How to Stop Frizzy Hair After Washing (and in Humidity!)

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When you’re done washing your hair, does it go from lying smoothly against your scalp to rising up? Frizzy hair is a problem that some people experience after washing it or when it’s humid outside. If you’re trying to get your hair to stay sleek and smooth, dealing with frizz can be a nuisance.

Knowing how to stop frizzy hair after washing it or how to stop frizzy hair in humidity means learning why it happens in the first place. Once you know why your hair does this, you can better understand how to stop it from happening.

Eager to prevent frizz from taking over your hair? We offer the following guide to help you win this battle.

What Causes Frizz After Washing?

You know your nails have cuticles, but did you know your hair strands also have cuticles? Hair cuticles help guard each strand of hair from damage. When your hair cuticles are in good condition, they lie flat against your head, giving you smooth-looking hair.

Hair cuticle damage

What happens when hair cuticles aren’t in good condition? When this happens, they take on a different texture and start to get rough. This causes strands of hair to stick up or frizz instead of being flat. Learning to manage frizz after washing involves having a good understanding of hair cuticles.

What Causes Hair Cuticle Damage?

1) Hot water

Think about how you wash your hair. If you tend to take hot showers, guess what? That hot water is damaging your hair strands and hair cuticles. The heat causes hair cuticles to become rougher instead of being flat.

2) Hair products

What kinds of shampoo and conditioner do you use on your hair? What about other hair care products, such as hair dye? Hair products with sulfates, alcohols, or other harsh ingredients can lead to frizzy hair.

3) Heat styling

If you tend to use heat styling tools on your hair, especially on a daily or almost daily basis, this can be why you have frizzy hair after washing. These kinds of tools, such as curling irons, might make your hair look stylish. It comes at a cost, though, since it leads to frizz.

4) Hair washing frequency

How often do you wash your hair, especially in hot water? Washing your hair every day strips its oils. This leads to hair that’s more dry and damaged, resulting in frizz. Pay close attention to hair washing frequency.

5) Hair drying

Waiting for your hair to dry on its own can be tedious. Sometimes you don’t have time to do it, so you reach for a hair dryer or towel dry it. The kind of towel you use, the way you towel dry, or the type of hair dryer you use can all lead to frizziness.

What Causes Frizz in Humidity?

When it’s humid out, you might notice your hair getting frizzy. It can get even more frizzy than usual. Knowing how to stop frizzy hair in humidity means understanding why this occurs. It has to do with your hair cuticles again.

When you have dry hair cuticles, they have a rougher texture instead of a smooth one. This acts like a doorway for moisture to get in. When you’re in a humid environment, moisture in the air seeps into your hair cuticles and causes them to swell up. A cuticle with a rough texture will swell unevenly, causing frizz.

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Which Hair Types Tend to Have Frizz?

Do you have frizz-prone hair? Understanding how to stop frizzy hair after washing means learning more about your hair type. If you have curly hair, you might find yourself dealing with frizzy hair more often.

Curly hair

The natural texture of curly hair makes it more prone to frizz. Since curly hair bends, the natural oils near the hair shaft have a harder time moving along the strands. This can lead to dry hair that becomes frizzy after washing it or in humidity.

Wavy hair

Just as naturally curly hair has a harder time staying free of frizz, wavy hair can experience the same problem. Natural oils don’t travel along the strand as well as straight hair, which can make hair fibers more likely to become frizzy.

Straight hair

Straight hair isn’t as prone to frizz as other hair types. As long as you don’t strip oils from your straight hair, they can move along the strands easily. This can help your hair stay hydrated and become less vulnerable to frizz.

Chemically-treated hair

Using chemical treatments in your hair can make it more prone to frizz, no matter your hair type.

How to Stop Frizzy Hair After Washing

We'll discuss how to stop frizzy hair after washing, during drying, and in humidity in the following section. What are the best ways to stop frizzy hair after you wash it?

To prevent frizzy hair, you can try the following ideas:

1) Wash in cold water

Skip the hot water, and wash your hair in cold water or cool water instead. You can take a warm shower, then adjust the water temperature for a cold water rinse. Cold water helps keep your hair cuticles healthy instead of dry and damaged.

2) Limit hair washing

Washing your hair daily can result in frizz. You can limit washing your hair to a few times a week. This way, you won’t strip you hair's oils, and you’ll have hair cuticles that are smooth instead of rough.

3) Choose a conditioning shampoo

Use a shampoo that conditions your hair, which helps it stay healthy. Avoid shampoos with harsh ingredients like sulfates—these can lead to dry hair. Using a conditioning shampoo helps protect your hair fibers from dryness and damage.

4) Use a wide tooth comb or wet/dry brush

Never detangle wet hair with boar bristle brushes. Use a wide-tooth comb instead, since it allows more hair strands through. A wide-toothed comb offers a safe way to detangle wet hair without having to worry about hair breakage and frizz.

Alternatively, if you're going to brush your hair, you need to use the right brush. There are detangling brushes that you can use on wet or dry hair to help achieve a frizz-free look. Using the wrong brush can lead to major split ends and frizz.

How to Stop Frizzy Hair in Humidity

When it’s humid out, how can you prevent frizzy hair? You don’t have to stay indoors in air conditioning. There are things you can try to stop your hair from looking frizzy in humid air.

1) Keep your natural hair texture

Don’t try to change your hair texture in humid weather. Avoid doing a curly or wavy hairstyle with straight hair on humid days. If you have curls or wavy hair, don’t try to turn it into straight hair when it’s humid out.

2) Use coconut oil

Knowing how to stop frizzy hair in humidity or after washing means knowing which products to use. Apply coconut oil evenly to your hair to tame frizz in humidity and add shine. This oil has a light texture that keeps swelling down, leading to smoother hair. You can also try shea butter in your hair when it’s humid.

3) Apply a hair mask

Achieving frizz-free hair is all about the right products. Applying a hair mask regularly can deeply hydrate and smooth your hair, reducing frizz and boosting shine. Choose a mask with nourishing ingredients like argan oil or keratin to keep your locks sleek and manageable in any weather.

4) Try a keratin treatment

Keratin treatments might help protect your hair from getting frizzy in humidity. These treatments can be used on all types of hair to help you combat frizz when the weather turns humid. If you want to dramatically increase your hair's shine, reduce flyaways, add moisture, and get rid of split ends, a professional keratin treatment can be a worthy investment. Seek expert advice from your hair stylist on this type of treatment.

What Types of Products Should You Try to Tame Frizzy Hair?

The kinds of hair care products and styling products you use can help prevent the dreaded frizz. The type of hair products that work best for your hair depends on different factors, such as whether you have thicker hair or fine hair. The following are a couple of examples of products to try for frizz.

1) Silk Pillowcases

Silk pillowcases are a game-changer for managing frizz. Unlike cotton, silk locks in moisture and reduces friction as your hair rubs against the pillow, preventing breakage and split ends. This helps keep delicate hair and new growth that tends to frizz (aka baby hairs) in check and maintains smoothness. Silk also prevents hair from drying out overnight, leaving you with healthier, more manageable locks.

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2) Hair serums

Frizzy hair can happen when your hair fibers aren’t aligned. Hair serums with silicone help align hair fibers, giving a smoother look. A hair serum can also make your hair feel softer. For an intensive treatment that reduces frizz, consider using a hair serum as an overnight treatment. Allowing the serum to penetrate your strands while you sleep helps add shine and reduce frizz from the inside out.

3) Hair masks

Hair masks containing ingredients that help tame frizzy hair, such as argan oil, can make a big difference when it comes to smoother hair. These hair masks nourish your hair cuticles, making them hydrated instead of dry. When you’re thinking about how to stop frizzy hair in humidity or after washing, consider using hair masks.

4) Leave-in conditioners

Leave-in conditioners are an excellent solution for combating moisture loss and reducing frizz. Formulated with nourishing ingredients, they help strengthen hair strands, preventing split ends and breakage.

By coating the hair shaft, leave-in conditioners create a protective barrier that allows your locks to retain moisture effectively. Using a high-quality leave-in conditioner after washing can tame unruly frizz, leaving you with smooth, manageable tresses even in humid conditions.

Drying Methods For Frizz-Free Hair After Washing

Now that we've explored some options for preventing frizz after washing, it’s time to examine how you dry it. How you dry your hair can greatly impact how frizzy it is, especially if you have frizz-prone hair.

1) Use an ionic hair dryer

Ditch the traditional blow dryer that uses heat to blow dry your hair. Switch to an ionic hairdryer instead of a traditional blow dryer, which pulls moisture out of your while fighting frizz. Ionic hair dryers help reduce heat damage, resulting in smooth hair.

) Use a microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt

Rubbing a terry towel over your hair, especially vigorously (the way many of us were taught), can damage hair cuticles. Use a microfiber towel or towel turban—or a cotton tee—gently blotting to dry your hair. This helps remove excess moisture from your hair while preventing hair damage.

3) Let it air dry

Air dry naturally to avoid exposing your hair to heat or friction from towel drying. When you let your hair air dry instead of blow drying, you’ll have a lower chance of ending up with frizz. Since your hair might take longer to air dry, plan ahead.

How to Wear Your Hair When Sleeping

To stop frizz after washing or in humid weather, consider your sleeping habits. Using the right techniques for wearing your hair at night can help get rid of frizz and prevent more frizz from happening.

Try a Silk Scrunchie

Putting your hair up instead of laying it out on your pillow can help prevent frizziness. Try putting a silk scrunchie from Blissy in your hair instead of a regular scrunchie. Using a scrunchie made of silk provides some important benefits.

Benefits of silk

Why is silk so good for frizzy hair? These are just a few of the advantages that silk provides:

• It's not as absorbent as cotton, so it doesn’t take moisture out of your hair
• Silk has a tight weave that keeps moisture locked into your hair strands instead of letting it escape
• Silk has 43% less friction than cotton, which allows hair cuticles to lay flat while you sleep

How to Stop Frizzy Hair After Washing or in Humid Weather with Silk

Wearing a silk scrunchie isn’t the only way to enjoy the benefits of silk for your hair. You can also sleep on a pillowcase made from the finest quality silk. This helps your hair become softer and smoother while also preventing frizz.

Sleep on a Blissy Silk Pillowcase

How does resting your head on a silk pillowcase help control frizz? When you lay your head on a Blissy Silk Pillowcase at night, your hair cuticles are well-protected from damage. The silk in these pillowcases helps your hair stay hydrated instead of dry, making it less likely to become frizzy.

Learning how to stop naturally frizzy hair after washing or in humidity means paying attention to how you treat your hair at all times. From washing and drying it to sleeping on it, taking steps to protect hair cuticles leads to healthier, softer, smoother hair.

Silk Products for Frizz Control

Looking for the best products to keep your hair from getting frizzy? Now that you know how to stop frizzy hair after washing, it’s time to choose silk products to keep frizz at bay for good. Visit Blissy to see our selection of silk pillowcases and silk scrunchies for softer, smoother hair.