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13 Tips For Taming Frizz In Curly Hair

People with curly hair often complain about frizz. “My hair is a frizz ball!” “I look like a poodle!” “My hair is out of control!” “Hey I am over here behind my frizz!” “Help!” I hear these complaints and more nearly every week.

The first thing I usually tell my frizz-stricken clients is to take a deep breath, relax and know that curly hair will always have some frizz. It is ok. I love how in her book, The Curly Girl Handbook, Loraine Massey affectionately refers to frizz as a halo. It’s simply part of the deal that when you have been blessed with curly hair, then you will have some frizz too.

But frizz still seems to be the arch-nemesis of many a curly haired soul, and since I love my curly peeps, I am writing this blog to offer some help. There are steps you can take to minimize the amount of frizz in your hair.

Here are 10 tips for taming frizz:

1. Use a sulfate-free shampoo – Sulfates, such as sodium laurel sulfate, are harsh detergents that remove all the dirt from your hair, but they also strip your hair of its natural and beneficial oils. This dries out your hair and causes it to be more frizzy. I like Innersense Pure Harmony Hairbath, Ouidad Nourishing Oil Shampoo and DevaCurl Delight Low Poo.

2. Hydrate with conditioner – Applying a good hydrating conditioner to your hair after cleansing is a must. For medium to coarse curly hair, I prefer Innersense Hydrating Cream Conditioner, Ouidad Curl Quencher Conditioner and DevaCurl One Condition.

3. For 2C, 3A-3C and 4A-4C curls, use a leave-in conditioner for extra moisture. I like Innersense Quiet Calm Curl Control Cream, Ouidad Moisture Lock Leave In Conditioner and DevaCurl Decadence Leave-In Conditioner.

4. Apply a curl defining product when your hair is wet. After rinsing out your conditioner ring your hair out gently with your hands, flip your head upside down and apply your styling products, including your leave in conditioner, when your hair is dripping wet. If you like using gel, my favorite is the DevaCurl Light Defining Gel.

5. Use a microfiber towel or a t-shirt to ring out your hair. After you have scrunched in your favorite curl styler, then flip your head upright, create your part (I like zig zag parts for volume) and then use a microfiber towel or a t-shirt to squeeze out the excess moisture from your hair. Do not use a terrycloth towel which could rough up the cuticle of your hair and cause frizz.

6. When drying your hair with a diffuser, set the air speed on low and use either cool air or low heat.

7. Finish your styling with a few drops of essential oil to seal in the moisture, add shine and control frizz. I like Natulique Argan Oil and Innersense Harmonic Healing Oil.

8. Add a spray shine such as Natulique Ultra Shine Finisher with rose petal oil for extra hydration and shine. Curly hair absorbs more light than straight hair and so the more shine the better.

9. Be conscious of how you sleep on your hair. For the best chance of achieving frizz-free second and third day curls, place your hair in a “pineapple” on the top of your head. Either wear a bonnet made of silk or satin or sleep on a pillowcase made of silk or satin. In the morning, let your hair down, spritz with a curl revitalizer, scrunch and shape your curls with your fingers and you are good to go. My favorite curl revitalizers are DevaCurl Mist-er Right and Ouidad Botanical Boost.

10. Treat your curls to a moisturizing deep conditioning treatment as often as you can. Deep conditioning once a week would be great, but once a month is definitely better than never. A deep condition mask will infuse your curls with moisture and keep frizz to a minimum.

11. Once you have completed styling your hair, try not to touch it after that. If you are running your fingers through your hair, twirling it, or flipping it around, etc. you are breaking up your curls and creating frizz. I know its hard, but I am just saying.

12. Don’t put your purse strap on your hair. Also, if you are wearing a scarf, try to avoid wool because your hair will rub on it and get frizzy.

13. Don’t stress out if you have some frizz. Like I said earlier, having some frizz is a fact of life for curly girls. If you are stressed out, I can almost guarantee that your hair will get frizzier because you will be obsessing about it, touching it and making your problem worse. Also, frizz creates volume, and big hair is in. Try to celebrate your curly halo! You are a divine being my friend.

The Best Type of Diffusers For Drying Curly Hair

One of the most useful tools for drying and styling naturally curly hair is a diffuser. Diffusers fit on the end of a blowdryer and diffuse the air coming out so that your curls can dry evenly while maintaining curl definition. Using a blowdryer without a diffuser will cause your curls to break up and become frizzy. Diffusers come in various shapes and sizes. In this blog, I will describe my favorite types of diffusers and give some pointers in how to use them.

First I will give you a brief description of how to prepare your hair to be diffused. Before diffusing, cleanse and condition your curls. If you don’t want to use a cleanser, you can just use a conditioner. After detangling with your fingers when you have conditioner in your hair, gently squeeze out the excess moisture with your hands. Then flip your head upside down and apply your favorite styling product, scrunching upward to accentuate your curls or apply the product smoothing downward to elongate your curls. After you have the curl defining product in your hair, flip your head upright and create the part the way you like it. I often prefer a zig-zag part because it helps with root lift and forms an attractive head shape. Next, gently squeeze out the excess moisture with a microfiber towel.

In order to create more root lift and volume, you can use pin curl clips to lift up the hair around the crown of your head. The clips should be placed in a bricklay pattern with the handles facing up toward the top of your head. If you like the shape of your hair with the clips in place, then you will like the shape when your hair has dried.

Now you are ready to diffuse your hair. Since curly hair tends to be dry, I always recommend using either low heat or cool air and low airspeed.

Bowl Diffuser
The bowl diffuser is shaped like a bowl that attaches to the end of a blowdryer. The hot air comes out of holes on the inside of the bowl. You dry your curls by gently placing them inside the bowl and holding the diffuser still until the hair is dry. I like bowl diffusers for drying the mid shafts and ends of hair. This type of diffuser can also be used to dry the roots by holding the diffuser close to your head.
If you don’t want to use clips to create root lift, you can create some lift and volume by diffusing your hair upside down. Before you flip your upside down though, make sure you apply a product at the roots that will support the lift in your hair. My favorite products for creating root lift are: Innersense I Create Lift Volumizing Foam, DevaCurl Frizz Free Volumizing Foam and Natulique Root Lifter Volume Tonic. Once the roots are dry, flip your head upright and you will have more volume at the roots. Continue diffusing the ends of your hair. Squeeze your hair gently to soften the product. If you want more volume, flip your head over one more time and gently loosen your hair at the roots by rubbing your fingers along your scalp. Then flip your head back upright and position your curls the way you like.

Hood dryer
We use hood dryers in the salon because they mimic air drying while speeding up the drying process. Some of our clients purchase them to use at home. I recommend this because it is a great time saver and allows you to have your hands free while your hair is drying. Although these dryers are bulky, they come with wheels and can be stored out of sight in a closet when not in use. My favorite hood dryer is Venus Plus by Highland.

DevaFuser
The DevaFuser is shaped like a hand with five fingers that fits on the end of a blow dryer. The hot air comes out of holes in the front and back of the hand. This clever design is great for drying your roots because the fingers can be placed underneath your hair and give you some root lift. People with 4A, 4B and 4C always have a hard time drying their roots, and the DevaFuser is great for drying the roots of these curls because it diffuses air at the scalp.
One drawback of the Devafuser, however, is that it takes a long time to dry the mid shafts and ends of your hair since the air is blowing out of the fingers of the diffuser in all directions and is therefore less concentrated than a bowl diffuser. This is why I recommend the Devafuser for drying the roots and a bowl diffuser for drying the ends.

Travel Diffusers
How do you dry your curly hair when you are traveling? The answer is in a travel diffuser. Portable diffusers come in various designs. My favorite is The Curly Co. Collapsible Hair Diffuser. This diffuser is great for travel because it’s telescopic design allows it to fold into a smaller size so it can be easily packed into a suitcase or carry on bag.

7 Steps For Winterizing Curly Hair

During the winter, one of the biggest curly hair concerns becomes how to maintain moisture and keep your curls feeling healthy and looking great. Curly hair tends to be dry because the cuticle layer on the outside of the hair strand is raised and therefore allows moisture to escape from the hair. This can result in dry and frizzy hair which is made even worse by the dry winter air. With a few tweaks, the right products, and a good routine, your curls can survive the long, cold winter season as you count down the days until spring.

Here are some tips for keeping your hair moisturized during the dry winter months:

1. Sulfate free cleansers
Curly hair needs as much moisture as possible and so it is important to use cleansers that leave vital moisture in your hair. This is why sulfate-free cleansers are so good. Sulfate-free cleansers cleanse your hair and scalp while leaving important natural oils in your hair. Avoid cleansers with sodium laurel sulfate. Sodium laurel sulfate is a harsh detergent that will strip all of the good oils out of your hair.
You may decide to only use a sulfate-free cleanser once or twice a month and then cowash the rest of the time. Cowashing is done by using a conditioning cleanser the same way that you would use a shampoo. Scrub your scalp with the conditioning cleanser and rinse it off with water. Since it contains no sulfates or lathering detergents at all, it helps your hair maintain maximum hydration while it cleanses.
My favorite sulfate-free cleansers are DevaCurl No Poo and DevaCurl Delight Low Poo.

2. Use a leave-in conditioner
After rinsing out your conditioner, apply a leave-in conditioner to add more moisture to your curls. Apply the leave-in conditioner before you apply your styling products. One word of caution though: if you have fine wavy hair, a leave-in conditioner could way down your waves, so use it sparingly.
My favorites are Innersense Sweet Spirit Leave-In Conditioner and DevaCurl Decadence Leave-In Conditioner.

3. Apply styling cream and then seal in the moisture with a gel
Apply the styling cream first and then layer on some gel afterwards to seal in the moisture provided by the cream.
My favorite styling creams are Natulique Curl Defining Cream and Innersense Quiet Calm Curl Control.

4. Finish your styling with a few drops of oil
If you usually do not seal your hair with an oil, this season is an excellent time to start. By finishing your styling by applying a few drops of oil to the mid-shafts and ends of your hair, you are locking in the moisturizing properties of the conditioner and styling products, as well as keeping out the outside elements, such as the dry air from indoor heaters.
My favorites oils are Natulique Argan Oil and Innersense Harmonic Healing Oil.

5. Deep condition often
Frizzy curls can become beautiful ringlets when they are given enough moisture. Regular deep conditioning is one of the most important things you can do to add moisture to your hair. Fortifying your hair with nutrients, moisture, and protein helps prevent breakage and brittleness, and it keeps your curls hydrated. It is important to deep condition your hair year round, but in the dry winter months, you need to do it more often.
My favorite deep conditioners are DevaCurl Melt Into Moisture and Innersense Hair Masque.

6. Air dry or use the cool button on your blow-dryer when diffusing
Regularly using hot air to dry your hair may dry out your curls. Instead, try using the cool air button on your blow dryer or air dry your hair instead. Giving your hair a break from the hot air of a blow dryer will allow moisture to remain in your hair longer.

7. Substitute a silk or satin pillow case for cotton
Cotton pillowcases will absorb more moisture from your hair than silk or satin pillowcases. Also, cotton pillowcases create more friction on your hair and will therefore cause more frizz than silk or satin.

With a little extra effort and by following these tips you can keep your curly hair looking great all your round. Spring is just around the corner, or the next one. But until then, enjoy your curly hair, and don’t forget to make a snowman when you have the chance.

My New Favorite Volumizing and Curl Enhancing Spray For Fine Wavy Hair

I have a number of clients with fine loosely wavy hair and many of them want the same thing: more volume, better curl definition and tighter curls. The first step in accomplishing this is a good haircut that balances volume with fullness along the perimeter. A talented hair stylist will be able to analyze your hair and determine how much of your hair needs to be left to grow to full length and how much can be used to created volume. 

Then after you have a good haircut, you need the right products to help you achieve your desired look of more volume, better curl definition and tighter curls. A top priority should be moisture because hydrated curls form ringlets with less frizz. First cleanse your hair with a sulfate-free cleanser. On fine, wavy hair, I like to use DevaCurl Delight Lo-Poo and then condition with DevaCurl Delight One Condition. These products are lightweight and provide just the right amount of cleansing and moisture for wavy hair. Next you need styling products. I like the DevaCurl Wave Maker for curl definition and moisture and DevaCurl Volumizing Foam for volume and hold. For an added boost of volume, add DevaCurl Believe In.

After you dry your hair with a diffuser, or let it air dry, then you can apply my latest favorite finishing product: Natulique Hygge Hair Spray Wax. Hygge (pronounced hoo-gah), which means cozy in Danish, is a lightweight spray wax that is non-greasy and easy to use. You only need a little bit of this spray wax to create dramatic results. Hygge adds volume to fine hair and can also help make loosely wavy hair a little curlier. 

The way to accomplish this is to spray Natulique Hygge Hair Spray Wax on your wavy hair from about 12” away and then, immediately after you spray a section, scrunch the hair in your hand and hold it for 3-4 seconds. Do this in three sections throughout your hair, once on each side and once in the back. You only need a little bit of Hygge to make a big difference. I agree with Natulique’s wording when they say that Hygge Hair Spray Wax “effectively, but gently, locks and holds shape for longer lasting layers, waves, bangs and curls while taming short hair and frizz for a touchable and flexible result without the greasy feeling of regular wax.”

Like all of Natulique’s products, it is made of Certified Organic and natural ingredients. Natulique Hygge Hair Spray Wax contains Certified Organic Broccoli Seed Oil which has a unique blend of amino acids that nourishes, protects, and moisturizes. It also contains Certified Organic Jojoba Seed Oil which is extremely rich in vitamins and minerals such as copper and zinc, strengthens individual hair strands and prevents dryness. It contains no parabens or paraffin, is gluten free, and is animal cruelty free. 

Come visit us at Devana Salon and we will gladly show you how Natulique Hygge Hair Spray Wax can help make your fine wavy hair look beautifully full and curly.

Coconut Oil Is Good For Naturally Curly Hair

Coconut oil is an all-natural wonder ingredient that is great for curly hair. Unlike most oils, coconut oil penetrates deep into the hair shaft, rather than sitting on the surface. When applied to curly hair, coconut oil helps heal protein loss, adds moisture and makes the hair stronger over time. Using coconut oil on your hair regularly can also help increase the shine, softness, and manageability while simultaneously decreasing frizz. Here’s how to add coconut oil to your routine.

Overnight Coconut Pre-Poo

For curly, damaged, or color-treated hair, it’s best to shampoo as little as possible (once or twice a week if you can) because traditional shampoo will strip your hair of its natural oils. When you do shampoo, always use a sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfate free shampoos are less damaging to your hair and won’t strip out your natural oils. Before you do shampoo, I recommend this overnight coconut oil treatment, also known as a “pre-poo.”

Directions:

  1. Warm coconut oil with fingers – Coconut oil is solid at room temperatures, but liquefies immediately with heat, so scoop a small amount out of your jar and it will melt instantly between your fingers, making it easy to apply.
  2. Massage into scalp – If you suffer from a dry, itchy or flaky scalp, start by using the pads of your fingers to apply the oil to your whole scalp, massaging gently so the scalp can really absorb the coconut oil.
  3. Apply to hair in sections – If you have fine hair, then avoid the roots, but for thick or coily hair, apply the oil evenly to the length of the strand.
  4. Wrap your hair in an old t-shirt – It can get messy if you go to bed with your hair uncovered, so wrap a towel or an old t-shirt around your hair before you go to sleep.
  5. Add heat – To intensify the treatment and get even better results, you can apply heat with a warm towel or your blow dryer.
  6. Shampoo, condition and style – The next morning, shampoo, condition, and style your hair as usual. One shampoo is often enough to remove the oil for most curly hair, but if you feel you need it, you can shampoo a second time.

Natural Anti-Frizz Serum

Coconut oil also makes a healthy, all-natural hair sealer for extra shine and frizz prevention. If you’re trying to grow longer, thicker hair, coconut oil aids in breakage prevention and retaining moisture.

Directions:

Apply a nickel-sized amount – Apply a small amount of coconut oil as the very last step in your styling routine, after any leave-in conditioners or gels you might use. Again if you have fine hair, avoid the roots and focus on the ends.

If you’ve yet to try coconut oil on your strands, pick some up next time you’re at the grocery (unrefined and cold pressed is best). Your curls will thank you for the extra shine, moisture and curl definition!

Have you tried coconut oil or other oils on your hair? What results have you had?