If you’re a curly girl, then you know the struggle. There’s a very fine line between shiny bouncy curls and looking like you’ve just been electrocuted.
You can spend all your time researching on YouTube University and honestly get nowhere. If frizz is your problem, then these tips are super easy fixes you can implement right now to get the shiny curls you’re looking for.
This post is all about the 5 reasons why your curly hair is frizzy.
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1. You’re drying with a towel
Oh your poor sweet hair strands. Not only do the products you put on your hair matter…but everything that touches your hair matters. Regular towels will cause your hair (curly or not) to frizz.
Post shower, this is the first mistake many curly girls make when going to style their hair. They flip their pretty hairs upside down, throw on a towel, and twist it up into a strand strangling turban on the top of their head.
It isn’t the turban that’s the problem, it’s the material it’s made out of. If you feel the need to do this to your hair when you’re out of the shower (which, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend), please use a microfiber towel. Or even a t-shirt if you’re in a pinch. They even make super easy-to-use hair turbans out of microfiber. You can find one here.
The only time during my hair routine that I use a microfiber towel is after all my product is applied. I place the (microfiber) towel in my hands and scrunch the excess water out before diffusing or air drying.
2. You’re sleeping wrong
Lol, I know this sounds silly, but it’s true.
There are a few different things you can do while you sleep to avoid looking like a lion in the morning.
1. You can sleep with your hair in a pineapple. A pineapple is when you bring all of your hair to the top of your head like you’re going to make a ponytail. And I mean, the top top. As close to your forehead that you can get. And you loosely secure your hair with a scrunchie (preferably silk or satin). This is my favorite brand.
The important part is that the pony is loose, so when you take it out in the morning you don’t have a kink or demarcation where your scrunchie was holding.
2. The second thing you can do during bedtime is use a silk pillowcase. Maybe you don’t like to sleep with your hair up, maybe it’s too short to put up, or maybe you’re an overachiever and you want to do BOTH sleeping hacks. I’ll put the best silk pillowcases I’ve ever found here. I got 2 of them on sale during the Nordstrom anniversary sale. If they’re out of your budget find a nice satin or sateen. It wont be the same but it’ll be better than the cotton or linen you have now.
PS** silk pillowcases also aid in antiaging for your skin. Hollerrrrr.
3. You’re not using enough water
The leading cause of frizzy hair is dryness. Simple. Straight forward. But how do you combat dryness?
With water.
The best way to explain this is with an analogy (metaphor? Can never get this straight) I learned from my hair dresser:
When your plant is dry, thirsty, or limp. Do you cover it in oil and butter? No. You water it.
We have been brainwashed people! The so heavily marketed butter and oils, no matter how fancy or exotic sounding (…jojoba, acai, shea, oh lala) DO NOT COMBAT DRYNESS. They do, however, coat your hair with a layer of shine, making it look healthier. But it’s just an illusion. The only way to quench your hair’s thirst…is with water.
In the shower, use more water. Shampooing? Use more water. Conditioning? Use more water. Applying product? Use more water. All of these steps should be forcing water and hydration into your hair strands.
4. You’re handling your hair before it’s TOTALLY dry
I am the biggest offender of this horrible habit you guys. I can’t help myself. I apply my products in the shower. Do a bit of finger coiling and styling while my hair is still soaked. And, while waiting for it to dry. I start picking, fluffing, messing, curling, separating. This is a BIG no no.
You need to allow your hair to set before touching it at all. If you can help it, don’t even walk out of your bathroom until your hair is completely dry. Maybe you have a diffuser or a hooded dryer. USE THEM. This is the diffuser I use.
But sometimes we just have to air dry. Which is fine. If this is the case for you, just keep your hands off. I know it’s hard.
Pro tip: a good way to know if a strand is actually dry, is if it has a crunchy cast on it. This means your product is set and it’s safe to handle that piece of hair.
5. You’re washing your hair with water that is TOO hot
Ok this one is a simple explanation. Now, I’m not a hair stylist or a cosmetologist. But, when you have curly hair you do a ton of research and become sort of a hair nerd.
Apparently, when the hair is heated, the cuticle is opened. So, if your shower is hot, you’re leavin the cuticle open. Whereas, if you use cold water, even just at the end of you shower, you close the cuticle.
Picture the difference between a fresh cut piece of string and a frayed end of a piece of string. (So, just blast your hair with cold water right before you get out of the shower…easy peasy.)
This post was all about the 5 reasons why your curly hair is frizzy and how to combat it.