How to Fix Dry and Frizzy Hair Ends

Written by Shehnaz Shirazi

Updated on October 27, 2023

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Dry and frizzy ends are the tips of the hair shafts that exhibit a straw-like, brittle, and coarse texture. As a result, the end parts of the hair become prone to knotting, tangling, and splitting that can travel further up the hair shaft.

Frizz and dryness on the terminal parts of the hair are commonly caused by chemical, heat, or mechanical damage weakening and weathering the hair’s outer protective layer at the ends. Being the oldest part of the hair, the ends reflect the most cumulative effects of styling and product damage over time, resulting in highly porous texture and fractures.

In severe cases, the ends can crunch or crinkle when touched due to extreme dryness. The ends are the furthest part of the hair strand from the scalp. They receive less sebum from the scalp due to the distance and gravity pulling the oils down the hair shaft.

To address dry and frizzy hair ends, it’s recommended to:

• Get regular trims.
• Deep condition once a week.
• Use natural oils.
• Apply a smoothing hair serum.
• Limit washing and heat styling.
• Use leave-in conditioner.
• Detangle with a paddle brush.
• Air dry hair.
• Sleep on silk or satin pillowcases.
• Consider professional treatments.
• Use specialized products for synthetic wigs and extensions.
• Maintain a proper hair care routine.

Get Regular Trims

Regular trims remove split ends, stopping them from progressing further up the hair shaft. You prevent further damage from traveling up the hair shaft by snipping off the dry, damaged tips where the cuticle is most compromised. Regular trims on the hair ends helps maintain the overall health and integrity of the hair, promotes a smoother appearance, and reduces the chance of tangles and breakage. They also ensure that hair remains strong and is less vulnerable to splits at the tips.

Though trims don’t permanently mend existing splits, they temporarily realign them. Trimming away frayed, frizzy tips preserves the haircut shape and style. Keeping damage localized with frequent small trims allows new, undamaged hair to grow from the roots, maintaining smoother, healthier hair overall. Essentially, regular trims stop cuticle damage from traveling up the hair shaft, promote cuticle health to reduce frizz, and maintain the hair’s style and moisture.

Deep Condition Once a Week

Deep conditioning nourishes and delivers moisture deep into the hair shaft, promoting a smoother and stronger cuticle layer. A strong and smooth cuticle layer can mitigate hair damage and reduce the formation of split ends.

Deep conditioning is a hair treatment that goes beyond surface-level care. Deep conditioner deeply nourishes the hair, providing essential nutrients that rejuvenate and promote the vitality and resilience of the hair.

Deep conditioning delivers moisture into the hair shaft and addresses dryness and brittleness at the core. This process ensures that hair retains its natural elasticity, preventing breakage and other forms of hair stress from moisture loss.

The outermost layer of the hair, known as the cuticle, acts as a protective shield. A smoother and stronger cuticle layer, fortified by deep conditioning, gives hair its shine and luster and serves as a first line of defense against external aggressors such as pollutants, heat, and harsh chemicals.

A robust and smooth cuticle layer, nurtured by deep conditioning, is less vulnerable to damage. It effectively deflects many external factors that can cause hair to become weak, brittle, or damaged. Thus, ensuring the integrity of the cuticle is paramount in promoting hair health and strength.

One of the evident benefits of mitigated hair damage is the reduced formation of split ends. Split ends manifest hair damage, often resulting from a compromised cuticle layer. By maintaining a strong and smooth cuticle through deep conditioning, split ends are notably reduced.

Apply Natural Oils to Your Hair Ends

Natural oils can temporarily fix dry, frizzy ends by moisturizing, softening, and sealing in moisture. Coconut oil, in particular, has been shown to have some level of penetration into the hair shaft. Argan oil, on the other hand, mostly coats the hair shaft.

Applying natural oils like coconut and argan oil can temporarily improve dry, damaged hair ends. However, oils do not permanently fix split or broken hair shafts.

The cuticle layer becomes rough and raised when hair is dry and damaged. Hair damage leads to frizziness and a dull, dry appearance. Oils can smooth down the lifted cuticles and coat the hair shaft. The sealed cuticle layer reflects more light, making hair look shinier and less frizzy. The lubricating properties of the oils also make hair feel softer and smoother.

However, oils are only coating the exterior of the hair. They cannot penetrate the cortex, which is the inner structure of the hair shaft. Damage like split ends occurs when the cortex breaks down.

Oils cannot repair structural damage or mend broken cuticle edges. At best, they can temporarily hold them together. But the hair returns to its original damaged state as soon as the oils are washed away. The effects are only temporary.

Use a Smoothing Hair Serum

A smoothing hair serum uses silicones to coat the hair strands, seal the cuticles, and protect the hair from external factors that can exacerbate dryness and frizziness.

Silicone in hair products refers to synthetic polymers known for their smoothing and shine-enhancing properties. Silicones form a thin, water-resistant layer around the hair shaft to make hair feel softer and improve manageability by decreasing tangles and breakage. Some common silicones in hair products include Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, and Amodimethicone.

Hair smoothing serum uses silicones to create a protective, shiny, and lubricating barrier that temporarily conceals, protects, and prevents the worsening of split ends. The hair serum envelopes the strand and temporarily seals the split ends together to prevent them from becoming frizzy.

Avoid Over Washing Your Hair

Overwashing hair can worsen split and frizzy ends because it strips the hair of natural oils, essential for maintaining moisture and preventing dryness. When you wash your hair too frequently, the hair cuticles remain open after each shower, leading to dryness and frizziness. Washing your hair every other day allows it to repair itself with natural oils, making it healthier and less prone to split ends.

The way you shampoo and condition your hair makes a difference. Shampoo must be focused on the scalp only, and conditioner on the ends of the hair. Piling your hair on top of your head and scrubbing vigorously can lead to split ends. Instead, shampoo your scalp and let the remaining suds rinse through your strands. When conditioning the ends of your hair, give the conditioner time to soak into the strands before rinsing it out.

Condition Your Dry Hair Ends Daily

Conditioning your hair daily, especially the ends, keeps dry and frizzy ends under control. Conditioners hydrate and nourish the hair, creating a smoother and more manageable texture.

Focusing on the ends of your hair when conditioning is particularly important, as this area is most prone to damage. Applying a leave-in conditioner to the mid-lengths and ends ensures that these areas receive the necessary moisture and nutrients, which can help reduce the appearance of frizz and dryness at the ends.

Targeting the ends is important because they are the oldest part of your hair and have endured the most cumulative damage from heat styling, UV rays, chemical processing, and brushing.

The ends are farthest from the scalp, where the natural oils are produced. As a result, they tend to be the driest. Regular conditioning fills in gaps in the cuticle layers with fatty acids and oils to make the ends smoother. It also replenishes water and adds weight to help strands hang straight and sleek rather than frizzing out.

Well-hydrated ends are less prone to snapping and splitting, leading to fewer frayed, wispy ends. With less breakage, your hair can grow longer and fuller. The added moisture helps prevent tangling, too, making hair more combable. So, focusing your conditioner at the ends and using it frequently can restore health, reduce frizz and damage, and promote growth for more swing and shine.

Detangle Your Hair With a Paddle Brush

Paddle brushes reduce frizzy ends by gently detangling and distributing natural oils without breakage. Paddle brushing works well for straight and wavy hair.

The wide-set bristles of the paddle brush strategically smooth frizzy ends by gently detangling and distributing natural oils from root to tip without damage. 

Simultaneously, the bristles massage the scalp, enhancing circulation and distributing the natural oils along the hair shaft. This oil distribution provides moisture and smoothness from root to tip, targeting dry, damaged ends prone to frizz.

The paddle design allows the bristles to flex and adapt to the hair’s shape. This fluid motion adds shine, eliminating knots and kinks in straight or wavy hair. For curly locks, the paddle brush can enhance curl formation.

With its anti-frizz capabilities, scalp stimulation, and damage-free detangling, the paddle brush is the ultimate weapon against lackluster, frizzy ends. Over time, the hair is left nourished, vibrant, and touchably soft. Frizz and flyaways are minimized for hair that looks naturally healthy.

Let Your Hair Air Dry After Washing

Air drying hair can help fix dry and frizzy ends by allowing the hair to retain its natural moisture and reducing the exposure to heat and friction from styling tools.

Air drying is a method of drying hair without heat or mechanical force. It involves allowing the hair to dry naturally by exposing it to air. Air drying is commonly used as a hair care technique to reduce damage caused by heat styling tools and to achieve a more natural look.

By avoiding heat styling tools, you can prevent further damage to your hair and allow it to repair itself naturally. Air drying involves no mechanical force that can cause damage or breakage, preventing splits and further dryness at the ends.

Limit Heat Styling

Frequently using hot styling tools like blowdryers, flat irons, and curling wands can severely damage hair, especially the ends. The high heat levels degrade the protective cuticle layer of the hair strands, causing the moisture to escape. Lack of moisture leads to dry, brittle hair that is prone to frizz and breakage. 

To minimize damage, limiting heat styling to only 1-2 times per week is best, giving hair adequate time between sessions to recover and repair. The less frequent exposure to high heat preserves the cuticle integrity, enabling better moisture retention within the hair shaft. 

Avoiding repeated contact with hot tools reduces the likelihood of brittleness and breakage over time. With less cuticle disruption and increased moisture retention from reduced heat styling, hair can look and feel healthier with less frizz, smoother texture, and more defined ends.

Sleep on Silk or Satin Pillowcase

The smooth fabrics of silk or satin pillowcases minimize hair friction and breakage, reducing frizz and flyaways. Silk retains more moisture for hydrated, frizz-free hair. Satin gives similar benefits for less cost.

The smooth surface of silk and satin pillowcases allows hair to glide freely across the fabric. This lack of friction minimizes hair breakage and tangling, leading to frizz and flyaways. 

Silk, in particular, retains substantially more moisture than cotton or other pillowcase fabrics due to its unique protein structure. Sleeping on silk keeps hair hydrated, supple, and less prone to frizz throughout the night by locking in the hair’s natural oils and moisture. 

For a cheaper option, satin provides a smoother surface than traditional cotton at a fraction of the price. The tightly woven fabric minimizes damage from friction and drying. While satin is less effective for moisture retention, it allows hair to move freely without disruption. 

By providing a slippery surface that eliminates friction and promotes hydration, silk or satin pillowcases enhance gloss, reduce frizz and flyaways, and maintain the integrity of hair structure better than regular cotton pillowcases.

Treatments for Dry and Frizzy Hair Ends

Virtue Perfect Ending Split End Serum

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The Virtue Perfect Ending Split End Serum is a lightweight cream specifically designed to seal, smooth, and repair broken ends while nourishing and protecting your hair from future damage. It’s an innovative serum treatment formulated with Virtue’s patented Alpha Keratin 60ku® protein. Alpha Keratin 60ku, derived from human hair, binds directly to damaged areas to restore and repair broken hair ends.

Oribe Split End Seal

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The Oribe Split End Seal is a luxurious hair serum designed to address dry and split ends while protecting your hair from heat damage and color fading. The serum contains a special polymer blend that works synergistically to bond split ends together and prevent further damage.

Solutions for Synthetic Wigs and Hair Extensions

When caring for synthetic wigs and extensions, using products specially formulated for synthetics is crucial—harsh shampoos will cause tangling. Always detangle pieces carefully from mid-length to ends with a wide-tooth comb to avoid snagging. Lightweight leave-in conditioners enhance shine better than heavy oils that lead to buildup. Let pieces air dry completely on stands or flat to set styles. Avoid hot tools that can damage delicate fibers. Store wigs on stands and extensions untangled in bags to prevent tangling between wears. Use dry shampoo sparingly to refresh; overuse causes buildup.

Don’t Let Your Hair Ends Become Dry and Frizzy

Dry, frizzy hair ends are caused by cumulative damage to the hair cuticle over time, resulting in moisture loss and breakage.

With a thoughtful regimen of hydration, nourishment, gentle handling, and protection, dry and frizzy ends can be smoothed, strengthened, and restored to prevent further splitting and breakage of the hair.

About the Author

Shehnaz Shirazi

Shehnaz Shirazi has been writing in the beauty and cosmetics industry for over 8 years, sharing her expansive hair care and beauty knowledge. Shehnaz researches and tests new hair care trends and publishes her insights here.