The greatest (and perhaps the only) banes of curly and wavy hair are frizz and fly-a-ways. The definition of the curls is perfect when all the hair strands coil and clutter in bunches and don’t stick out their hands and legs :P. Frizz and fly-a-ways are also common in women who have damaged or chemical treated hair.
What is frizz and what causes it?
It is the messy tangle of hair mostly caused by lack of moisture in your hair. Humidity can also contribute to it. When your hair lacks moisture, the cuticle layer (outermost layer) of your hair is raised, allowing moisture to pass through and thus swelling the hair strands. As a result, your hair appears dry and uneven instead of smooth and defined. Hair appears smooth when the cuticle layer stays flat.
There are 3 types of frizz:
- Surface frizz – only on the outside of your hair.
- Halo frizz – only on the crown of your head.
- In-the-curl frizz – frizz in between curls destroying their definition and smoothness.
What are fly-a-ways and what causes them?
Frizz, static friction or breakage cause hair strands to stay separately from the rest of the hair. These are fly-a-ways.
Static is when something becomes charged with a net positive or negative charge. When you comb your hair, both your comb and hair get charged. When this charge occurs on materials that don’t conduct electricity well, like dry, damaged hair (an intact cuticle protects the fiber; when it’s interrupted, the fiber is more susceptible to static), the electrons just sit there. Also, if there’s enough moisture in the air, the charge can dissipate, but in very dry weather, it has no place to go. This charge build-up causes hairs to repel one another causing fly-a-ways. In short, the main culprits here are dryness, damage and the environment.
Here are some tips and tricks to tame unruly hair:
Do’s:
1. Use a hydrating shampoo and conditioner. The point is to add in moisture wherever possible. Provide hydration before your hair starts showing signs of no hydration. The shampoo and conditioner should be rich in oils and emollients. Use loads of conditioner.
2. Rinse with cold water. This will help calm the cuticle to a small extent.
3. Lock in moisture immediately after wash with a leave-in conditioner or any oil-based product. The following oils are great ant-frizz agents – Argan Oil seals the hair cuticle. Coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil have low molecular weight, so they easily penetrate the hair shaft and keep hair hydrated.
4. Sleep on silk. Silk doesn’t induce any static friction and will not rub your cuticles.
5. Make your hair strong. Help your hair rebuild its lost keratin. Protein rich treatments containing corn, rice, wheat and soy proteins are very nourishing.
6. Hide the frizz and fly-a-ways. If all else fails a quick fix is to apply a silicone-based cream or serum which will glue the cuticle. (One of my personal favorites :D)
Frizzy Hair: Causes, Treatments, Products, Home Remedies
Schwarzkopf Satin Frizz Control and Protect Nutri-Nectar Beauty Oil
Best Hair Serums For Frizzy Hair
Aussie Frizz Miracle Conditioner
How to Manage Frizzy Curly Hair
Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti-Frizz Serum
Tame That Mane – From Frizz to Fab
Homemade Hair Mask to Control Dandruff and Frizz
Turns out I have surface frizz and now know the way to control it. Good article, much needed. I have recently updated my hair care regimen and it includes all of these things.
I do all of these Anjana other than sleeping on a silk pillow.. probably thats why my frizzy hair are very under control!!