8 Styling Mistakes that Cause Frizz, Root Frizz, & Wet Frizz

This post is sponsored by Ouidad. All opinions are my own. Links are affiliate.

Frizz, our arch-nemesis as a curly girl, likes to show itself throughout our routine. We fight it, but sometimes it’s just inevitable. It’s natural and very common due to the nature of our hair, and it’s unrealistic to expect our hair to be completely frizz-free. However, I’m not just going to say “tough, deal with it.” I’m going to help you identify some things you may be doing in your styling routine that are contributing to frizz if you want to reduce it.

I’m also using some new products from Ouidad that are great at preventing frizz. Ouidad currently has some great deals going on for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I also now have a 20% off code (GENAMARIE) that is valid anytime, if you’re reading this after the holidays. Details below.

Why Curls are Frizzy

The #1 reason curly hair is frizzy is because of the shape of our hair follicle. Did you know people with curly hair have a follicle (the root of the hair within the scalp) that has a bent shape versus someone with straight hair who has a straight follicle? Because of these bends and turns that our hair makes, hairs poke out every which way and don’t lay flat and smooth like someone with straight hair. This is the main reason for root frizz, especially due to new growth or breakage.

New growth and breakage cause frizz because the hairs are shorter than the rest, so they have trouble grouping into the rest of the hair. Each hair is growing at its own pace, so you will likely see new growth as shorter pieces throughout.

Breakage can be caused by many factors that I cover in detail here. Breakage usually appears around the hairline, or crown area.

There are several things you may be doing while washing, styling, and refreshing your curls that are contributing to frizz. However, for this post, we’re going to be focusing on just the styling portion. I will be making this a series and making additional videos about frizz during washing and refreshing.

8 Styling Mistakes that Cause Frizz

1. Not combing through hair after washing and going right to stylers
   Solution: Instead, finger detangle our gently brush your hair after rinsing out your conditioner. This gives a smooth canvas to apply your styling products more evenly. There are ways to encourage the curls to bounce back up after combing that I show in the video, so don’t worry about “loosing” your curls from brushing it out when it’s wet.
   
   
2. Not having enough water when styling
   Solution: Make sure your hair is evenly wet before applying styling products. Hair that is too dry will result in frizz. I like to damp style, so I towel dry my roots using a Hair Repear Towel (never use a bath towel). Then I spritz water using a spray bottle so it’s evenly wet. Again, comb through with your fingers to ensure the water is distributed.
   
   
3. Skipping leave in or curl cream and just using drying products
   Solution: Apply a moisturizing cream as a base layer, then top it off with a gel or a mousse. Avoid drying products with denatured alcohol, commonly found in mousse, hair spray, etc.
   
   
4. Not using gel or a strong enough hold or not using products with film-forming ingredients
   Solution: Strong hold is the key to preventing frizz. If you are only using a curl cream or a leave-in, you can expect to see frizz as soon as your hair dries and your style won’t last very long. If you don’t like a hard “crunch” go for a medium hold gel like the Ouidad one I used for this routine. Film-forming ingredients like aloe, flaxseed, pectin, marshmallow root, and slippery elm moisturize and create a film that traps moisture in. Polyquat ingredients like polyqauternium also create a film and a barrier on the hair from frizz-causing humidity.
   
   
5. Not evenly distributing products or creating clumps
   Solution: Use a brush to evenly distribute your styling products. I personally like to brush style after I have my cream and gel in so I can ensure the gel is evenly coating every hair, versus glazing in gel which only coats the surface resulting in frizz that pokes through. I also recommend using a brush to group frizz into curl clumps. This is helpful for flyways, areas with breakage, or gray strands that have a mind of their own.
   
   
6. Aggressive scrunching or scrunching wet hair with dry or sticky hands
   Solution: As a rule of thumb, only scrunch wet hair with wet hands and only scrunch dry hair with dry hands. This prevents the hair from sticking to your hands causing frizz. I like to gently scrunch with with product mixed with water in my palms. Try open-palm scrunching to avoid breakage and frizz.
   
   
7. Not properly drying your hair, not diffusing correctly, or touching your hair while air drying.
   Solution: Diffusing is one of the best ways to reduce frizz because it sets the gel cast right away. When you air dry, the hair stays wet for a long period of time so the cuticle remains lifted for a long time. With air drying, the constant moving around or wind breaks up the cast. There are ways to diffuse your curls gently so it doesn’t cause frizz. Learn how to diffuse without frizz here.
   
   
8. Scrunching out the crunch too soon when the hair is still damp
   Solution: Wait until your hair is 100% dry before scrunching out the gel cast, fluffing roots, or separating curl clumps. I recommend having dry hands when doing this or some oil or serum.

Products Used:

• Ouidad Curl Reboot Nourish + Strength Leave-In Mask (Thick & Coarse Curls), 20% off with code GENAMARIE
• Ouidad Coil Infusion™ Good Shape Defining Gel, 20% off with code GENAMARIE
• HairRepear The Ultimate Hair Towel, 10% off with code GLAMMEUP
• Tangle Teezer The Ultimate Detangler Brush
• Shark HyperAIR Hair Dryer with IQ 2-in-1 Concentrator and Curl-Defining Diffuser
• Bouclème Flarisol Mist Spray Bottle, 15% off with code GENA15

Limited Time Ouidad Sales

★ 30% OFF any order + gift with purchase
Offer Valid 11/24-29, 2021
Code WITHTHANKS: https://bit.ly/3kLCiId

CHECK BACK SOON FOR ADDITIONAL SALES!

If you want to see more routines using these Ouidad stylers, let me know in the comments! Stay tuned for next week’s post which will be a quick and simple wash day routine for busy mornings.

Check out this video to learn more about frizz: Causes of Wet Frizz & Webbing + How to Fix It