The smart girl's guide to taming frizzy hair

Like a Whatsapp message from a toxic ex-boyfriend, frizzy hair is the last thing you want to wake up to on a busy morning. The blame for that angry loofah on your head gets pegged on everything from the wrong shampoo to falling asleep with wet hair to Mercury in retrograde.

But what is frizz and how’s it caused? When your hair is damaged, chemically treated or lacks essential hydration, the cuticle (outer layer of the hair) lifts and allows excess moisture to pass through, puffing up your strands like cotton candy. But when wrestled under control, frizz can also add bounce, volume and texture to hair, preventing it from looking flat. Call it a love-hate relationship.

Here, four famous faces help you deal with frizzy hair

Anushka Mulchandani, fashion influencer

“My hair knows it’s started raining before I’ve even looked outside the window, and automatically turns into a big ball of frizz. To tackle this, I wash it with a climate control shampoo and use a frizz-taming conditioner. I avoid using any heat and let my hair air dry about 80%, then put it in two boxer braids on either side of my head. I mist it with a water spray or a mousse before I sleep.

Before I undo the braids the next day, I add a little bit of a hold with hair spray, which gives me bouncy beach waves that last as long as you don’t tie it into a bun.”

Sharvi Bhujbal, model

“Despite no colour job or chemical treatments, frizzy hair has always been my biggest beauty woe. I’ve tried everything from home remedies to in-salon treatments. Everyone else’s hero, coconut oil, dried out my scalp and the high-tech hair bond strengthener Olaplex simply added to my frizz.

My hairstylist recommended regular hair spas and oil massages, which worked for a while. But as soon as the humidity levels shot up, I was back to square one. As a last resort, I gave in and opted for a keratin cysteine treatment that adds essential proteins to the hair and gives it a smoother, straighter look. Now, I use a keratin-friendly sulphate free shampoo and follow it with the Moroccanoil Oil Smoothing Mask. My hair has never felt better.”

Mishti Khatri, fitness trainer

“I have frizzy hair which gets pretty dirty because of my active lifestyle. Plus, I recently got light highlights which dried my hair out a little more than usual.
I wash my hair 2-3 times a week with the sulphate-free Lush Handmade Soap Bars and follow that up with a thick conditioner. When it’s damp, I apply argan oil to fight dryness and add shine.

I’m a strong believer in home remedies when it comes to skincare or haircare. Once in 3 weeks, I apply a homemade hair pack made of egg white, curd and an Ayurvedic herbal powder, and wash it off after half an hour. I also massage my hair with a blend of coconut, almond and sunflower oil twice a week.

I keep this on for about 15 minutes before rinsing it off. It really helps my hair retain moisture. But more than products, I think what you put inside your body reflects on your hair—a high protein diet really helps me maintain overall health.”

Mausam Gandhi, makeup artist

“Hot, humid weather can be the death of good hair days. The heat combines with the humidity and turns it into an unmanageable mess. My light brown colour job adds to my frizzy hair. Given the nature of my job, my mornings usually start early and I don’t have much time to style my hair before heading off to work on a client. Instead, I use a shampoo and conditioner that is meant to make hair appear straighter — this automatically cuts the Hagrid-like puffiness. I follow this with a leave-in serum like the Moroccan Oil Treatment after towel-drying my hair.

If I wash my hair at night, I always brush it straight to avoid frizz in the morning. One thing that’s super important is not going out in the sun with wet hair –this can be so damaging to the hair follicles and result in even more frizz. When all else fails, I simply put my hair into a braid or bun.”

Model & Stylist: Divya Gursahani; Hair: Krisann Figueiredo; Makeup: Riddhima Sharma; On Divya: Shirt by Tommy Hilfiger.