EP 309: Frizz

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Frustrated by that halo of fuzz that appears the moment you step outside? You're not alone! This episode dives deep into the science of frizz—that pesky, unpredictable phenomenon that affects all hair types, from pin-straight to tightly curled.

Drawing from over 30 years of professional experience, I break down exactly what frizz is at the microscopic level: a reaction between your hair's cuticle layer and the environment around it. Think of your hair cuticle like roof shingles—when they lay flat, everything's smooth, but when moisture disrupts them, chaos ensues! We explore why humidity makes some hair types expand while others barely react, and why even desert climates can trigger unexpected frizz problems.

Through personal stories (including a wedding hair disaster), practical science, and salon-tested solutions, you'll learn why your hair isn't misbehaving—it's just thirsty. Discover why your zip code actually matters for your hair routine, which ingredients to seek out (and which to avoid) depending on your climate, and simple hacks like using dryer sheets that can save your style in a pinch. Plus, I share my professional product recommendations for every budget, from drugstore favorites to salon staples that deliver serious results.

Whether you're looking to embrace your natural texture or achieve smoother styles, this episode gives you the knowledge to work with your hair instead of fighting against it. Subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who needs to make peace with their frizz! 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Today we're going to get into something every single
one of us has dealt with frizz.
You know the feeling.
You spend time styling yourhair, it's looking all cute and
then you walk outside and poof,hello, halo of fuzz.
It's frustrating, it'sunpredictable and, let's be

(00:22):
honest, sometimes it feels likeyour hair has a mind of its own.
But here's the thing Frizzisn't your enemy, it's just your
hair reacting to theenvironment and when you
understand the why, you couldtake back control.
So in today's episode, we'retalking about what Frizz really
is, what causes it, why it showsup the worst times and, most

(00:48):
importantly, how to tame itwithout fighting your natural
texture.
I'll be sharing some science,some product tips and, yes, a
few funny personal stories frombehind the chair and from my own
frizz-filled moments.
Whether your hair is curly,straight, wavy or somewhere in
between, this episode is for you.

(01:11):
Welcome to All About Hair, wherewe talk shop, share stories and
spill the secrets behind greathair and a great career.
I'm your host, denise Keilitz,a former salon owner, educator
and a lifelong hair crusader.
Whether you're a new stylistbuilding your book or just
someone who loves learning aboutall things hair, you're in the

(01:33):
right place.
Each week, we dive into realtechniques, honest career advice
and inspiration to help yougrow behind the chair or just
fall even more in love with theworld of hair, because around
here it's not just about lookinggood, it's about learning,
evolving and having a little funalong the way.
So grab your coffee, yourshears or your dry shampoo and

(01:58):
welcome back to All About Hair.
I'm your host, denise, andtoday we're talking about
something I know we've allbattled at some point Frizz,
that pesky puffiness that showsup uninvited, especially on the

(02:22):
days we want our hair to behave.
Now I've got over 30 yearsbehind the chair and let me tell
you frizz does not discriminate.
I've seen it show up on sleekbobs, natural curls, color
treated strands and even my ownhead when the humidity decides
to party.
But what actually causes frizzand what can we really do about

(02:46):
it?
So here's the deal.
Frizz is a science thing.
It all comes down to yourhair's cuticle, basically the
outer layer of each strand.
Think of it like roof shingles.
When they lay flat, your hairis smooth and shiny, but when
moisture sneaks in or thecuticle gets roughed up, that's

(03:09):
when things start popping out inall directions.
Humidity is one of the biggestculprits, and you know, it is
springtime in Virginia and thehumidity has already started.
And, funny enough, the more dryyour hair is, the more it tries
to grab moisture from the air.
It's like your hair is thirstyand reaching for a glass of

(03:32):
water in the sky.
So what is frizz?
Frizz is when hair strands aremisaligned and no longer lay
smoothly together.
This often gives hair a puffy,fuzzy or a static look, and it's
not just a hair type issue.
Everyone can experience frizz,though some hair types,

(03:56):
especially curly or texturedhair, are more prone to it.
So why does frizz even happenin the first place?
Well, it's a moisture imbalance.
Hair is hygroscopic, meaning itabsorbs moisture from the
environment, kind of like asponge.
When your hair is dry and theair is humid, it swells as it

(04:19):
soaks in moisture, causing thecuticle to lift and frizz to
form.
Could also be, though, from adamaged cuticle layer.
The cuticle is the hair'sprotective outer layer.
When it's rough or raised dueto damage from heat, coloring,
brushing, hair strands can nolonger lie flat or lock in

(04:39):
moisture, leading to frizz.
Another thing that causes frizzis high humidity or even super
dry air.
You probably didn't even thinkabout that.
In humid weather, moisture inthe air enters the hair shaft
and it disrupts your style.
We've all experienced that atsome time.
But did you know that in dryclimates, humectants in your

(05:02):
hair products like glycerin mayactually pull moisture out of
your hair into the air, makingyour frizz even worse.
So yeah, if you're used toliving in a humid climate and
then you're visiting, say, lasVegas or Arizona, you're going
to have to change up yourstyling routine just a little

(05:22):
bit.
So keep that in mind.
And then also porosity plays arole.
High porosity hair absorbsmoisture really, really quickly
and it loses it just as fast.
This makes it more reactive toweather changes and prone to
frizz.
Quick story One time I was doingthis wedding here in Virginia,

(05:44):
which you know, the humidity canbe thick, and I had curled the
bride's hair into these soft,elegant waves and 15 minutes
later her hair looked like itwanted to join the gospel choir.
We laughed, we learned andthank goodness for emergency
serum.
Moral of the story frizz is notfailure.

(06:06):
It's your hair reacting to theworld around it, and when you
understand why it's happening,you can actually do something
about it.
Take, for instance, me.
I have curly hair, so if I havelike in Virginia.
In the summertime, there is noway I am going to wear my hair
smooth, straight, unless, ofcourse, I have a Brazilian

(06:29):
blowout.
But in the summertime it isgoing to be humid.
So, guess what?
I am going to probably bewearing my hair curly, whether I
like it or not.
And just you know, if you havecurl in your hair and you live
in a humid climate, it's okay togo with the flow, it's all
right.
Actually Say you don't want togo with the flow and you don't

(06:54):
want to wear your hair curly.
What can you do?
Well, you can do a Brazilianblowout, which is a whole other
conversation, but a Brazilianblowout does have.
Um, it blocks the humidity outof your hair.
It's almost like you'reactually putting a protective
wrap around each strand of yourhair and it's heat sealed onto

(07:16):
your hair and then it actuallykeeps the humidity out of your
hair.
So it's not a straightener, itis a defrizzer treatment and it
and it does exactly what we'retalking about it just blocks
that humidity from entering intothe cuticle of your hair.
But let's talk some othersolutions because, yeah, we can
win the war on frizz, at leastmost days, okay.

(07:39):
So first, conditioner is queen.
You have to use a good pHbalance conditioner.
Ph balance conditioner Lowerthe pH helps lay the cuticle
flat.
The right conditioner literallymagnetizes to your hair,
smoothing things down.

(07:59):
Use a conditioner that willhelp smooth your hair.
Here's another tip.
Have you ever used a dryersheet?
Believe it or not?
Yes, laundry dryer sheets.
You can rub one of those gentlyover your hair or tuck it like
into your brush.
You know how dryer sheets arekind of like.

(08:21):
They're permeable, so you canactually push it onto your
hairbrush and the bristles ofyour brush can stick through it
and you can then brush your hairwith it.
And it actually helps to reducestatic and smooth flyaways.
I've tried it before at photoshoot and I was really shocked
how well it worked in a pinch.
You can also seal it in Afteryou apply.

(08:45):
Your styling products alwaysfinish with a light oil or a
silicone serum.
Styling products always finishwith a light oil or a silicone
serum.
This locks in moisture and ithelps keep humidity out.
Think of it like a raincoat foryour hair.
And silicones believe it or not, I know the curly hair
community has mixed feelings,but some silicones, especially

(09:05):
the lighter ones, are amazingfor frizz control and shine.
It's all about knowing yourhair and using the right ones
sparingly.
And if you want a little bitmore information, go back a
couple of episodes and listen tomy episode on silicones.
It talks all about it, whythey're good, why they are not
good.
All those, yeah, okay, answersall the questions.

(09:31):
Another thing you want toconsider is you want to make
sure that you are trimming yourhair, because your frayed ends
if you've got split ends, theydon't play well with others.
That's right.
Regular trims keeps yourstrands aligned and easier to
smooth.
And then also the environment,like we were talking about it,
actually matters.
If you live in the desert,avoid humectants like glycerin.

(09:54):
The desert avoid humectantslike glycerin.
Do not use something that hasglycerin in it, because they can
actually pull moisture out ofyour hair.
Total opposite if you livesomewhere humid.
Yes, so, yes, yes, your zipcode affects your hair routine,
even if you're traveling forbusiness or vacation.

(10:17):
Okay, here's a couple ofproducts that I swear by.
Um, because I know somebody isgoing to ask, so here's a few of
my go-tos.
There is a product called ColorWow Dream Coat.
The thing is it's heatactivated, so if you don't blow
dry your hair, it's probably notgoing to work for you.
So you actually have to blowdry it into your hair and this

(10:40):
lasts for a few days and itreally does protect your hair in
humidity, but if you don't blowdry your hair, it's not going
to work at all.
Then there is Bumble and BumbleHairdressers Invisible Oil.
That's a really lightweight oilwith silicone Smells amazing
and it really does smoothbeautifully.

(11:00):
Then there's the tried and truedrugstore favorite John Frieda
Frizz Ease Serum.
This is a classic for a reason,and then one of my favorites
you know me, I love Euphora, theSmooth and Frizz Control.
It blends science andbotanicals for long lasting
results Actually their wholesmoothen line.

(11:22):
They've got a shampoo, aconditioner and then the styling
products to go with it.
I love it and of course, I'llleave links in my show notes.
Remember how Beyonce said getinformation.
That's what we're asking ourhair to do, each strand working
in sync.
When they don't, we get frizz.

(11:44):
But now you've got theknowledge and the tools to keep
your hair in line.
Whether you embrace the poof orprefer sleek and shiny.
The poof or prefer sleek andshiny, the goal is to understand
your hair, not to fight it.
I want to thank you for spendingtime with me today and if this
episode has helped you, share itwith a friend, leave me a

(12:10):
review, love that and don'tforget to subscribe so you never
miss a chance to learnsomething new about your hair
and yourself.
So until next time, stayconfident, stay curious and
remember when you know better,you do better.
Thanks for tuning in to AllAbout Hair.
If you loved this episode, hit,subscribe, leave us a review
and share it with a fellowstylist or hair loving friend.

(12:31):
You want more tips, tools andbehind the scenes goodness.
Follow me on YouTube or head tomy website at denisekeilitzcom.
Yes, I know it's hard to spell,so don't worry, the link is in
the show notes.
Until next time, keep learning,keep creating and keep loving
what you do.