Contrary to popular belief, PATTERN insists that for curly hair "frizz is our friend." The right kind of frizz, that is. While many people despise frizz, natural hair can embrace the fullness of frizz with curls, coils, and tight textures that are healthy and hydrated. When frizz is the result of dryness or breakage, that's when moisture and a good trim come into play.
PATTERN defines frizz as, "the aura of radiance that surrounds curls and coils; hair reverberation of a divine frequency; a ripple of coils and curls that begins at the crown and echoes into the wind." Frizz has a special place in our lives and helps natural hair and those that wear it reach new heights.
Our curly hair should proudly take up space in extravagant ways. Big hair don't care. Big hair big time. Free and rising, juicy, and joyful hair. Learn how to moisturize curly hair for that extra glow up.
One of the main causes of unwanted frizz is a lack of moisture or hydration. Finding the right hair stylers for curly hair is the first step and when moisturized and healthy, frizz can be created from fluffing, shaking, and picking your curls to increase volume, achieve style, and to embrace the dance of your strands.
In this article, we'll talk about both unwanted frizz as well as beautiful frizz, because both are important.
Unwanted frizz is accidental, it is there not because you intended for it to be there, but because your curls or coils are longing for care. Beautiful frizz is a purposeful, desired fullness and whimsy of wind-blown strands.
What causes frizzy hair?
The most popular causes of unwanted frizzy hair among natural, or curly haired people are:
- Dryness:
Brittle or dehydrated hair can result in unpredictable and fractured strands. Coils are crying out for the moisture they deserve and will reach unbelievable heights to access it.
- Damage:
When curls become vulnerable, damaged hair arises as a warning sign where unhealthy hair can be nourished back to health with hydration and a possible trim. Heat or chemical damage, dry environments, and hash ingredients can result in damage.
- Friction:
Whether from a cotton pillowcase or dry strands rubbing against each other, friction can cause cuticles to rise up which results in static, tangling, and ultimately natural hair breakage.
- Humidity:
Humidity in the environment can lead to either your best hair day or your worst. If your curls are high porosity or happen to be damaged, the humid moisture will flow in quickly but it will also leave quickly, resulting in dry hair. Allowing your curls to completely dry with high porosity hair products such as a deep leave-in conditioner for curly hair or moisturizing styler before stepping out in the humidity will ensure definition and prevent excess moisture in the air from altering your desired style.
The most popular ways to achieve beautiful frizz are:
- Moisture:
Saturating your strands with ingredients that will penetrate your hair shaft and moisturize your tendrils from the inside out will ensure your most juicy and joyful curls.
- Diffusing:
After using PATTERN's Curl Gel, diffusing can ensure perfect clumping where curl strands band together and create ringlets of perfection. Drying with a diffuser can dry your hair without creating friction or heat damage, locking in the natural hair texture and rhythm of your curls.
- Finger Coiling:
To unleash juicy curls with volume, consider "finger coiling" or enhancing your natural curl pattern to create defined curls. Twisting or finger coiling your deep conditioner while you're in the shower is a great first step, as is coiling your curl around your finger with Hair Styling Cream or Strong Hold Gel.
- Hair Pick:
Achieve volume and let your hair reach higher heights with PATTERN's Hair Pick. Extra long prongs help to shape styles, add volume and elongate your kinks, coils, and curls--especially perfect to revive hair in the mornings.
How to hydrate frizzy curly hair
While "frizz is our friend," the key to taming frizz is to ensure healthy hydration at all times. For example, if you are transitioning from a chemically straight hair style to a natural one, this is an opportunity to embrace the change in your curl pattern while embracing moisture-rich formulas and regular trims. The LOC method is also a great way to lock in that hydration. There's no one solution.
Hydrating frizzy curls is a combination of a few steps:
- Moisture
- Regular trims
- Layering products
Schedule regular trims to get rid of that part of the hair so your ends can stay healthy and strong. Depending on the condition of your hair, you should consider trims every 6 - 8 weeks, 3 - 4 months, or 6 - 8 months.
"My hair is 3B/4A and I like to use my heavy conditioner as a partial leave-in; I let it sit in my hair overnight. Then the next day, I'll wet it (not wash it out) and apply my styling cream on top, then apply the strong hold gel while it’s wet," says PATTERN Pro Acacia Hill. "It allows my wash-n-go's to last and go through the motions of shrinkage, then bigness, and the curl frizz, while keeping the coils in line...and if they act up, I can just apply more water, and it's back!"
PATTERN Pro Ashley Ludgood, a self-proclaimed curly girl, who has 4A tight-textured, protein-sensitive, and low porosity hair (wondering what low porosity hair is?) agrees with cocktailing the moisture to achieve frizz-free definition. “I wash my hair with the clarifying shampoo. I’m super heavy-handed with the hair product and this gets everything off. Then I’ll sleep with the Intensive Conditioner in my hair overnight as a deep conditioner. My curls come out crazy clumped, hydrated, and defined.” Explore our full collection of low porosity hair products.
How to protect curly hair against humidity
Whether you're in Miami or Chicago, Dallas or Philly, humidity can turn an amazing twist out into a disaster. Before you step outside with your slicked and snatched edges, there are a few ways to protect your curls, coils, and tight textures against humidity and reduce the chances of unwanted frizz.
To smooth the hair’s cuticle and form a protective layer on your hair that humidity just cannot penetrate, try these tips and products:
- Apply hair oil in the shower.
- Moisturize your ends with conditioner.
Try: Lightweight, medium, heavy or intensive conditioner (Take our Conditioner Quiz to find out which one is right for you)
- Apply a protective layer of styling product like styling cream, strong hold gel or curl gel.
Try: Curl Custard
- Dry your hair completely.
Try: Microfiber Towel
- Wear a protective style.
Learn: Twist Out Styles
- Embrace the frizz.
Learn: Frizzy Curly Hair
With a regiment of moisture-rich formulas and regular trims, unwanted frizz can be a thing of the past. When in doubt embrace the corkscrew curls that scrunch up and give extreme volume, or the luscious Z-pattern coils that bend and flare. As long as your hair is healthy and hydrated, let your curls be free.
Join the PATTERN family! Get started with our natural hair care products.
