Is frizz an indicator of damage?

[tanpopokitty]

How are frizz and damage related? Does frizz usually mean damage or if not, can it mean damage? I've always been told that it's time for a trim when my hair starts to become frizzy on a daily basis, and my hair usually ends up losing the frizz after a haircut so it has always seemed to be true! However, I have hit the frizz stage recently and upon examining my ends, I'm not finding any splits. My hair is not dry, my texture is not wavy or curly, but about 5 months after a haircut I start getting constant frizz! I usually would just go get a haircut now, but since I found LHC I'm trying to resist that. I really would like to know what could be the problem and what I could do to help it. I mostly want to know if my hair is damaged. Also, my hair is very easily weighed down so I'm hoping to find a solution that doesn't involve something like -cones.

[Brenda]

I know that for me frizz=dryness, which ultimately leads to damage.

[UltraBella]

Frizz *can* mean damage, but for many people, it's just a part of life with certain hair types. I have healthy hair, but a section at the back of my crown is a totally different texture than the rest and it is CRAZY frizzy.

[jasper]

I must have a hard time understanding what people mean by frizz. I always imagine frizz is related to curls and waves. Brushed out curls making hair poof is what I always though of as frizzy.

I didn't think my hair was frizzy, but maybe it is when shorter hairs (from new growth and/or breakage) start sticking out or up because of my wave pattern.

You said your texture is not wavy or curly. What does frizz mean in your case?

[Miss Maisie]

My hair is 1c/2a, and frizz for me usually means that it's either humid or raining. My hair goes nuts when there's moisture in the air.

[jacqueline101]

Its damage for me after my perm I had loads of frizz.

[jaine]

In my hair frizz just means brushed-out curls. I can make it look frizzy even though it's 100% healthy.

2b or 2c hair often looks like a puffy, frizzy 1c when it's brushed.

Have you done a hair-typing picture yet? You might be wavier than you think. Wash your hair and let it dry loose with no touching, no combing, and no products. Then take a picture and we will type it for you.

[NotInPortland]

Well my hair is nearly always frizzy still, probably because I still tend to brush it with my tangle teezer all the time. I really shouldn't but when I don't brush it it looks a mess anyway I still haven't managed a way to get my waves looking nice. I don't think my hair overall is that damaged, it's never been dyed and styling tools were ditched years ago but it still frizzes all the time. For me I know my ends are starting to get damaged when they get really tangly compared to the rest of my hair. When I get a trim they are really easy to brush through and they slip out of braids and updos.

[Madora]

Could the frizz problem be attributed to your shampoo and conditioner (and anything else you put on your hair)?

Perhaps the products are warring with each other and thus causing the frizz?

[Katze]

well, we have a similar hairtype and I get frizz:

when my hair is freshly washed (mostly with shampoo, but also after CO or WO

after washing after swimming

in humid weather

if I sweat...

etc etc

In fact if you take a look at the most recent pics in my album you will see classic fine, wavy hair frizziness.

My hair is in pretty good shape - a few splits on the oldest baby fine hairs - and I constantly have frizz.

So for me, no, frizz does not equal damage.

[ravenreed]

If I use shampoo, I get frizz. If I am in a humid area or it rains, I get frizz. For my hair, most frizz comes from the shorter hairs attempting to curl up. They stick up above the other hairs in a little cloud. It has nothing to do with damage. My ends hardly ever get frizzy and that is where my hair gets damaged.

[chelshireling]

What you might be seeing is baby hairs growing in, which just means you're getting more growth so yay! I don't think frizz always means damage you might try just skipping the hair cut for a while and see what happens, besides a little frizz isnt bad or ugly, I actually think it adds something unique to your hair:)

[jesis]

When I go to my stylist and get a cut, she usually uses lots of moisturizing products on my hair. Maybe you just need more moisture!

[lapushka]

It might just be a sign that your hair needs more moisture. I'd definitely try that first before chopping your hair off. Your hair might behave that way as well when it gets exposed to the elements (humid environment). As Ultrabella said, for some of us it's just part of having a certain hairtype. I've never known frizz to indicate damage, personally.

[Amber_Maiden]

Frizz for me just means a weather change... If I have frizz on my ends though, I usually just cut it off.

[tanpopokitty]

I must have a hard time understanding what people mean by frizz. I always imagine frizz is related to curls and waves. Brushed out curls making hair poof is what I always though of as frizzy.

I didn't think my hair was frizzy, but maybe it is when shorter hairs (from new growth and/or breakage) start sticking out or up because of my wave pattern.

You said your texture is not wavy or curly. What does frizz mean in your case?

Well, my hair is wavy in the sense that it has some kink here and there and that if I don't comb it out while wet, it has some small waves. What you describe sounds like it could be what's going on with me maybe though? It's just hairs that stick out everywhere and don't fall flat with the rest of my hair. They are also kind of curved and and going in all directions.

[tanpopokitty]

In my hair frizz just means brushed-out curls. I can make it look frizzy even though it's 100% healthy.

2b or 2c hair often looks like a puffy, frizzy 1c when it's brushed.

Have you done a hair-typing picture yet? You might be wavier than you think. Wash your hair and let it dry loose with no touching, no combing, and no products. Then take a picture and we will type it for you.

This is a good idea. I think I'll try to do that. Should I wash with SLS shampoo or does it matter how I wash?

[krissykins]

tanpopokitty, here's an article that may help you with the hairtyping process: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=164

Hope that helps :flower:

[ktani]

Frizz happens extremely rarely for my fine/medium wavy hair.

It does not as others have said have to indicate damage. It can indicate that.

I think in most cases it is caused by an imbalance of moisture and protein.

Before I got my catnip treatment perfected for me, and I did have build-up, my hair frizzed frequently.

Now, my hair is balanced. My hair still gets more full in humid weather and I love that. It just does not frizz.

[spidermom]

I used to think so. I thought of frizz as what you get after a bad perm - dried out, fluffy, unmanageable. But I learned here that people call that halo of shorter hairs "frizz".

I live with a constant halo of sticky-up hairs. I tame them with gel sometimes, also something heavy duty like styling putty if I really want a neat look (like for a dress-up occasion).

[ktani]

An idicator for me that it was/is not damage, other than the obvious, in that I do not use chemical colour, conventional chemical products or heat, is that when I had frizz in the long past, the hairs were wiry, not soft.

I knew that was build-up.

Now if my hair frizzes I know that I overdid or underused something in my routine to cause a bit of dryness, (too much shampoo and a catnip steeping with off timing or not enough catnip used).

The difference is that the frizzy hairs are not wiry and wetting them down with water easily straightens them out, for a while at least. I could not do that before.

[Mesmerise]

I would question what it IS about the haircutting process that is stopping frizz. I mean, if you are getting frizz all over your hair, and you get the ends trimmed... the cutting itself shouldn't impact on the frizz AT ALL, because you're not getting near the frizz with the scissors!

So either it's just that your hair frizzes at the ends and those ends get cut off (which I wouldn't imagine to be the case) OR the hairdresser is putting something in your hair which tames the frizz (some kind of moisturising product maybe?).

Otherwise, I can't see how having a trim or a small cut can actually impact on the frizziness of your hair.

[ktani]

If the frizz is caused by damage, say from a perm and the perm has grown out, cutting off the ends or the end of the perm damage can impact frizz.

Rebalancing hair that is damaged by chemicals can be tricky.

A hairstylist once told me that the best solution to perm damaged hair is oil. That makes sense to me in that damaged hair tends not to retain moisture well and oil helps it retain more.

[tanpopokitty]

I would question what it IS about the haircutting process that is stopping frizz. I mean, if you are getting frizz all over your hair, and you get the ends trimmed... the cutting itself shouldn't impact on the frizz AT ALL, because you're not getting near the frizz with the scissors!

So either it's just that your hair frizzes at the ends and those ends get cut off (which I wouldn't imagine to be the case) OR the hairdresser is putting something in your hair which tames the frizz (some kind of moisturising product maybe?).

Otherwise, I can't see how having a trim or a small cut can actually impact on the frizziness of your hair.

Well I usually get a lot of layers cut into my hair, so those shorter hairs probably do get cut into a short layer.

I feel that my hair is moisturized.. It feels soft and smooth to touch and I don't use any heat or chemicals. I conditioner only wash and use a heavier conditioner on the ends afterwards. I also use coconut oil.

[ktani]

I feel that my hair is moisturized.. It feels soft and smooth to touch and I don't use any heat or chemicals. I conditioner only wash and use a heavier conditioner on the ends afterwards. I also use coconut oil.

To me that is the answer - the cause of your frizz. By putting a heavier conditioner on your ends and then using coconut oil on top of that, you are diminshing the amount of moisture your hair retains from getting wet and from moisture vapour in the air. Your ends are drier than the rest of your hair. Drier hair can frizz and hair with too much moisture can frizz.

Clarifying should help you. Just use less conditioner on your ends and less coconut oil there too.

[Orangerthanred]

Frizz does not always = damage.

For some people, a bit of frizz is natural no matter what. For other, particularly people with silky hair, frizz can mean dryness or damage.

[julliams]

Ok, before you call your hair frizzy, clarify it using a good clarifying shampoo and finish with an ACV or white vinegar rinse (1 - 2 tablespoons in one litre of water and just pour it over your hair). Once you have done this you might find that some of the frizziness disappears.

In my experience, frizz is a word that describes lots of different types of "unruliness". My wirey hairs could be described as frizz but actually that's just their texture. Hair also expands in humid conditions which leads it to look fluffy and "out of control". Dry hair can look frizzy too. If it's dry, bi-weekly moisture treatments over a couple of months will help alot.