How to Stop Frizzy Hair After Washing With My 3 Post-Shower Tips
By Tina Moretti
Updated
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
This was me before on every wash day …
Frizz factor 9 out of 10.
No matter how many products I would use, frizz would just get the better of me.
But with some help along the way from my hairstylist, I now have an excellent wash day routine that focuses on eliminating frizz right from the shower.
The solution is quite simple. You just have to follow these 3 golden rules:
- Maximize hydration.
- Minimize friction.
- Seal your hair cuticles.
So let me show you how you can stop frizzy hair after washing with a hair care regimen optimized for perfecting your wash-and-dry.
Table Of Contents
Products You’ll Need
Redken Frizz Dismiss Shampoo
Sulfate-free and pH balanced anti-frizz shampoo.
Redken Frizz Dismiss Conditioner
Moisturize, detangle, and eliminate frizz with ease.
Paul Mitchell Pro Tools Detangler Comb
Detangle wet hair without breakage and frizz.
Redken Frizz Dismiss Instant Deflate Hair Serum
Instantly seals hair cuticles to prevent frizz.
Aquis Microfiber Hair Towel
Dries hair faster without creating friction and frizz.
Why Does Hair Get Frizzy After Washing?
The main reason for frizzy hair after washing is a disrupted cuticle layer, which means, the cuticles are not laying flat as they should be.
And when the cuticles are not tight and sealed, humid air penetrates them easily to swell the hair shafts.
Raised cuticles also make the hair strands rough on the outside, causing them to get stuck to each other like velcro. That’s why it’s often challenging to detangle and style your hair after a shower.
So let’s find out why your hair ends up in a frizzy state after washing:
Hot Water
Just like hot steam opens the pores of your skin, hot water creates a high concentration of steam that lifts the cuticles and expands the hair fibers from the inside.
Hot water can also leave your hair feeling dry and brittle by melting away the natural oil layer that keeps the hair cuticles lubricated and moisturized.
Hard Water
Washing your hair with hard water is like rubbing baking soda on your face!
Hard water contains minerals that make its concentration highly alkaline and not pH-friendly for the hair. Plus, it leaves behind calcium buildup in the hair, blocking the effectiveness of moisturizing conditioners and serums.
High Porosity Hair
When your hair is highly porous, the cuticles are raised and spaced farther apart. This can either be genetic or caused by overprocessing of the hair.
So if your hair tends to get frizzy after a shower despite your best efforts using the right products, do a hair porosity test to understand if your hair requires a customized washing and styling routine – for example, the LCO Method.
Wrong Shampoo
Most shampoos contain harsh detergents and surfactants (sulfates) that can dry the hair by stripping its protective natural oil.
If the shampoo is not pH balanced, it will also leave your hair in an alkaline state, which causes the hair shafts to swell and the cuticles to remain open.
Not Enough Conditioner
Using a conditioner after shampooing is necessary to rebalance the hair’s pH and seal the cuticles. Conditioner is more important for the hair than shampoo because shampoo is only meant to cleanse the scalp, not the length of the hair.
If you’ve been skipping the conditioner or not applying enough, it could be the reason why your hair is always frizzy after a shower.
Rough Cotton Towel
Hair is at its weakest when it’s wet. Rubbing a rough cotton towel against it to wring out excess moisture will chip off the cuticles, causing rough edges on the outer layer of the hair.
The rubbing action creates friction, which contributes to frizziness all over your head.
Detangling After Shower
Right after a shower, your hair strands are saturated with water, which makes them less elastic. Taking a brush to wet hair literally rips through them, even if you’re being gentle.
Always detangle when there’s conditioner in your hair. This allows your hairbrush to glide effortlessly with the slip of the conditioner.
Waiting Too Long To Apply Frizz Control
Waiting too long to apply frizz control in your hair after your shower allows fuzz to start forming. Before your hair goes from damp to completely dry, you should have a serum or leave-in conditioner sitting in your hair to lock in moisture.
Styling Hair In Steamy Bathroom
Styling your hair in a steamy bathroom is as bad as being out in the muggy weather waiting for the humidity to create havoc in your hair. If you’re heat styling or blow-drying your hair, avoid areas with a high concentration of humidity. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in an endless battle to control the frizz.
So that’s the list of factors that contribute to frizzy hair after your shower. Now, let me show you how you can optimize your wash day routine to eliminate frizz by tackling these common mistakes.
How To Stop Frizzy Hair After Washing
Follow these tips designed with the 3 golden rules in mind to boost hydration, eliminate friction, and seal the cuticles:
Avoid Hot Water
Hot water swells the hair and strips the natural oils that protect its outer layer.
The ideal temperature to wash your hair is 100°F/38°C, just above normal body temperature.
So start with warm water, massaging the scalp with shampoo to get rid of dirt and oils, then finish off with a lukewarm or cold water rinse.
Get A Hard Water Filter
If you live in a hard water area, consider getting a hard water shower filter or water softener. A hard water filter effectively draws out all the minerals that would otherwise deposit on your hair and skin, causing buildup and irritation in the long run.
Check out: Hard water shower filters on Amazon »
Comb Your Hair Before Washing
To make detangling easier during your shower, use a wide-tooth comb to gently loosen up your hair beforehand.
You can also use your fingers to fluff your hair and remove knots and tangles that can be hard to deal with once the hair is wet.
Use A Sulfate-Free Shampoo (Ideally Low pH)
A sulfate-free shampoo doesn’t strip natural oils from the hair. It has a low-suds formula designed to be less abrasive and more moisturizing compared to average drugstore shampoos.
If you get a sulfate-free shampoo that is also low pH or pH-balanced, that works even better at keeping the cuticles shut, preventing frizz.
When you use a shampoo that is too basic, those shingles flare out, which leads to loss of elasticity, breakage, dullness, and the dreaded frizz. However, if your shampoo is more acidic, it works to smooth those shingles of the cuticle. Amy Halman
President and formulator of hair and skincare brand Acure - Teen Vogue
Shampooing Tip:
Use shampoo to cleanse your scalp. Shampoos are not intended to cleanse the hair.Be Generous With Your Conditioner
A conditioner restores the pH balance of the hair after shampooing, effectively toning down frizz and helping the cuticles to relax.
Apply a generous amount of conditioner to your hair and let it sit for a few minutes.
Detangle Your Hair In The Shower
Detangle your hair when it’s saturated with conditioner. Conditioners provide plenty of slip that allows your hairbrush to glide without pulling and snapping at your hair.
Detangling with conditioner in the hair totally eliminates another cause of friction which eventually leads to frizzy hair.
Paul Mitchell Pro Tools Detangler Comb
Best detangling comb for frizzy hair.
Rinse With Cold Water
What you do immediately after washing your hair can largely contribute to how frizzy your hair will be. The best way to seal the cuticles is to do a cold water rinse just before stepping out of the shower.
Make sure you only shampoo light, do not vigorously rub the hair and finish with a cool water rinse after your conditioner. Antony Rawlings
Creative Director at Lockonego for Redken - Speaking to Glamour Magazine
Customize Your Washing Routine For Your Hair Type
Since everyone’s hair type is different, there is no one-size-fits-all shampoo and conditioner for everyone.
Find products and washing techniques that work better for your hair type based on your hair porosity and texture.
There are so many ways you can customize your hair washing routine, for example, using the LOC Method, LCO Method, Co-washing, and many others.
Dry Your Hair With A Microfiber Towel
A towel made with microfiber cloth material is an excellent alternative to rough cotton towels for blotting your hair dry without causing friction and statics on the strands. A microfiber towel also prevents your hair from tangling, reducing the need to brush.
Blow Dry With An Ionic Hair Dyer
If you have long hair that requires a blow dryer for faster drying, I recommend using an Ionic hair dryer. Ionic technology uses indirect heat to dry your hair without leaving statics. Adding a diffuser attachment will help you bring more texture and definition to your hair without any frizziness.
A diffuser attachment also simulates natural air drying to move air evenly around your hair instead of directing concentrated heat to the hair.
Let Your Hair Air Dry If You’re Not In A Rush
If you’re not in a rush and you’re just having a lazy day chilling at home, it’s good to give your hair some much-needed relief from heat styling tools by allowing it to air dry naturally.
Seal The Cuticles
And finally, the most important step of all is to seal the hair cuticles after every shower to ensure humid air doesn’t creep in. Use a styling cream or a hair serum designed to lubricate the lengths of the hair, infusing moisture and sealing the outer layer against humidity and heat to prevent frizz.
An excellent product to use for this is the Redken Frizz Dismiss hair serum.
Experiment With Different Hairstyles
Experiment and find a hairstyle that works better to camouflage the frizz, if your hair tends to be frizzy naturally after washing.
Look for low-maintenance wash-and-go hairstyles that don’t require heat and any styling tools that manipulate and stretch the hair.
Top knots, Chignons, low buns, and textured layers, for example, are excellent wash-and-go styles you can wear at home.
Low-maintenance hairstyles don’t require a lot of styling products apart from a leave-in or serum, and they give your hair relief from being overloaded with chemicals every day.
Banish The Post Shower Frizz!
If you want to stop frizzy hair after shampooing, remember, it all starts in the shower. Not after. What you do with your hair when it’s wet is going to determine how it behaves when it’s dry.
Maximize moisture from the outset, and think about how you can dry and style your hair without causing friction.
And remember: Focus on sealing your cuticles.
Once you get this balance right, with the right mix of hair products, you’ll breeze through your wash days with sleek, smooth, fresh, and free-flowing frizz-free hair like you’ve just bounced out of a L’Oreal commercial.
Redken Frizz Dismiss Shampoo
Keep your hair frizz-free after every shower.
