely on your conditioner to tame your frizzy hair, use a mixture of water and vinegar to rinse your hair after shampoo.
What does it do?
It will bring the pH of your hair cortex down and close the cuticles of the hair shaft that will give you shiny, frizz-free hair. I normally use 1 part of vinegar to 4 parts of water and apply it right after my shampoo. It won’t help with detangling… so do that before the shower if you can!
4. Natural Hairspray
I never use hairspray, but sometimes I really need it to keep a style in place. My weapon of choice is to use a mixture of orange juice and water. It is enough sticky to keep your style in place, and it will also hydrate your hair. It smells good, too. I mix 1 part of freshly pressed orange juice to 5 parts of water. If you have glycerin around, add a tablespoon of it. Shake well and pour into a spray bottle.
5. Honey and Lemon In Shampoo
I often use a mixture of honey and lemon to naturally lighten my hair, especially after noticing my hair was becoming extremely softer, frizz-free and shinier. I experimented putting a couple of tablespoons of lemon and honey in the shampoo to see what happened–magic! My Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex shampoo became even better than before.
How does it work?
If I want a completely safe wash day experience, I always mix a bit of honey and some lemon juice into my shampoo. Since they are fresh ingredients you have to pour some shampoo in a little container and mix it right before stepping into the shower. I am too lazy to do it everyday but when I do it, my hair is always in his best state!
6. Hand Lotion
During the day my hair normally swells up and becomes bigger and bigger. It is normal, especially while living in a cold, humid climate. If you also have this problem, the next time you are using hand cream run your hands over the canopy of your hair while the cream is still not fully absorbed into your skin. It will be like putting leave in conditioner on it! For this trick I suggest to use an organic silicone-free hand cream. Even better if not heavily scented with synthetic fragrance.
7. Toothbrush and Orange Juice
Not only can you create your own natural homemade hairspray from oranges, you can also use pure orange juice on a toothbrush to smooth down baby fine hair or precisely smooth down flyways. It will dry sticking down your frizz for a polished look.
