How do you control hair frizz?? (longer than this needs to be!!!)

[Gracie]

Now that I've solved my toes blister problem with all of your help, I have another burning issue!

I've been growing out my hair and right now it is just long enough to touch my shoulders. I have fairly straight hair that is colored every 4 weeks. Every time I come out of my hairdresser's, my hair is perfect - specifically the ends - and that's even after the times that she *doesn't* trim the ends as I let it grow out. My ends are smooth, shiny and stay non-frizzed until I wreck the effect by washing my hair.

I've taken the plunge and now use the exact products she uses - Paul Mitchell color shampoo and conditioner, ionic/tourmaline/ceramic/nano silver hairdryer, ionic/tourmaline/ceramic/nano silver brush and what I consider the magic ingredient - Moroccan oil. I use a comb in the shower to comb through the conditioner and let it stay on my hair for a short time to help it to work. The Moroccan oil goes on the ends when my hair is wet - as a leave-in. Once a week I use Paul Mitchell super moisturizing cream stuff and I comb that through and leave it for the required 5 minutes before rinse.

I'm almost there. When I'm done drying my hair, it looks perfect. The ends are not frizzed, they are smooth, they "stay together" for lack of a better phrase and I think I've got it. But as soon as my hair cools off, the ends start to frizz just enough to be annoying. When I leave the hairdressers, my perfect ends stay perfect.

And she doesn't go through all I do with leaving the conditioner on for a few minutes. She just combs it through and rinses immediately.

So what am I missing? I am trying to change the angle of my hairdryer to always be pointing downward. The only single difference between what I do and what my hairdresser does is that she uses her zillion-dollar professional hairdryer. I do not want to spring for one and I tried to replicate hers by buying the professional ionic, etc dryer as described above.

Is there some other product I should use in conjunction with the Moroccan oil? Why am I so hair-challenged?? What do you all use to keep your hair smooth and frizz-free?

[avariell]

I think a hair-straightening iron is key to keeping my ends "together". I also have very straight (very fine, but a ton of it) hair. When I want to look really great and keep that totally styled look, I use my flat iron.

That's all I am coming up with... sorry

[Meganator]

I've been puzzling over a similar problem for ages, and I think I may have figured out what it is, in my case. For me, it isn't just the ends that get frizzy when I do my own hair, but frizzy all over.

First, my sister recommended that I get the giant ceramic ionic brush that the stylists use, and, although that helps, it isn't the whole issue.

My stylist, when she is drying my hair, is running the brush through each section of hair constantly - sometimes it seems like she is spending more time brushing than drying. I am having trouble duplicating it, just because I can't get my arms in the right position to maneuver the hair sections the way she does (holding up the section with the barrel of the hairdryer when she gets to the end of the section with the brush), but I think the brushing each section many, many, times is going to work for me if I can figure out how to do it.

Don't know if that is helpful...everyone's hair is different, it seems.

[KristiB]

Originally Posted by Meganator

I am having trouble duplicating it, just because I can't get my arms in the right position to maneuver the hair sections the way she does

Just this morning I was wishing I could stand behind and above myself

[Shugness]

I misread your title thinking you were complaining of having static in your hair. I used to have that problem a lot, but haven't in a while, which puzzles me now that I think of it - what changed? Anyhoo, for that I do have a solution - just in case someone who is reading is curious- spray your brush with static guard and brush your hair.

But your problem I've got nothing. I will say though that my coworker went and had her hair done the other week. The stylist told her flat out that she (being the coworker) would never be able to achieve the same look she was getting by using the same methods - blow drying and a big roll brush - because the stylist was styling from behind and pulling the hair towards back - something you'd have to dislocate your shoulder to perform on yourself. The stylist told her she'd have to use a flat iron. It could be the case in your situation? I'd ask them next time I went.

I do have sympathy for you though - I've never ever been able to achieve anything close to the style my hairdresser gets out of my hair. It's just not my thing - like a previous poster said, while my hair is thin, there is a ton of it, and it doesn't like to cooperate with me. So I give up - you'll see me sporting a clip with half my hair pulled up.

[Gracie]

Originally Posted by Meganator

My stylist, when she is drying my hair, is running the brush through each section of hair constantly - sometimes it seems like she is spending more time brushing than drying. I am having trouble duplicating it, just because I can't get my arms in the right position to maneuver the hair sections the way she does (holding up the section with the barrel of the hairdryer when she gets to the end of the section with the brush), but I think the brushing each section many, many, times is going to work for me if I can figure out how to do it..

I do think this is part of it. I was really paying attention the last time I went and it seemed as though she redried the same section of hair a hundred times and uses very small sections. I've tried to do that, too, and achieved the "almost" look I have now, but that's been since I've bought the ionic brush so I wasn't sure which thing actually helped or if it was a combination of the two. It takes me (what seems like) forever to dry my hair now and she accomplishes it in a minimum of time. Of course she's been drying people's hair for a hundred years.

Originally Posted by Shugness

The stylist told her flat out that she (being the coworker) would never be able to achieve the same look she was getting by using the same methods - blow drying and a big roll brush - because the stylist was styling from behind and pulling the hair towards back - something you'd have to dislocate your shoulder to perform on yourself. The stylist told her she'd have to use a flat iron. It could be the case in your situation? I'd ask them next time I went.

There's a lot to this, too. She told me to constantly stream the air from the dryer down and not to "wave" it around. Its just the ends. I really don't want to have to add a flat iron to my routine - my routine is already WAY too much longer than it used to be!

It's just not fair that she can accomplish perfection with the same tools I have and I can't. I've really gone out and spent some money between the hair products, brushes and dryer. I do not want to buy her dryer. I do not. I do not.

[mkc]

I also have frequently-colored hair and am growing it out. I've noticed that my "fuzziness" is often dependent upon the water I wash my hair with, but that's probably not something you can change.

I've had luck with 2 products, both applied right before blow drying.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Weather Works finishing cream, purchased at the grocery/drug store.

Aquage Straightening Ultragel, purchased at the hair salon.

I need very little of either (about 1/4 teaspoon, maybe).

Michelle

[Valerie226]

another vote for a flat iron, just on the ends and not for too long.

[Gracie]

Originally Posted by mkc

I also have frequently-colored hair and am growing it out. I've noticed that my "fuzziness" is often dependent upon the water I wash my hair with, but that's probably not something you can change.

I've had luck with 2 products, both applied right before blow drying.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Weather Works finishing cream, purchased at the grocery/drug store.

Aquage Straightening Ultragel, purchased at the hair salon.

I need very little of either (about 1/4 teaspoon, maybe).

Michelle

I have wondered about the water because I feel like I get different results depending on whether I wash my hair at the gym. I am not going to be able to test this out anymore as I have a different job now and that's where the gym was. Now I belong to my town Y so I would never shower there, I'd just go home.

Thanks for the product recommendations! I will see if I can find them.

[blazedog]

Are you going for a perfect straight look with absolutely no bend or wave at the end?

At least in my experience it's almost impossible for someone at home to achieve because of the limitations of two hands - and also in terms of not being able to really PULL that hair taut in the same way that a person who is standing above the head can achieve (putting aside issues of skill).

I spent a few mornings this past year having my hair colored in a place that does a LOT of women who came in just for blow outs and the hair is pulled in very small sections -- the hair actually steams when it is being dried and the a LOT of tension is exerted by the hair dresser while the dryer is held over small sections of hair. I did notice that each small section is done only once until it is perfectly dry and straight.

I think -- depending on one's hair, there are ways to get a straighter look - flatirons certainly help when held to the bottom if that is the look one is trying to achieve.

[Gracie]

I'm not really going for straight, I'm going for ends that are smooth and "together".

Now that my hair has hit my shoulders, it seems to have a natural up-flip (think Mary Tyler Moore in the old days!!) but it looks ok - it doesn't look contrived like hers was. So I'm not going for totally straight.

I wish I could explain "ends that are smooth and together" better!

[Lauren]

Loren - Nothing to add, except to say that my hair never looks as great when I do it as when it's done by my hair stylist. Also, love Moroccan Oil! I use it daily, too.

[blazedog]

Originally Posted by Gracie

I'm not really going for straight, I'm going for ends that are smooth and "together".

Now that my hair has hit my shoulders, it seems to have a natural up-flip (think Mary Tyler Moore in the old days!!) but it looks ok - it doesn't look contrived like hers was. So I'm not going for totally straight.

I wish I could explain "ends that are smooth and together" better!

If you are willing to live with smooth hair that has some "movement", there is a great tool that I use. It blows hot hair like a dryer but has short bristles like a round brush so it kind of works as a blower dryer and brush combined. The power isn't as intense as a regular hair dryer so I generally almost dry my hair and then use it to style the hair.

When doing a full out blow dry, I will leave the brushes in as I work the different sections.

If you don't let the hair cool down you will get the fuzzies so leaving the brushes in until cool really helps give a smooth look. I had a hair dresser who did this on my hair and it was a great at home trick.

[Gracie]

What is your tool, blaze?

You have a point about the brushes staying in longer, too. I have a cool setting on my hairdryer, maybe I should use it, too.

[blazedog]

Originally Posted by Gracie

What is your tool, blaze?

You have a point about the brushes staying in longer, too. I have a cool setting on my hairdryer, maybe I should use it, too.

I've had mine for years -- I actually have two but prefer the older one which has the bigger "brush" at the end. Here is a page which should give you an idea of what I am talking about

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009PVV40

The cool down is critical for having that shine. I never found the "blast" of cool air to be particularly helpful for me because it took too long to cool it down. I invested a lot of brushes and would work from the bottom up -- I would clip my hair up in small sections and blow each section and leave it in the brush before unclipping the next section and blowing it completely dry and leaving the brush in.

[Bethlep]

I use a leave-in cream called No Frizz from Living Proof. It is the most effective anti-frizz product I've ever used, and it doesn't make my hair look wet or weighed down. I actually have curly hair rather than straight, but they make a version for straight hair called "Straight Making". You can buy it at Sephora and Nordstrom and online.

[KimK]

I have very fine, unevenly curly, super frizzy, almost shoulder length hair. I blow it straight almost every day and have done so for 8 years now. I used to often have your exact problem some days, but I think I've figured out a method that works. Of course, on a humid day, all bets are off.

I blow dry while using the round brush, running the brush through the hair and blow dryer over it 3-4 times in each section, then hold the cool shot on the dryer for one last run through each section. As I get to the bottom of the section on during the cool run through, I remove the dryer but hold the brush there at the ends momentarily - just a second or two.

After my hair is all dry and cooled off a bit, I use the flat iron from mid-point through the ends. I try to just right it through lightly, so I'm not frying my hair.

THEN, I put a styling cream on my hands the same way I put on lotion, and then lightly and quickly run my hands through my hair, making sure I either flip the ends up a bit or under, depending on how it's styled that day, paying attention to the ends. I do it lightly and quickly because I don't want to apply too much product to weigh my hair down. If it's more humid or rainy, I will make more of an effort to sort of quickly and softly pinch the ends with product still on my hands.

I have never heard of Moroccan oil - where do you find it?

[Gracie]

This is what I use. I'm sure there are other brands of Moroccan oil.

Editing to add - it's available in any salon or salon store. It's $20 for 4 oz so it's a bit pricey but a little goes a long way.

http://www.sleekhair.com/23223.html

[Lucinda]

Originally Posted by KristiB

Just this morning I was wishing I could stand behind and above myself

I have that exact thought at least once a week!

I can get my hair perfectly smooth, but the minute I step out into the damp Ventura air, it starts to frizz!