Harshleen asks…I’ve always had thick, poufy hair that also frizzes easily. Is there a way or product to bring down the volume and smoothen hair without using a flat iron to straighten?
The Beauty Brains respond
Hi Harshleen. Your question reminds us of the one we received from Kenya about which hair products are best for working out. In both cases, there is no definitive technical answer because there are so many different ways to style your hair and so many different product types. that depend more on personal choice not technical stuff. So, just as we did in Kenya’s case, we’ll give you our point of view and then throw it open for comments from the Beauty Brains community. Here are the main causes of frizzy hair…
1) The natural shape of your hair
If the natural shape of your hair has some curl, you will tend to have more frizz. Hair shape is primarily determined by the shape of the follicles that the hair grows out of. There’s not much you can do about this frizz!
2) How you cut and style it
Long hair has more frizz from damage. That’s because it’s experienced a lot of brushing and combing that causes it to break and split. Broken hairs tends to spring outward uncontrollably because the proteins in hair get “stretched” when the hair is pulled and they don’t go back to their original shape. A shorter cut can control this kind of frizz to some extent.
3) The environment
Humidity can get inside your hair and make fine, curly hair fall flat and it can make smooth, straight hair frizz out. (How does that work? The inside of your hair consists of two different protein regions: the Orthocortex and the Paracortex. These areas absorb water differently, so they don’t swell the same. This differential swelling causes the hair shaft to bend or twist to one side or the other which causes frizz. You can’t completely overcome the effect, but a good conditioner can help block the effects of water on your hair. (Look for something with a good slug of dimethicone in it) and then use high quality styling products that are effective against humidity.
Does anyone have any non-flat iron suggestions for frizzy hair? Leave a comment and help out Harshleen!