Cracking down on the frizz monster that lives on your head
10 hair products that are A-grade weapons in the battle against frizzy hair
I am a Mumbaikar through and through. I love vada pav, I’ve watched Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge in Maratha Mandir, I know how to fight my way onto a train that has a higher population than some countries, and I am fascinated by the Bhai and Bidu jargon (I speak it sometimes but sumdi mein). I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Well, on most days. On days when it’s hot, humid, or pouring like the sky is going to fall, I can’t help but hope to be anywhere but here. Not only because it’s inconvenient and icky, but also because my hair turns into cotton candy unless I’ve stockpiled products for frizzy hair like the apocalypse is coming.
I have a personal vendetta against frizz. It’s cost me job interviews, dates with people I really liked, and even ruined vacations. No one takes you seriously when you have an untameable monster sitting on your head. But if there is one thing watching reruns of Supernatural have taught me, it’s that every monster has a weakness. To figure out what that is, we need to look at its origin story. Why causes frizzy hair? Hairstylist Jen Atkin tells Allure, “Frizz comes from the hair absorbing moisture in the air. So conditioning and masking will help your hair combat that, without wanting to absorb the moisture outside.”
It’s not enough to know how to kill the monster, you must have the right weapons too. AKA hair products for frizzy hair that will do battle on your behalf. So whether you’re looking for a pre-wash hair mask to lock in the moisture, a serum to add that extra layer of shine, or a hair balm to repair the damage, we have curated a list of the latest ammunition you can store in your armoury. It’s time to fight frizz to the death.
Hair products for frizzy hair that will tame your unruly mop
Kiehl’s Silk Groom Serum
What do you look for in a good serum? Something that controls frizz, repairs damage and adds shine to your hair? The Kiehl’s Silk Groom Serum can do you one better. It’s infused with oils derived from sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, soy beans and enriched with vitamin E. This serum protects hair from humidity, boosts shine, and controls dry ends, all without weighing your hair down or making it feel like it’s covered in chasni.
You can use this serum as your commander-in-general in the battle against frizz.
Re’equil Frizzy and Damaged Hair Treatment Bundle
Do you know the feeling when you walk out of the parlour after getting a wash and blow-dry? There is a grin on your face, a skip in your step and for the next two days, you can’t stop touching and playing with your hair. It’s velvety smooth and there isn’t one strand frizzing out. It makes sense that you would want to feel this way all the time. And you can. The hair treatment bundle from Re’equil consists of a pea protein and ceramide hair mask that you can use before shampooing and an anti-frizz and smoothening conditioner that you can use after.
The conditioner does what all good conditioners should do: locks in the moisture. It is formulated with babassu oil (a lightweight ingredient that penetrates cuticles and helps them retain moisture). Specially made for dry, porous strands, this bundle is like the Batman and Robin of products for frizzy hair.
OUAI Air Dry Foam
There are a few things only girls with curly hair will understand. The importance of a strict hair-wash regime, for instance. I follow the CGM method but with my own tweaks. I take my hair care as seriously as Salman takes his biceps. But it all falls apart on the days I don’t have time for a full-blown seven-step hair wash routine. Or on days when I know Mumbai’s hot, humid weather is going to ruin my chef-d’oeuvre as soon as I walk out my door. Enter the Ouai Air Dry Foam. Sure, it costs an arm and a leg, but it’s worth the hype.
Its light and foamy texture allows you to skip the extensive styling. It’s made with kale extracts, carrot extracts and panthenol which helps to strengthen hair and retain moisture. It’s pretty stupid-proof to use as well. You have to shake the bottle, take 2-3 pumps and then apply it to your hair in a scrunching and squeezing motion. It will give you a soft and natural finish.
That perfectly messy beach wave look is finally within your grasp.
The Earth Collective Anti-Frizz Hair Serum with jojoba, argan and chamomile
People underestimate the pleasure of finding products for frizzy hair that get the job done. This serum helps repair dryness and prevent knots. And everyone with curly hair knows just how painful wrestling with tangles can be. The serum has a lightweight, non-greasy texture formulated with jojoba, argan oil and chamomile. It’s nutrition for your hair.
To use, take 2-3 drops in your palm and apply it evenly from the midsection of your hair till the ends.
Nat Habit Argan Grapeseed Post-Wash Hair Balm
My grandmother’s homemade oil, although it smelled iffy, worked hard to give my hair a sheen and some extra volume. I had been looking for a product with natural ingredients that worked to right everything that went wrong after champi time stopped being a regular thing. After trying and testing various products, I settled on the post-wash Ayurvedic hair balm by Nat Habit.
Formulated with cold-pressed argan oil, grapeseed oil, and rosemary greens, this hair balm may not be a nani ka nuska but that’s the feeling it gives. It works on repairing dry and brittle hair, banishes frizz, protects the cuticles from breakage and even prevents sun damage. This is a frontbencher among hair products for frizzy hair that gets top marks in every subject.
All you have to do is apply the balm from mid-length to the ends of your hair once it’s dry. Remember not to use a lot of the product at once because that could leave your hair looking sticky.
Earth Rhythm Silk Protein Shampoo Bar
The Silk Protein shampoo bar is to frizzy hair what the mosquito racket is to mosquitos. It is convenient, easy-to-use, and gets the job done. Plus, there are no parabens or sulphates to irritate sensitive scalps. The shampoo bar is formulated with silk protein (prevents breakage and retains moisture), vitamin E and plant-derived surfactant from coconut oil. It’s an all-natural, eco-friendly product that improves texture and prevents dryness and irritation.
It works the same way as any other shampoo. You moisten the bar, rub it through damp hair, and work up a thick lather. Then you rinse and follow with a conditioner of your choosing.
Juicy Chemistry Sacha Inchi, Argan and Mango Butter Hair Mask
It’s not realistic for us all to have movie-star like bouncy, beachy waves that look picture-perfect even at the end of a long day. But isn’t it nice to dream? If you’re nodding along, then you might want to add this pre-shampoo hair mask from Juicy Chemistry to your cart.
It conditions your hair and nourishes it with sacha inchi oil — which has moisturising fatty acids that comes from the inca peanut — argan oil and mango seed butter. These three ingredients will leave your hair feeling as soft as the old T-shirt you’ve had since you were eight, and much less fragile.
The beauty of Juicy Chemistry products is that they are vegan, cruelty-free, and made with all-natural ingredients. The brand recommends you do a patch test before completely adding this product to your regimen, to ensure you aren’t allergic to any of the ingredients.
Plum Avocado Frizz-Control Hair Serum
When you have hair as curly and thick as mine, you’re always on the lookout for a good hair serum. You want something that doesn’t leave your hair feeling chapat but at the same time adds a layer of shine and moisture to tame frizz. Finding that product that works for you is nothing short of a quest. But you’re lucky. You have us eliminating all the messy trials and errors and after going through bottles and bottles of serum, we’ve finally landed on one that will meet you halfway between greasy and moisturised.
Enriched with jojoba, argan oil and avocado oil, it fights to keep your hair frizz-free and hydrated. All you have to do is take 2-3 drops and apply them evenly throughout your hair. You can even use this on dry hair on days you need your hair to behave but you don’t have the time to go through your wash routine.
Garnier Fructis Style Frizz Guard Spray
What do you do on those busy-as-a-bee days when you have back-to-back meetings and client presentations but your hair is throwing a tantrum? The name of the product may be a mouthful, but it’s an accurate description of what you can expect. This is the strict hostel warden to your mischievous frizz-prone hair.
The Garnier Spray has a lightweight, water-based formula that is mixed with argan oil. It seals the strand to keep the moisture in and eliminates frizz caused by humidity and dryness. Which, if you live in a city like Mumbai, is a huge concern. This seemingly magic spray also keeps a check on flyaways and static without weighing your hair down or causing product build-up.
Arata Hair Detangler
From the homegrown brand’s new range, this hair detangler speaks your curls’ love language. Continuing with their no-nasties approach to ingredients, this one contains barley protein, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and niacinamide to strengthen hair fibres, reduce breakage, and hydrate the hair. So you wake up every day with more hair on your head than on your pillow. Spray it on dry or damp hair, and use a wide-tooth comb to work it through the lengths.
