The dog days of summer are finally here. Translation: We all go from complaining about how horrible this winter was with its polar vortex and all that to lamenting how the humidity is ruining our hair.We all have varying degrees of frizz issues, even those of us with typically straight, fine hair. So we asked some of our favorite stylists to weigh in with their best tips for keeping flyaways to a minimum when the temperatures soar.Harry Josh, celebrity stylist and international creative consultant for John Frieda
- Don’t towel dry hair! Apply a frizz-fighting product (like John Frieda Frizz Ease Expert Finish Polishing Serum, $10) immediately to wet hair as soon as you step out of the shower. As soon as hair starts to dry, it will start to frizz.
- Blow-dry hair in sections and make sure they are completely dry—any moisture will turn into frizz. And invest in a good blow dryer (like Harry Josh Pro Tools Pro Dryer 2000, $300). It will not only save you time but will save hair from damage since you won’t be going over and over the same pieces of hair to get them dry.
- Use a round brush to give yourself the best blowout. Girls with more texture to their hair should use a smaller barrel for more control to pull hair taught. Girls with straight hair should use a bigger barrel for volume and shape.
- Make sure your hair is completely dry before applying a heat tool!
- Blow out tricky areas first so they have less time to frizz. This means bangs or parts of your crown that could tend to get extra fuzzy.
Mylo, Stylist at Rita Hazan Salon in New York City
- I like to use a straightening gel before blow-drying the hair and then use a little bit of oil at the end. One of my favorite gels is Phyto Sculpting Gel and my favorite oil is Oribe Gold Lust.
Woody Michelb, Creative Director at Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa
- Keep the nozzle of the hair dryer pointed on the brush, but not touching the hair while you’re styling with the brush. With fine hair you should select thicker sections (2-3 inches deep) to ensure you have control. If your nozzle is wide it is great for creating volume, while a slimmer opening on the end of a nozzle is better for making hair smooth and straight. Also make sure that you follow the direction of the hair downward with the brush. Aiming your nozzle and the airflow all over the place will create flyaway hair and frizzy cuticles.
- For an at-home quick hair pick-me-up, use the Kerastase Nutri-thermique system. The system contains a shampoo, deep masque and leave in balm that work together to give hair softness and shine, smooth and polished ends and UV protection for the ultimate antioxidant barrier, which preserves nutrition!
Steve Waldman, Matrix Artist
- Some advice on applying frizz serum: If it’s a spray (like Biolage Hydrasource Hydra-Seal Spray, $16), emulsify it in your hands first. If you spray it onto your hair directly, the product will soak into the damaged spots instead of being evenly distributed.
Jen Atkin, celebrity stylist
- For hair that needs to nix the frizz and enhance the natural curl, start with damp hair and apply Moroccan Oil Curl Defining Cream. Use a couple pumps and work through hair. Take 1-inch sections and twist them, all over your head. Then take a diffuser and begin drying. Since roots take the longest to dry and curly hair tends to be naturally frizzy, prevent the ends from drying out by starting at the roots. Once dry, define the curls by pinching the ends and ruching from the mid up.
- For those with straight hair who want a soft wave without frizz, spray Sacha Juan Ocean Mist into towel-dried hair. Starting at the top, secure a duck bill clip into place. Repeat while leaving 1- to 2-inch raised sections between each clip. (Don’t worry about precision as the variation will add to the natural wave effect.) Hold the blow dryer 6 inches away from your scalp and begin drying. Once dry, remove the clips to reveal the waves. Finish the look with Osmo Clay Wax pieced through the ends.
Gina Guercia, Oscar Blandi Brand Ambassador & Head of Product Development
- Apply Oscar Blandi Polish Blow Out Crème to damp hair, working from the bottom up, before drying with a natural-bristle brush. This will help to minimize blow-drying time and resist humidity.
- When you’re finished drying, secure hair into a bun at the top of the head & let hair cool for at least an hour. This will lock in your style and also prevent roots from flattening.
Jon Reyman, Master Hairstylist, Founder of LA’s Spoke & Weal and Jon Reyman Pro
- Use a light shampoo so it doesn’t over clean your hair—frizz often comes from hair being dry. A light shampoo means not ultra cleansing, rather a high quality moisturizing shampoo like Aveda Dry Remedy or smoothing shampoo like Aveda’s Smooth Infusion works.
- Use a medium to rich conditioner to help smooth the cuticle down. Rich conditioners add weight and moisture to hair strands which will help keep strands together and settled.
New anti-frizz products claim days of smooth hair:
Tresemmé Keratin Smooth Illuminating Shine Spray, $5, tames frizz for 48 hours (when used with the Keratin Smooth haircare system).Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Smooth, $4, claims 24-hour frizz control.L’Oréal Paris Advanced Hairstyle Frizz Vanisher Cream, $5, smoothes hair for three days.L’Oréal Professionnel Liss Unlimited Smoothing Dual Serum, $26, provides four days of smoothness even in 80 percent humidity (when used with the Liss Unlimited haircare system).
