Whatever your hair type, anyone can find themselves battling frizz in heat and humidity. Once you know what causes frizzy hair, you can take simple steps to prevent it.
There isn’t just one simple trick to smoothing frizzy hair - there are several ways to keep your tresses looking sleek. We’ve put together the main causes of frizzy, dry hair - and some helpful hair care tips to ensure your style stays smooth and defined.
Why is my hair so frizzy?
It’s a mixture of two things – humid or hot weather, and how moisturised your hair is to start with.
The main cause of frizz is a lack of moisture in your hair. This causes your hair to seek out and absorb moisture from the air, causing frizz - which also explains why humidity can make frizz even worse.
Here are six reasons why your hair might be so frizzy, coupled with easy steps you can take to ensure complete frizz control.
What causes frizzy hair?
1. Rough towel drying
While you may think drying your hair with a towel is better than using a hairdryer, wrapping your hair in an abrasive bath towel can actually draw the oils out of your hair, resulting in frizz. Instead, try a microfibre towel or braid your hair whilst damp and leave to dry overnight to wake up to gorgeous heat free waves.
2. Over-brushing
Brushing your hair too much can cause breakage, and when you have brittle lengths and split ends, your hair is more prone to frizz. If you need a serum to conceal the look of broken ends and repel humidity for a silky smooth finish, our bestselling John Frieda Original Serum is the perfect product to tame frizzy hair.
3. Not using heat protection
Frequently using heated styling tools can strip hair of its natural moisture, leading to dry and damaged strands that are vulnerable to frizz. Make sure you always use a heat protector like our Frizz Ease Heat Defence Protecting Spray to help prevent damage. If you're a serum lover, our iconic Frizz Ease Serums provide heat protection up to 220°C.
We’ve also put together a few tips for restoring heat damaged curly hair for everyone with naturally-curly hair.
4. Washing your hair with hot water
While a hot shower may feel relaxing, it’s not doing your hair or scalp any favours. Hot water strips your scalp and hair of the natural oils that keep your hair moisturised and shiny, and that lack of moisture leads to more frizz. It’s an easy fix - just turn down the temperature when you’re washing your hair.
5. Split ends
Brittle, split ends are extremely prone to frizz and the longer you leave them, the worse they’ll get. We recommend regular trims to prevent dry ends – however, if a trip to the hairdresser isn’t possible, use a serum like our Frizz Ease All-in-One Original Serum on soaking wet hair after washing to seal in moisture. You can now use our Serums on dry hair as well, so you can touch-up during the day to tame flyaways - say hello to your new handbag essential! If you’re a newbie to serums, have a look at our tips on how to apply serum like a pro.
6. Humidity
Humidity is a major cause of frizz – in humid weather, your hair’s cuticles becomes rough and open to absorbing moisture from humidity. Overdried hair becomes frizzy as the outer layer of the hair soaks in the moisture from the surrounding air.
While it’s impossible to control the level of humidity in the air, the right products can defend your locks. Once you’ve perfected your style, lock it in place and seal out any moisture with our Moisture Barrier Intense Hold Hairspray. We’ve listed a selection of hair products to beat humidity and frizz to keep your style intact, no matter the weather.
Do some people have naturally frizzy hair?
Yes – naturally curly hair is more prone to frizz as the natural oils produced the scalp can’t travel down the hair shaft as well as they can in straight hair – so curly or wavy hair is prone to natural frizz.
Straight hair can get frizzy as well, but it doesn’t tend to be as noticeable unless the hair is really dry and damaged, or it’s hot and humid outside.
Frizz control for all hair types
Going to the hairdresser to trim split ends is one way to combat frizz – however, there are plenty of products available to help you beat frizz at home or on holiday.
Controlling fine, frizzy hair
If you have fine and frizzy hair, try our Weightless Wonder Featherlight Smoothing Crème on wet or dry hair to instantly smooth frizz and flyaways without weighing your hair down.
Alternatively, try our Frizz Ease All-in-1 Lightweight Serum – smooth a small amount through your lengths for super-silky tresses.
Controlling medium to thick frizzy hair
If you’ve got thicker hair, take a good look through our Frizz Ease range to find exactly what you need. Remember, our Style Match experts are always on hand to help if you need a little guidance on which products to go for.