PDA

View Full Version : How to reduce frizz?



DragonLady
July 26th, 2008, 11:27 AM
Hi! I'm posting on behalf of my DH, who is a little intimated by forums full of real people. :)

He has long, thick, wavy hair that he's been growing for years. But he starts a new job next week, and they're requiring him to cut it back to shorter-than-shoulder-length. But back when it was shorter he had a constant battle with frizz, and wants to know what he can do to combat it?

I did a search, but the word came up so many times there was no wading through the results, so forgive me if there's a big article about this somewhere that I missed.

Riot Crrl
July 26th, 2008, 11:57 AM
This has the potential to get really detailed (scrutinizing ingredient lists for humectants, etc.) but I will try to keep it at the 101 level, lol.

The simplest approach has two main prongs to it:

1. Moisture. Consider a less drying shampoo, and shampooing less often. Consider a richer conditioner, and using more of it, and leaving some of it in (does he do this already?). Periodic deep conditioning treatments, too.

2. Styling product. Once it is moisturized, if it is still frizzy, nothing helps like gel.

forgetmenotak
July 26th, 2008, 12:00 PM
This has the potential to get really detailed (scrutinizing ingredient lists for humectants, etc.) but I will try to keep it at the 101 level, lol.

The simplest approach has two main prongs to it:

1. Moisture. Consider a less drying shampoo, and shampooing less often. Consider a richer conditioner, and using more of it, and leaving some of it in (does he do this already?). Periodic deep conditioning treatments, too.

2. Styling product. Once it is moisturized, if it is still frizzy, nothing helps like gel.

Are humectants supposed to cause frizz?

DragonLady
July 26th, 2008, 12:09 PM
I think his current regimen is wash-rinse-repeat. But I'll have to ask him if he does anything else.

Riot Crrl
July 26th, 2008, 12:12 PM
Are humectants supposed to cause frizz?

Humectants... humect. I think they kind of seek to equalize the moisture of everything they are touching, like themselves, the air, and your hair. If there is a medium amount of moisture in the air, this seems to work out fine. If the air is very saturated with humidity and your hair is dry, it tries to make your hair soak up the water more = frizz. If the air has less moisture than your hair, it tries to give some to the air and takes it from the hair = frizz.

I'm referring here to stylers and leave ins that I walk around with in my hair all day. In something like SMT, the honey should have access to plenty of water from the conditioner and aloe, so it should just put that in your hair, and then it's rinsed off.

Siava
July 26th, 2008, 02:50 PM
I also agree with Riot Crrl...more conditioner is needed to add moisture to the hair which will control the wave to keep it tight. Gel is also great. If he puts in gel, he needs to NOT TOUCH HIS HAIR until it dries. Playing/combing/brushing the hair while it's wet is a huge no-no for wavies and curlies because that makes the frizz factor go way up.

Riot Crrl
July 26th, 2008, 03:02 PM
I also agree with Riot Crrl...more conditioner is needed to add moisture to the hair which will control the wave to keep it tight. Gel is also great. If he puts in gel, he needs to NOT TOUCH HIS HAIR until it dries. Playing/combing/brushing the hair while it's wet is a huge no-no for wavies and curlies because that makes the frizz factor go way up.

Ah yes, totally true. I would say even with out gel, but I think it's even more important with. It will dry all crispety crunchety and like it still looks wet. Once it's totally dry (and not a minute before) he can scrunch it to remove that and turn it back to normal hair.

manderly
July 26th, 2008, 03:54 PM
Coconut oil and some other leave in together works great for me, I am a wavy, the advice riot crrl is giving is great, but it works better for curlies (I've tried it).

I use Giovanni direct leave in with about 6 drops of coconut oil in my towel dried hair. Of course this comes after I use my highly moisturizing CV olive & babassu poo bar and suave condish + vinegar rinse.

This makes my wavy hair damn perfect. If you're aiming to increase curls on top of eliminating frizz, riot crrls suggestions are great. I prefer my waves to curls that I comb out easily though.

dorothea-brooke
July 26th, 2008, 04:01 PM
I swear by Aubrey Organics B5 gel. It will probably feel like a chunk of change for a guy to plunk down on a bottle of styling product :lol:, but I use it every day and the bottle lasts for months.

dorothea

P.S. Also, it has no fragrance, so you can either leave it "plain" or add a bunch of EOs to customize your own scent.

Curlsgirl
July 27th, 2008, 01:01 PM
Coconut oil over a leave-in conditioner, cutting down on frequency of shampooing and diluting the shampoo and keeping my hair moisturized are the main things for me. I rarely use a gel since I only wash once a week and I hate products that I can feel on my hair. Occasionally if I want to get the most out of my curls I use it though. Tell him not to be afraid to use more product. I have to use quite a bit of anything on my hair.

DragonLady
July 27th, 2008, 01:36 PM
Thanks, everyone! After his cut, we'll go shopping (we'll be in the city) and see what we can find. I'll try to convince him to buy coconut or olive oil, and a good moisturizing leave-in. He does use gel, but I think it's just the cheap grocery store brand, so I'll try to find him something better.

Of course, I have to be careful, as he won't use anything he's convinced is for women or girls. It has to be in plain packages and have a masculine appeal or he won't even consider it. He may not accept coconut oil for that reason -too much like a woman's perfume- but olive oil might be okay.

manderly
July 27th, 2008, 03:59 PM
Coconut oil has a very light scent in the container, and I can't smell it at all when it's in my hair.

liseling
July 27th, 2008, 05:00 PM
One other thing: if he's "wash, rinse, repeat" ing get him to stop washing and repeating so much and make friends with the conditioner! Also, once he's got the conditioner he can cut back on the rinsing too :) leaving in conditioner is a really good way of keeping moisture in the hair.

Shandra
July 27th, 2008, 07:20 PM
Instead of gel, I adore aloe vera gel... a lot less drying.

DragonLady
July 27th, 2008, 10:30 PM
He's in serious mourning now. He has 43" of hair -past tailbone- and it's going to be cut to about 17". :(

Worse, I just found this place a few weeks ago, and now he's getting interested in taking better care of what he has.... Just in time to lose it.

So, any tips for making the cut less traumatic? Or any nice words of sympathy for the rape of his locks?

manderly
July 27th, 2008, 11:06 PM
Why are they requiring him to cut? What kind of job is this if you don't mind asking?

Can't he just bun it???

DragonLady
July 27th, 2008, 11:09 PM
He'll be working in a deli; and no, they won't let him bun it or pull it back. :( They want it less than shoulder length, down. :mad:

I don't know why they're doing this. For years they had an employee with hair as long as DH, who just wore it braided. But now they're insisted it be short. :(

manderly
July 27th, 2008, 11:19 PM
That doesn't seem right. Can't he use a hairnet and a cap??

Is this deli job worth the "devastation" it will cause for him to chop his hair off? Honestly, it doesn't seem worth it to me!!!

I hope everything works out for you in the end.........

Shandra
August 1st, 2008, 06:46 PM
I'd have him cut it, but I'd have him start wearing it in buns and such, and always have it up, so they don't know how long it's getting... Just remind him it's a new start to a even better length of hair...

dorothea-brooke
August 1st, 2008, 07:13 PM
Oh, this is just painful to contemplate, even vicariously!

One question: do they require women to have hair above shoulder length, too? If not, they might be guilty of illegal discrimination. :disgust:

Any lawyers out there???

dorothea

dorothea-brooke
August 1st, 2008, 07:17 PM
Also, back to the practical matters for a moment, I don't think anyone mentioned Kimberlily's defrizz spray in this thread. Between that and the B5 gel I mentioned upthread, I have no more frizz (and it used to be baaaaad...!)

You can find the recipe here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=277&highlight=kimberlily%27s).

dorothea