Frizzy Hair, an owners manual

Getting some control over frizz isn’t usually that difficult to do, but there can be a few sticky spots, here’s some help.

The main way to moderate frizz is to keep all of the hairs together into groups of curls. Any hairs that break out of their curl group will fly around and look frizzy. We keep them in groups by being careful how they dry and using some sort of goo to coat and stabilize them.

Generally speaking, if you do anything to break individual hairs out of their curls while the hair is drying you are creating frizz, so it’s best to avoid combing or playing around a lot with it or pulling your hands through it. It’s often best to just leave it alone. Scrunching is okay and helpful for more volume and gentle scrunching doesn’t break the curls apart, it just lifts the hair to increase volume. Once the curls have dried stably you can gently blend everything with your fingers. Combing or brushing will still cause frizz, fingers only. Everything I’m saying is a generalization, individual situations will vary to some degree.

Goo is good, if you know which one and how to use it so you don’t end up with sticky, heavily coated hair. It can be challenging finding one that works without it being either too light (not helping much) or too heavy. If you have an experienced, skilled hairstylist they will hopefully be able to guide you toward moderating frizz, but I suggest keeping in mind that they may be more comfortable with a lot of goo in your hair than you may be. Seek products that work for your goo tolerance. I offer my clients individual guidance in such things, insuring they get the most amount of frizz control with the least amount of stickiness or heaviness. They also learn how to scrunch properly, why certain types of layering help moderate frizz, how to use a diffuser and other things.

There are many types of goo for curls from oils to setting lotions to curl creams. Usually curl creams work well but you may need to find one that suits your hair. There are heavier versions for heavier, coarser hair and lighter ones for finer hair. The idea is to get enough coating to create curl smoothness without turning your hair into a goo ball. You’ll have to experiment with how much to use. Sometimes a good way is to find out what’s too much, then back off until you get it right. If you have frizz and don’t like putting any goo of any kind in your hair you may have more of a challenge.

Excessive air flow tends to break the hairs out of their curl groups and create frizz, so if you blow dry use a diffuser. Some hair dries very nicely with a diffuser, other types you have to stop drying when it’s partially dry or it starts to frizz, some hair is best left to dry on its own. If you don’t have a diffuser you can buy foam one on the internet that works well and fits most dryers (called a Hot Sock).

Believe it or not the haircut makes a difference. When the layers and angles are optimal the hair will have a better shape and make frizz easier to moderate. Frizz on a mediocre haircut means the two together create a larger problem. If the layers are not blending well or are not the optimal angles an area of the hair may bunch up, the frizz exaggerates that bunching up by sticking out and flying around. If the hair has been thinned too much (as often happens with a razor or thinning shears) or in the wrong way the ends may be very thin, also causing frizz. There is a very strong tendency in salons at the moment to always thin the ends of the hair, this can be helpful in many (not all) situations if you know what you’re doing and fully understand the various types of hair but on hair that wants to frizz it usually makes it more frizzy. Frizzy hair needs stability and thinning usually causes hairs to break out of their groups.

Poor quality artificial hair color and lightener (bleach) and/or unskillful application can also lead to frizz because it dries out the hair.

I often recommend trying coconut oil as a treatment for frizz. Wash your hair, towel dry, saturate with coconut oil, leave it in for a couple of hours or more and shampoo it out. Heat also helps, so put it in on a summer day or put a plastic bag over your hair in the winter. You’ll find out after you do it once if it helps or not and you will know when it’s time to do it again when the frizz comes back.

I hope you have a stylist possessing the skills to create a beautiful haircut that suits you and your hair. If not, I can help. Please visit salonserene.ca and learn about my background, training and approach to haircutting. From the first days of my apprenticeship 40 years ago, I trained in the techniques of Vidal Sassoon, later working for six years with a very talented stylist who had managed Vidal Sassoon in Toronto for nine years. The overall approach is one of precision, harmony and balance, working with the hair instead of forcing it. It’s a beautiful way to cut hair and I feel very blessed to have learned and practiced it for so many years.

Jay Lamb