How to Nip Frizzy Hair In the Bud

This has likely happened to you more times than you can count.  A good hair day turns crazy and frizzy.  This tends to happen to the best of us especially often during the hot and sticky months we know as summer.  Maddening isn't it?  What's going on anyway? 

Here's what's going on.  Your hair will frizz when the cuticles that cover the shaft are disrupted.  In other words sometimes things happen to them that cause them not to lay flat.  And when that happens it's like a snowball effect. Or what you might describe as bad things happening to good hair. 

Cuticles defined: The extreme outer layer of your hair is made up of the cuticle.  Most often described as shingles on a roof, when they lay flat the strand shines.  When they don't you'll lose the shine.  Or worse end up with a terminal case of the frizz. Yet, as explained on FullerHeadofHair.com,  curiously too many unwittingly do too many bad things that cause them to get all riled up.  Which just makes no sense, really.

You see, frizz comes into play when your dry, porous hair strands suck in moisture (read humidity) from the air.  Reaction?  Much like anything that absorbs moisture your strands swell up.  So that before you know it you're sporting a fine case of frizz.  Or what you might say is summer hair at its worst.  And who wants that?

To avoid setting off that reaction you need to take some precautions. Well, actually you just need to know some simple tricks.  So here you go. 

First and foremost treat your hair like a hand washable blouse.  Doing so starts by using a sulfate free shampoo.  I mean you wouldn't think of using some industrial strength detergent on your favorite silk blouse now would you?  Same for your hair.  The idea is to preserve the oils on those strands of yours.  And one surefire way to remove the oil is with a harsh cleansing agent.  Or to slather on shampoos that are alcohol laden.  Since doing so all but guarantees you'll set off a bout of frizzies should the moisture strike. 

Second whenever possible, clamp those cuticles tightly shut by using a cold water rinse at the end of your shower time. Doing so makes your hair squeaky.  It also closes those sometimes flighty hair cuticles and keeps them flat.  Giving you a better chance to avoid the frizzies. 

If you must blow dry do so in a way that doesn't ruffle those all-important cuticles.  Blasts of hot air will do that you know.  Then too depending on your hair type you may want to do some prep work depending on your hair type.  You'd want to use a leave in conditioner for fine hair, a bit of serum if you're dealing with normal hair or some thicker gel if you're got tresses that tend to the coarse side of things. 

Finally no exploration of ideas for frizz prevention would be complete without at least a mention of the importance of deep conditioning.  In other words the more moisture the better in most cases.  Because the tried and true solution for avoiding frizzy hair is to ladle on the moisture to counteract any dryness that's developing in your mane.  Remember to leave the product on your hair as long as you possibly can in the shower.  Knowing it does you no good as it circles the drain. 

Problem is frizz doesn't require a huge window of opportunity to settle in.  Sometimes only a keyhole will do.  So you must remain diligent if you want to maintain a sleek look and feel to your locks during the sultry summer months.