Best Frizz Control For Curly Hair [Review] in 2022

When it comes to styling and caring for curly hair, our top nemesis is frizzy hair. It ruins every style, and it ruins your day, especially after spending hours styling and washing your curls and being left with a head full of frizz.

Thick or coarse hair is most prone to frizz, especially when curly, as curly hair types are already lacking in moisture as the natural oils cannot reach the ends, and high porosity hair is the worst for retaining moisture because of the risen hair cuticle.

It feels like a constant losing battle to hydrate hair, but the best anti-frizz products work on hydration and moisture retention within the hair strand. They work to smooth the cuticle as well as create a seal to lock in moisture.

But it’s not as easy as picking up an anti-frizz product from the drugstore and being on your way, some brands work better than others, and some brands claim to be “curly friendly” but then contain a bucket load of silicones.

Don’t worry though; my top recommendations are all safe to use on curly hair! In this buying guide, I will be showing how you can tame your frizzy hair and define those luscious locks. So stay tuned all of my curlies, coilies, and wavies out there.

You won’t want to miss this.

Frizzy hair does not align with the surrounding hairs but stands up or curls independently. This leaves a fuzzy, irregular texture. It doesn’t look smooth or neat in some hairstyles. 

The main cause of frizz is lack of moisture in the hair; when your hair is dry, it absorbs moisture from the hair, which creates frizz. So if your hair is dry and humid outside, it is the perfect recipe for frizz.  Here are some other causes of frizz:

Vigorous towel drying:

While many of us think that drying your hair with a towel is better than drying your hair with a hairdryer, using a rough towel can cause friction and result in frizz.

Regular towels can actually dry oils out from your scalp, which ends up resulting in frizz. Instead, I would recommend switching to a microfibre towel or cotton t-shirt to dry your hair.

Over-brushing:

Brushing your hair too much or too roughly can result in breakage; tugging at your strands can cause breakage and split ends, making them more prone to frizz. 

If you have curly hair, I will recommend using a tangle teaser or a wide-tooth comb and comb through your hair while sopping wet and with a leave-in conditioner.

This will help ease through tangles and will prevent tugging on your hair, causing breakage. Also, be patient and don’t snag knots, it may be time, but it is worth it. 

For straight or wavy hair, I would recommend investing in a natural bristle brush. This will gently brush through knots and prevent breakage and frizz. 

Heat damage:

If you excessively apply heat to your hair without a heat protectant, this may be the top cause of your frizz. When your hair is damaged by heat, it strips the strands of moisture. 

This will leave the ends dry, brittle, and most prone to frizz. 

Having a hot shower:

There’s nothing more relaxing than a hot, steamy shower, especially in the winter, but having hot showers can also be a cause of your frizz.

Hot water strips your scalp and hair of natural oils that keep your hair moisturized and shiny; this lack of moisture makes your hair more prone to frizz. 

Don’t worry. It’s an easy fix; just turn down the temperature when washing your hair.

Humidity:

As we all well know, humidity is the top culprit for frizz, and while it is impossible to control the climate you live in, you can protect your locks with a humidity spray designed to lock in moisture. 

When your hair is dry, it seeks moisture from the humid air, which eventually causes frizz, so keeping your hair hydrated is the best way to combat this. 

Hair porosity:

The porosity of your hair also has a lot to say when it comes to frizz.

Low porosity hair struggles to soak up moisture because the cuticle is flat-lying; products tend to sit on top of the hair rather than soak into the hair, making it prone to frizz. 

The best way to open up this cuticle is with heat; using a heated cap is particularly effective or hot water; this will open the cuticle and help absorb moisture. 

Luckily once moisture has soaked into the cuticle, low porosity hair will hold onto the moisture, so if you care for this hair type correctly, this should also help with frizz.

The most frizz-prone hair type is high porosity hair; this is because the cuticle is raised, so while moisture is easily absorbed, this hair type struggles to retain moisture. 

It is recommended that you do an ice-cold rinse after cleansing and moisturizing your hair with treatment or conditioner; this should help close the cuticle and prevent frizz. 

I would recommend you maintain a good deep conditioning routine with lots of protein to maintain moisture and prevent frizz. Some oils are really good at sealing in moisture too. 

There are a few different ways we can get rid of frizz in our hair, and the key is hydration for one, using anti-frizz products, and smoothing the hair shaft and cuticle with hair oil.

Stop using sulfates:

Sulfate shampoos are quite harsh on any hair type and one of the top culprits of frizz as they strip the natural oils from your hair and dry out the ends. If you have curly hair, you most likely already know why using sulfates is bad for your hair.

Sadly, these chemicals can be found in most drugstore shampoo and conditioners, you may need to pay a little more for your shampoo, but the results are definitely worth it. My favorite budget-friendly options have to be Maui or SheaMoisture, they’re not only free of sulfates, but they are free from other harsh ingredients like parabens and phthalates.

Believe me; they’re not just for curly hair; they’re also brilliant at taming frizz too.

I would recommend going for a gentle sulfate-free shampoo that is free from harsh chemicals that can strip your scalp; your hair will feel more hydrated and less frizzy. However, along with cutting out sulfates, you will also need to cut out silicones and waxy ingredients.

Without sulfate shampoo to remove them, these ingredients build up on your hair and can be very damaging to your scalp. Silicones are like plastic and sit on top of your hair, leaving it looking greasy and dry because moisture cannot pass through.

Wash your hair less:

Excessively washing your hair is another cause of frizz because it strips the natural oils from your scalp, drying out the ends of your hair and causing frizz. If you struggle with a greasy scalp, I will recommend investing in a co-wash in between your shampoos and only shampooing once or twice a week maximum.

You should wash your scalp and massage your scalp for at least 60 seconds with water to get rid of sweat buildup, causing great and on the mid-lengths and ends wash your hair using a cleansing conditioner.

This will help cleanse your scalp from sweat and oil buildup without drying out the ends of your hair, preventing frizz.

Rinse your hair with cold water:

When washing your hair, I would recommend opting for a cooler temperature, as I aid earlier hot water can strip your natural oils and cause frizz.

At the end of your wash and condition, I would also recommend (especially if you have high porosity hair) rinsing with cool water.

This will help seal in moisture and close the cuticle, leaving your hair feeling hydrated and moisturized for longer.

After each wash, just washing your hair with cool water will make a world of difference for your frizz.

Comb hair while the conditioner is on: 

Now I know usually brushing your hair while wet is a no-no unless you have curly hair but combing the conditioner through the ends of your hair with a wide-tooth comb actually really helps tame frizz.

It helps gently ease knots and tangles without tugging on the ends of your hair, preventing breakage and frizz.

Unless you are combing through your hair with conditioner, leave-in conditioner, or detangling spray, you shouldn’t brush straight hair while wet. For curly hair, there is an exception as you cannot brush it while dry.

Regular hair masks/treatments

With frizzy hair, hydration is key so upkeeping a good deep conditioning routine is crucial. Remember to use a hair mask that uses natural ingredients and is free of nasty chemicals like silicones.

Using a hair mask regularly will leave hair feeling silky and smooth; this will help hydrate dry hair and nourish the cuticle. I would recommend doing this once a week.

Switch to a microfibre towel or cotton tee:

Some materials can actually be very damaging hair, and your terrycloth towel may actually be one of the top culprits of frizz as it causes friction– friction is one of the top causes of frizz.

The towel you’re using may also be causing your hair to frizz up by absorbing too much moisture. Instead, I would recommend switching to a microfibre towel or cotton t-shirt. 

This texture helps wick away water without causing friction, hair damage, or frizz. Many curly girls like to plop their hair in a cotton t-shirt as it gently dries curls and leaves them frizz-free and defined. 

Use heat protectant spray:

Since the major cause of frizz is recessive heat styling and heat damage, you shouldn’t ever style or apply heat to your hair without a heat protectant.

This goes for both blow-drying and styling your hair with either a straightener or curling iron. Heat protectants also have humectants which offer a layer of protection against frizz.

I would also recommend using SPF protection for your hair, especially if you’re going out and about, as this can help prevent sun damage and tame frizz. 

If you suffer from frizz, try to keep heat styling to a minimum if you can, this can indicate that the frizz is caused by heat damage.

Learn to embrace your natural texture; our hair is diverse, and trust me, if you start to embrace your natural hair, you’ll receive more compliments than you’d expect.

Instead, hydrate your hair with deep conditioning masks, and remember to use heat protectants before using heat styling tools.

Check out my guide here for my top recommendations. 

Have regular trims:

When it comes down to damage to your hair, prevention is always better than a cure. If you’ve noticed that your ends are starting to split and your hair is frizzier than usual, this is your sign to do the chop.

While some conditioning treatments are brilliant for reducing the appearance of split ends, they’re not a cure. The only way you can cure split ends is to do the chop.

Regular trims prevent your hair from splitting or fraying and help keep the ends hydrated. This all helps tackle frizz.

Upgrade to a silk pillow:

Like using the wrong towel, your pillow can also cause friction and damage, leading to frizz. You can use protective hairstyles to prevent your head from rubbing on the pillow.

Using a silk or satin pillow is the best way to prevent frizz while you catch some well-deserved Zzz’s. It prevents frizz from occurring, as you would see in a cotton pillowcase.

You can also tie your hair up in a loose ponytail or bun with a scrunchie to help protect your hairstyle while you sleep.

Apply hair oils:

Certain essential oils work wonders for hair health, not only to tame frizz but overall to improve the health of your hair.

Natural ingredients like coconut oil, argan oil, castor oil, jojoba oil can deeply nourish and hydrate your strand while providing a protective barrier that keeps moisture from escaping the cuticle.

Hair oil creates a barrier on your hair in a similar way that protects your complexion in your skincare routine. It creates a shield that locks in moisture and keeps nasty stuff out.

You should base the hair oil you use on your hair type; if you have super coily hair or curly hair, then a heavier oil like coconut oil is ideal. Whereas for straight or wavy hair, lightweight serum-like argan oil will help nourish the ends of your hair.

Avoid SD alcohols:

If your hair is particularly prone to frizz, then it may be ideal to avoid short-chain alcohols in your shampoo, dry shampoo, conditioner, and hair products in general. 

Short-chain alcohols can be particularly drying on your hair and will hence cause frizz.

These are usually listed on the ingredients labels as SD alcohols, denatured d alcohol, propanol, propyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol.

These are the type of alcohols that can be very damaging to your hair strands. However, fatty alcohols can be super hydrating and smooth your hair. 

These include lauryl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, and Cetearyl alcohol, so these are key for hydration if you come across these alcohols.

Now I love my hair, but sometimes I fancy a change, but whenever I straighten my hair, I find that I am faced with a ball of frizz the second I step outside. Desperately I looked for a solution to frizz-free hair after straightening, and it’s all about the technique and products.

Here’s how you easily straighten curly hair without frizz!

Step One: Apply A Treatment Mask Beforehand:

The first thing you’ll want to do is prep your hair for straightening, so hop on in to the shower and shampoo and condition your hair. You’ll want to do a shampoo over co-washing your hair when using a flat iron as you want all the excess oils to be washed away.

But since you are straightening hair with high temperatures, I recommend doing a deep conditioning treatment mask beforehand.

So hop in the shower, give your hair a rinse and a good message under the running water for a minute or two, turn off the shower and squeeze out any excess water. Then apply your hair mask all over your hair and leave it on for 20-30 minutes.

You can wrap up your hair in a microfiber towel that’s specific for treatments, so the mask really penetrates those curly tresses. This will help add a protective barrier from the flat iron heat.

Step Two: Shampoo & Condition:

Next up is to wash your hair using your loo-poo sulfate-free shampoo. When choosing a sulfate-free shampoo for your curly hair, make sure you choose one that is right for your hair porosity and curl type— it actually makes a world of difference.

If you’re not sure why you should switch to a sulfate-free shampoo with curly hair, it is because sulfates can be very stripping to the hair, stripping the hair of its natural oils. While this may be brilliant for those with oily scalps, since curly hair is already the driest hair type, this can make curls more prone to damage.

Use a moisturizing sulfate-free shampoo and hydrating conditioner; we want to retain as much moisture as possible as your hair is more likely to get damaged when it is dry.

Apply your conditioner and leave it on for a minute or two while you wash your body and shave whatever you have left in the shower. I personally prefer to start detangling with my fingers while the conditioner is on too, this helps with the detangling afterward.

If you have high porosity hair, I would also recommend doing a cool rinse at the end; this should help seal the cuticle– high porosity hair is most prone to heat damage as the cuticle is not lying flat.

Step Three: Apply Leave-In Conditioner & Heat Protectant:

While your hair is still dripping wet in the shower, this is when you should apply your leave-in conditioner. Leave in conditioners to create a seal over your hair strand and help create a barrier over the cuticle to lock in moisture.

The leave-in conditioner will help moisturize and smooth your hair strands, and the heat protectant will protect your hair while styling; apply your leave-in conditioner to wet hair and your heat protectant to damp hair.

They work best when your hair is soaking wet as they soak up all the water particles to help retain moisture in the ends of your hair; if you’re not using a leave-in conditioner every time you wash your curly hair, you absolutely should be.

Once you’ve applied the leave-in conditioner, start to detangle your strands using a wide-tooth comb or a detangling wet brush— whatever detangling tool that works on detangling your curly hair without snagging or pulling.

You can towel dry the ends of your hair, so your hair isn’t dripping, and applies your heat protectant. Whatever you do, never apply heat or use a flat iron on curly hair without a heat protectant; it will just cause damage and breakage.

Your heat protectant is the most crucial thing you should remember, especially when using flat irons. Our hair strands are very similar to our skin; while we cannot feel it burning our strands, it does equally as much damage over time. 

All the other steps are irrelevant if you don’t use a heat protectant. If you don’t use a heat protectant, your hair will become very dry, brittle, and prone to damage and breakage, along with frizz and tangling. 

Also, remember to apply a heat protectant that can protect your hair up to the heat of your flat iron temperature; some heat protectants only protect hair against blow dryer heat rather than flat iron heat.

I would also recommend using a microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt over your regular cotton or terry cloth towel. Your cotton towel can actually cause a lot of damage to your natural hair as well as cause frizz.

Step Four: Let your hair naturally dry 50%

Blow-drying soaking wet hair actually causes the most damage as the wetter the hair strand, the more fragile it is. If you have some time on your hands, it’s best to let your hair air dry for half an hour to an hour before going in with your blow dryer.

You can either leave hair drying for a little while or just rough blow-dry your hair on a cool setting using a back and forth technique until your hair is 80% dry and leave it to naturally dry for the last 20%.

Especially with curly hair, you want the least amount of damage on your hair as possible, so you can either wrap your hair up in a microfiber towel for 30 mins to an hour and then blow-dry.

Step Five: Blow Dry In Sections:

So once you’ve left your hair to naturally dry for a little while, use your paddle brush or round brush to try and blow dry those curls as smooth as possible. You may need a medium/high heat to do this but try to keep the temperature as low as possible when drying.

The best way to smooth out curly hair is to work in sections; starting underneath, use 2-inch sections, or even smaller if you have very thick, coarse curls. Combination bristles are brilliant for creating tension and smoothing the cuticle without frizz.

Be patient for this step, as the smoother your hair is before you use a flat iron, the better.

Step Six: Section Your Hair:

Now you’ve blow-dried your curls straight, they may be looking a little bit poofy, but if you use the right products, your hair should still be manageable. The smaller the sections, the better, as it saves running over the same section multiple times.

Sectioning your hair is hair straightening 101; it will leave you time and cause less damage in the long run as you’re not scorching the strands.

Split your hair in the middle at the back and bring it forward; starting underneath, use a tail comb to section your hair into one-inch sections.

The number of sections you do will all depend on the thickness of your hair; if you have quite fine hair, then working with 2-inch sections will be better, but if you have quite thick, unruly curls, then 1-inch sections will be better.

Pin or clip up all the sections you’re not using and straighten each section; either pin your hair on top of your dead or behind your shoulders.

Step Seven: Clamp the Straightener, Using A Comb To Guide Through:

For minimal damage, you want to be sure that the straightener glides over your hair rather than snagging or pulling. I like to run the comb through each section before, and when running the straightener over, this ensures each section is smooth. 

Start as close to your root as possible, and while I would only recommend running the straightener over each section, I know this isn’t realistic, so try to stick to 2-3 times. 

Smaller sections will mean that you won’t need to run it over with the flat iron as much. Try to be gentle and not snag or pull on strands; you should try to glide the plates over your hair rather than drag it. 

Since curly hair is quite textured, by working in small sections, you can help glide the flat iron over the ends of your hair using the comb; this will prevent disrupting the hair strand and causing frizz.

Step Eight: Apply Serum Or Oil:

Once you’ve gone over every section with the flat iron, make sure you apply a hydrating serum or oil to the ends, this will help restore hydration to the ends, along with providing a protective barrier to help keep your hair straighter for longer and not frizzy from the humidity. 

This step is super important on curly hair as, without it, your hair will start to curl back up the next day, and the hour or two spent using the flat iron will be wasted.

Apply a couple of pumps of oil or serum and rub it in between your fingers for a couple of sections and gently comb it through the mid-lengths and ends; this should leave your ends looking shiny and luscious. 

For a little extra hold, you can also apply hair spray afterward, spraying from a distance, so it doesn’t leave a greasy residue.

What ingredients should you look out for when buying frizz control for curly hair?

When it comes to buying any products for curly hair, you should avoid silicones, sulfates, waxes, and mineral oil. This is because silicones, waxes, and mineral oil all build up on curls and can only be removed with sulfates.

However, water-soluble silicones, which are in some of the products, help aid with hydration, and unlike the non-soluble silicones, they are easily removed with water. But I created a full guide of everything you need to know about silicones, so be sure to check that out!

How do you air dry hair without frizz?

The best way to air-dry hair without frizz is to leave it TF alone. Touching your hair can disrupt or ruffle up the cuticle, which can lead to frizz. Your skin also has moisture in it, so playing with your hair too much can disrupt the curl pattern.

So once you’ve applied and styled your hair, then HANDS OFF! The more you touch, the more frizz you create.

How do you prevent frizz in humidity?

The best way to prevent frizz in humidity is to use sealing oils before you leave. Your hair absorbs the moisture in the air, which causes frizz. So using certain oils can create an oil/water barrier, keeping water in the cuticle and preventing moisture from penetrating through.

You should also apply a leave-in conditioner and gel beforehand too and top up the gel in between washes to restore this moisture and prevent moisture from entering the cuticle from the environment. Also, avoid touching or playing with your curls.

So there you have it, everything you need to know about anti-frizz products and why they are so important in your curly frizz-fighting routine. Whether you have fine hair or thick hair, everyone can benefit from anti-frizz products.

Choose any of the anti-frizz products I have selected for you today, but make sure you work out your hair porosity beforehand as what may work for high porosity hair, may not work for low porosity, so be savvy with your products.

Every curly girl deserves frizz-free curls!