Tame That Mane – From Frizz to Fab

by Rakhi P.

Hello again, my pretty ladies,

I acknowledge that our quest for attaining perfection is endless. Day in and day out we try and give ourselves every possible product, treatment and piece of advice to pamper our body and hair. While some of these help us, others do not. We end up being disappointed and often questioning ourselves “Where did I go wrong?”

While we leave no stone unturned to pamper our skin, we are guilty of neglecting our mane. Hair, as we all know, is one of the most important beautifying accessory for a woman. While some women are gifted with beautiful and almost zero-maintenance hair. A majority of us find it a daily battle to keep a check on hair problems.

One of the major factors preventing us from achieving that shiny and silky smooth hair is frizz. Frizzy hair comes with never ending problems such as dullness, roughness, and difficulty in styling. Do not fret over your hair woes. Take a step back, stop agonizing, and think what might be causing it.

Causes and Cure
We all know frizz is a result of lack of moisture in our hair locks. When the hair cuticles are enriched with natural oils or sebum it appears smooth and shiny. But when our hair is ripped off its desired moisture content, we have something called frizzy hair. On the other hand, if our hair is damaged, it tends to get more porous and absorbs more moisture which in turn also causes frizz. We have to find that right balance of moisture for our hair to keep it healthy.

Other factors which majorly contribute to frizz are:

1. Climatic conditions
We evidently notice that our hair tends to be frizzier in hot and humid conditions.

2. Shampoo
Be armed well in advance to combat the unfavourable climate so that it leaves you unaffected. For starters, choose the right shampoo. You will come across many products which claim to have “anti-frizz” solution. I would suggest to rather opt for shampoos which have the keywords “hydrating” and “moisturizing” printed on them.

3. Conditioner
While selecting a conditioner, be it the normal one or leave in, go through the ingredients list to find the words cationic surfactants and amino silicones. These two miracle ingredients in a conditioner help prevent frizz.

4. Blow Dryers and other styling Tool
We all want our tresses to be manageable and look great. Hence, we end up overusing our blow dryer or other styling tools almost daily. You could have the best hair in this world but still end up looking like Lion King if you are using a bad blow dryer. Invest in good professional blow dryers and other styling tools- the ones which have ionic technology and speed drying time. The ionic blow dryers help the water in wet hair dry up faster. They emit negative ions which help in preventing frizz.

5. Harsh, Chemical Stuffed Hair Products
We have a plethora of options around us for our mane. High end products which make our hair look amazing but that is temporary. As we know, too much of anything is bad. The same holds true in case of hair as well. Overusing hair products can rip the moisture off our hair, leading to dry, frizzy hair. Go easy on those hair styling mousse, gel and hairsprays.

Always look for the ingredients before making any purchase. Avoid products with sulfate or high alcohol content as they have a very drying effect on our hair and make them brittle as well. Thanks to a few brands who have come up with alcohol-free shampoos and hair styling products.

A Few Tips and Tricks to Make Your Hair go Frizz to Fab

1. Rinse it off cool
Once you are done with your shampoo and conditioning routine, make it an absolute point to rinse off your conditioner with cool water. In fact, the cooler the water the better it gets. This process ensures the hair cuticles are closed and the moisture is locked, leaving behind that shiny smooth hair.

2. Avoid That Friction
Post hair wash, do not get into a fight with your towel. Your head is neither a battleground nor a cricket field. So avoid all sorts of friction. Your hair is delicate and more prone to breakage when wet. Just pull your hair to one side of your head and squeeze off the excess water and if time permits allow it to dry naturally. This will prevent the hair cuticles from opening up and becoming frizzy.

3. Get that Much Needed Spa for your Strands
When we can go out of our way to pamper our skin to no ends, why not the hair? Hair spas are blessings in disguise. Put in that extra effort to drag/pull yourself to a salon for a proper pampering session. Trust me your tresses will thank you for it and you will end up having smooth, ever so healthy and shiny hair.

4. Choose the Right Brush
Like Your face, you hair is different too. You cannot just use a generic comb or hair brush and expect gorgeous hair. If you do not use the right comb, you might end up pulling out, tugging or breaking your hair strands, and you will be left with the “oh-so frizzy hair”. Using a natural bristle brush will not only help you attain a polished look but also smooth those fly away strands.

Also you can brush your hair from scalp to the tips just for a couple of minutes in the morning and night. It will help evenly distribute the natural oils secreted, along the length of your hair, making it smooth. Please refrain from over brushing your hair. If you feel more comfortable with a hair comb, then please go ahead and get yourselves wooden combs as they help in massaging your scalp, improving circulation.

5. Choose the Right Hair Styling Product
Hair styling products can help you protect your hair from the stress of blow drying, ironing and curling. Make sure you know which product works best for your tresses. For instance, if you have fine hair, using heavy weight styling products will weigh down your hair and make it look greasy, instead of adding volume and bounce to it. On the other hand, if you have thick hair and you use lightweight products which are actually meant for fine hair girls, you will most probably end up looking like a cotton candy or a carrot top (frizzy, hair all spiked up, disobeying the laws of gravity). *chuckles*

So please invest a little time in doing your research before just splurging on random products just because they belong to some high end brand. In conclusion I would again repeat excess of anything is bad. So do not overdo it.

I also happen to have a list of DIYs home remedies to tame your fizz 🙂

1. Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with equal amount of water can be used for your last rinse. This simple procedure adds sheen to your hair and makes it less frizzy. Do it every two to four weeks. You can also apply diluted ACV (with water) on your scalp with the help of a cotton ball. Gently massage your hair and scalp for proper distribution and leave it for 15 minutes. Rinse it after that. You can do this once a week or once in 10 days.

2. Beer has enough antioxidants, amino acids, minerals and other good stuff needed for restoring that lost moisture in your hair. You can either cover your hair in beer, leave it be for some time and then rinse it off or you can mix beer with your shampoo and follow the regular routine.

3. Carbonated or aerated water like club soda or sparkling water helps lower the pH of your hair and thereby helps fight frizz. All you need to do is rinse your hair with carbonated water after a hair wash. You need to give this remedy some time before it can start showing results.

4. Mayonnaise might be a taboo for health but works pretty good for hair. Mix mayonnaise with a few drops of any essential and apply it religiously to each hair strand. Leave it on for 20 minutes and rinse it off with ACV diluted with water.

5. Make a simple hair mask of 1 cup curd, 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon honey. Cover your hair with this mask. Leave it on for 20-30 minutes and rinse it off. Apply this mask twice a week.

6. Coming to a magic oil, I recently came across- Grapeseed oil. This oil works wonders for dull, frizzy and damaged hair. The oils is very light and thus penetrates into the scalp easily. It makes its way to every cuticle, seals in the moisture and makes your tresses healthy and shiny. For results, use this oil in hot oil treatments 2-3 times a week.

7. Black tea contains vitamin C and E which not only nourishes your hair making it soft, lustrous and smooth but also protects your hair against the harmful UV rays of the sun. Add some tea bags to water and let it boil. Allow it to cool down completely and use it as a hair rinse followed by finally rinsing it off with plain water.

8. Yet another easy and quick way to add some shine to your hair is boiling guava leaves and bark and applying that concoction to your scalp after cooling it down.

P.S I have listed DIYs which you can do at your convenience. However do not do everything at the same time. All these above mentioned remedies are natural and will take some time before showing the desired results. Don’t be disheartened if you do not see results immediately. Figure out what works best for your hair, alone or in combination and stick to those remedies.

Always remember, you hair will be how you treat it. It requires the same amount of love and care as does your skin. Try to go the natural way as much and as often as possible. Protect your tresses from pollution, harsh chemicals and various other factors which add to its woes. It’s always a good time to start anything good. As they say “A little goes a long way.” 🙂

Until then, look beautiful and feel beautiful girls. 🙂

Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

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