How to Hydrate Dry Curls, According to the Pros

If you’ve ever spent any time during the summer in NYC or another sticky city, you know full well how muggy weather can make your hair frizz up—especially if your strands are naturally curly. But before trying to fix frizzy hair, it’s worth understanding exactly what it is and what causes it first.

“Frizz is generally caused by a raised cuticle layer,” says Windle London co-founder Neil Moodie. When the cuticle is raised, moisture from the air is able to enter the hair shaft and cause it to swell. “The hair looks dry and frizzy when the cuticle isn’t lying flat. When the cuticle is flat, hair looks smoother.”

As for those with curly hair? They naturally have frizz. “Curly hair is drier than straight hair because the natural oils produced by our scalp can’t travel as easily down the hair shaft like on straight hair,” explains Moodie. Curly hair can also look frizzy if the hairs haven’t been bonded together to create a defined curl.”

For happy, frizz-free hair, Ramirez Tran Salon hairstylist Erin McKay says her number one tip is moisture. She suggests leave-in conditioners, oils, and creams to coat the hair’s shaft so it’s less able to soak up the humidity in the air. “Apply to wet hair a few inches away from your roots through your ends,” McKay says. The keyword here is “wet.” Mistry explains, “The more the hair dries without product to hold it together, the more it separates, and that separation turns into frizz.”

We love Christophe Robin’s lightweight, leave-in mist. Not only is it silicone-free, it’s formulated to hydrate and detangle hair without weighing it down. It’s also free of parabens, silicones, oxidants, and phthalates, so it’s great for those with sensitive skin.

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