Tame Frizzy Hair Naturally In 6 Simple Steps
Last Updated on April 2, 2024
Always having bad hair days because you don’t know how to tame your frizzy hair? I was you until a couple of years ago, so welcome to the club my friend.
Good hair days were a rare occurrence for me too during my college days thanks to all the frizziness. Mumbai is one of the most humid cities in India so frizzy hair is quite common, especially in the monsoon.
There are several products on the market that claim to tame frizz, yet many have to deal with frizzy hair on an everyday basis. But after a lot of trial and research, I found out the key to keeping my hair frizz-free on most days.
It is actually quite common to experience frizz and flyaways and there is no need to fix or control it. But if it frustrates you, and keeps you wondering how you can tame your frizzy hair naturally then this post is for you.
What Causes Frizzy Hair?
Before trying to tame frizzy hair, we must understand why our hair turns frizzy. The outermost layer of the hair strand is called the cuticle.
Cuticle is made up of tightly overlapped scale-like keratin structures that seal moisture inside it.
Under normal conditions, the cuticle lies flat. But sometimes, it gets raised and allows too much moisture to enter our hair strands causing our hair to swell and look frizzy.
The cuticle can be raised due to several reasons-
1. Dryness
Dryness can be caused by harsh shampoos that strip away moisture, spending long hours in air-conditioning, a dry climate, or could just be your hair type. When your hair lacks moisture, the cuticles get raised in an attempt to absorb some moisture in the hair.
Now if you live in a humid area like me, then the hair will instantly poof up and look frizzy as it takes in more moisture than required.
So to tame your frizzy hair naturally, you need to work on moisturizing your hair.
2. Hair Damage
A major cause of my dry, frizzy hair during my college years was frequent heat styling. Regular use of heating tools like blow dryers, straighteners, curlers, or even chemical treatments can damage the cuticle layer of hair.
As a result, the hair loses its natural moisture through the cracks in cuticles leading to a frizzy appearance of hair.
Some other causes of hair damage are-
- Friction caused while rubbing towels, sleeping, and wearing tight hair accessories.
- Rough handling of hair during backcombing, tugging on hairbands, brushing too often, etc.
If you live in a humid climate, the frizziness can get worse. There is a lot of moisture in the air, and the raised cuticle keeps absorbing more moisture than needed leading to poofy, frizzy hair, like Monica’s.
How to Tame Frizzy Hair Naturally in 6 Steps
I started looking for ways to tame my frizzy hair naturally as I didn’t want any expensive salon treatments or temporary fixes. And the key to taming them was some simple changes in my haircare routine and the right products to prevent cuticle damage and get an adequate amount of moisture.
My hair still gets a bit frizzy when humidity levels rise a lot (like during the rainy season), which is fine but I have most of it under control with these 6 steps.
Remember, it took me over a year due to experimentation with different products and tips to tackle them. But you will start seeing the results in a few weeks if you start following all these tips below consistently.
1. Use Gentle Sulfate-Free Shampoos
Most shampoos are sulfate-based. While sulfates are good at degreasing and removing product buildup, they also tend to be drying for many of us.
If you have dry, frizzy hair, harsh shampoos can strip off all essential moisture from your hair and increase the negative charge on hair causing your cuticles to raise to seek more moisture.
So if you have frizzy hair, use gentler surfactants and cleansers on your hair to avoid drying out your hair. You want formulas that claim to be moisturizing, hydrating, or contain glycerin, plant oils, and butter.
In my experience, you will find easily find such shampoos from natural/organic/clean beauty brands.
best shampoos for frizzy hair in India
The Vilvah Goatmilk Shampoo is one of the best sulfate-free shampoos I have used so far. It is gentle, hydrating, and cleanses your scalp well without drying out your hair. It also has goat milk and pea protein which help condition the hair.
If you want to cut out some plastic waste while you are managing your frizzy hair, The Himalayan Origins Coconut Oil Shampoo bar is the best shampoo bar for frizzy hair. It has hydrolyzed silk extract, coconut oil, and fatty alcohols that leave your hair soft with every wash.
Also Read: The 7 Best Shampoo Bar Brands In India
2. Pick a Nourishing Conditioner
Since lack of moisture is the primary reason for frizz, use must never skip using conditioners post to tame frizzy hair easily. Now, most conditioners in the market are silicone-based as they form a layer on your hair strand and avoid moisture from escaping.
But if your hair lacks moisture, it won’t even let any moisture inside and just give you a temporary smooth texture. Also, most silicones require a sulfate-based shampoo to remove their buildup which dries out your hair, thus starting a vicious cycle.
So I recommend using only silicone-free conditioner for regular use. They have natural occlusives like shea butter, cocoa butter, or mango butter, fatty alcohols, and plant oils that provide adequate moisture to soften and condition even the most unruly, frizzy, and dry hair.
best conditioner for frizzy hair in India
Always look for silicone-free conditioners that are designed especially for dry hair types. I like Earth Rhythm Solid Conditioner Bar as it is super affordable, conditions the hair well, and lasts up to a year.
In fact, you can even use deep conditioning hair products like the Mamaearth Argan Hair Mask which provides intense moisturization that always helps tame my frizzy hair and make it look sleek.
Also Read: The Best Silicone Free Conditioners In India
3. No More Heat Styling.
Regular use of hairdryers, straighteners, and curling irons damages the cuticle and leaves your hair dry and frizzy. So if you are struggling to manage frizzy hair, it’s best to opt for air drying.
This will give your hair time to recover from the damage. In the meantime, learn how to work with your natural texture using different hairstyles. I find messy braids and buns to be really effective.
If you do have to blow dry your hair, Here’s what you need to do to minimize frizz-
- Wait until your hair is 70-80% dry.
- Apply a heat protectant evenly through your hair.
- Use the low heat setting on your blow dryer to dry your hair.
- Hold the hair dryer at least 6 inches away and don’t concentrate it on the section for too long.
- A
im your hairdryer downwards and not perpendicular to your hair to avoid frizz.
Also Read: How I Got My Soft Voluminous Hair Back
4. Use Oils Regularly To Tame Frizzy Hair
Oiling hair is a habit we often overlook as it is time-consuming. But plant oils are the literal elixirs for dull, frizzy hair.
Applying oil before hair washing will help retain moisture in the hair, reduce hair damage, and lubricates the hair to prevent hair breakage while applying shampoo.
Oils are not just a pre-shampoo treatment. You can even use a few drops of oil on hair ends post washing as a frizz-fighting serum to tame any flyaways and seal the moisture. I recommend grapeseed oil or hempseed oil which are extremely lightweight.
Best Hair Oil To tame Dry, Frizzy Hair Naturally
While different oils can provide different benefits to hair, I would suggest using the good old cold-pressed coconut oil for dry, frizzy hair.
It is cheap, easily available in India, and actually penetrates the hair shaft to moisturize from within to reduce frizziness. Plus, it also helps prevent protein loss. Buy it here.
Apart from coconut, you can also use olive, almond, or argan oil, or perhaps mix them all together. If you are not up for DIY, Juicy Chemistry Marula, Argan, and Lavender Oil is an amazing pick.
It made my hair super-soft and shiny and is extremely lightweight so won’t feel greasy or heavy.
Also Read: How to Correctly Remove Product Buildup Grom Hair.
5. Use Micro-Fibre Towels
This swap has been super helpful in dealing with my frizziness. The regular cotton towels that we use for drying our bodies are harsh for the hair strands.
The friction from rubbing your towel on hair can raise hair cuticles and invite frizz. But micro-fiber towels are gentler on hair and also speed up the hair drying time since they absorb more water.
When towel drying your hair, avoid rubbing your hair and just gently squeeze away the water instead. Then wrap the towel around your hair for another 15-20 minutes so it absorbs some more water from your
You can also use an old cotton t-shirt or something like the Fiama Bath Essentials Hair Wrapper for this purpose.
6. Sleep on Silk or Satin Pillowcases.
The friction caused by your hair rubbing against the cotton pillowcase when you sleep is another contributor to frizziness. Every time you twist and turn in your sleep, the rubbing action can damage the cuticle layer.
Sleeping on a silk pillowcase (satin if you are on a budget) reduces this friction and can help tame frizzy hair. You can even switch to satin hair crunchies as they avoid breakage, unlike the usual hair ties we use.
More tips To get rid of Frizzy Hair Naturally
- Use cold or lukewarm water only to wash your hair.
- Apply a few drops of hair serum to control flyaways and frizz.
- Wash your hair only twice a week.
- Apply a deep conditioning hair mask 2-3 times a month.
- Switch to wooden combs to avoid static hair.
Best Home Remedies for Dry, Frizzy Hair
Aloe Vera Hair Mask
Aloe vera gel is great for dry, frizzy hair as it has natural sugars that hydrate dry hair and make it soft and smooth. You can use either fresh aloe vera pulp or pure aloe vera gel available online for this.
- Mix your favorite hair oil with a giant spoonful of aloe vera gel.
- Whip it together until it forms a creamy consistency.
- Apply it from root to tips and leave it on for at least 30 minutes
- Follow up with gentle shampoo and conditioner.
Also Read: 5 Creative Ways To Use Aloe Vera In Your Routine
Curd Hair Mask
Did you know curd is one of the best homemade conditioners for your scalp? It has milk proteins and fats that help soften and smoothen your hair cuticle to tame frizz.
- Take equal amounts of curd with hair oil and mix them together.
- Massage this hair mask into your hair and leave it on for 20 minutes
- Rinse with a gentle shampoo and follow up with conditioner.
The key to taming frizzy hair is how gentle you are while dealing with your hair. These six steps will transform your hair and help you manage your hair easily.
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4 Comments
Sagram
Your blog post was like a breath of fresh air. The unique perspective you provided challenged my thinking and encouraged me to explore new ideas.
Aparajita
Nice tips. Have to implement a few of them
Rutu
Do try them out. I am sure they will be helpful.
Archana
Very nice tips for hair care.. I follow most of these except the silk pillow case one 🙂