A guide to understanding why frizz appears and how to care for your hair from the shower to touch-ups between washes.
You comb your hair, you head out, and in a few minutes the hair begins to frizz out. Strands separate from the rest, definition is lost and you feel that moisture has won again.
To control frizz, first you need to understand what it is. When you know what’s happening, taking care of it becomes simpler than you think.
What is frizz and why does it increase with humidity
Frizz appears when the fibers separate and lose alignment: those fine hairs that stick out from the whole and make the hair look more expanded. The humidity favors this effect because the fiber can absorb water from the environment and change shape.
When its surface is damaged —as can happen from bleaching, heat, or wear— it becomes harder to keep it smooth and orderly. It also involves the electric charges on its surface, which can contribute to the fibers repelling each other.
Understanding this gives us a clue for care: we need to keep the fiber conditioned and coated so it responds better to humidity.
What it means to “shield” the hair against frizz
The secret lies in shielding the hair. This means creating a cosmetic coating that helps smooth its surface, reduce friction, and keep the fibers more aligned.
That’s when emollients, conditioning agents and products that form a protective film come into play. These components are present in the formulas of conditioners, leave-in creams, serums and cosmetic oils.
The coating improves texture and manageability, though it does not make the hair waterproof. The key is to maintain that care from the shower through the days after washing.
In the shower: when to apply conditioner after the mask
If you use a mask and your hair still needs greater softness and detangling, the conditioner can complement the treatment. Not all masks require this step: it depends on its formula and how your hair ends up.
The conditioner helps to coat and lubricate the surface. Although it is rinsed, part of its agents remains deposited on the fiber. That’s why its effect continues after washing.
Apply it especially on the mid-lengths and ends and respect the product’s directions.
When you step out of the shower: leave-in, serum and oil
Gently blot the excess water with a towel, without rubbing, and apply a leave-in product. This step allows the conditioning to continue while you prepare your hair for styling.
It can be a spray, a lotion or a styling cream. Fine hair usually needs light textures; thicker or more sensitized hair may benefit from more emollient formulas. Choose according to your hair type and start with a small amount.
On damp hair you can also add a few drops of a serum or cosmetic oil suitable for this use. Distribute them between your hands and then apply them from mid-lengths to the ends, focusing on the roughest areas.
The amount should match your hair’s needs: we aim for it to be soft and with movement, without saturating it.
How to maintain the care between washes
Care doesn’t end when you dry your hair. If the next day the ends feel rough again or loose fibers appear, you can reinforce it with a small amount of a serum or oil suitable for use on dry hair.
Depending on your hair’s needs, that touch-up can be repeated two or three times between washes. There’s no need to do it out of obligation: observe how your hair responds.
If it clumps, loses movement or feels oily, reduce the amount of product or space out the applications.
*Georgina Buscaglia is a specialist in color and hair care / @exhalapeluqueria
