Best products, shampoos and treatments for frizzy hair
Australia’s often humid summers can wreak havoc on hair, so we asked an expert how to manage frizz and flyaways.
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Humidity is the biggest enemy of a great hairstyle. If you’ve ever walked out of the salon and within minutes, seen your sleek blow-dry turn into frizzy hair for days, you’ll be totally across this.
Sometimes it can feel like an impossible battle, but there are products and treatments that can combat frizz and if you use them correctly, you’ll find your bad hair days are significantly lessened in the heat of summer.
The product blowing up right now on TikTok is K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask, with lots of glowing reviews and before and after pictures.
It’s not cheap at $99.50 for a 50ml bottle but we’ve discovered a clever way to try it for a lot less, with online beauty retailer Adore also selling a $15 tube.
Read our full roundup of products and expert advice from ELEVEN Australia’s co-creative director, Joey Scandizzo, with his best tips on banishing frizz and eliminating flyaways.
BEST OVERALL FRIZZY HAIR TREATMENTS
K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask, Adore Beauty, $99.50
Leave it to TikTok to bring us the best in frizzy hair treatments! The social media platform has sent many a product viral, the latest being K18 Molecular Repair Mask. Scores of people are posting before and after videos of their tamed frizzy strands, often after just one use of the hero product.
As someone who has actually used this product religiously since my hairdresser Amanda Tua recommended it a year ago, I can attest that the reparative results are real. I would say it’s as good as Olaplex, my previous favourite - I find it reduces frizz, by way of smoothing my dried-out mid-lengths and ends. As we’ll learn in this piece, a lot of frizz is the result of damaged, dried out hair. It’s less about styling products to control it, and more about bringing it back to a state of nourishment.
The best news? You can buy the pricier $94.50 bottle, which will last you ages, but if that’s too much of a financial commitment straight up, $15 ampoules are also available on Adore Beauty.
BEST PRODUCTS FOR COARSE, CURLY OR GREY FRIZZY HAIR
“Coarse hair that’s curly or grey is generally the frizziest,” says Scandizzo. This is because finer textured hair will often go fluffy instead of frizzy, with more of this frizz concentrated to the ends. But don’t despair! With some TLC, Scandizzo says you can tame your mane with ease.
“You need to pack the hair with protein and moisture,” he explains, adding that if there is no protein in the hair, there is nothing for the moisture to hold onto. His top tip? Treatments, treatments, treatments.
“Treatments are the best way to load hair with wheat proteins and silk aminos that gets into all the cracks of the hair shaft and allows moisture to hold on while also taming any frizz.”
ELEVEN Australia Hydrate My Hair Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner, Adore Beauty, $27.95 each
This gentle yet effective shampoo will pack hair with moisture without leaving it feeling stringy or greasy. Paraben and sulfate free, it’s also appropriate for coloured hair.
Kevin Murphy Young Again Immortelle Treatment Oil, Adore Beauty, $60.95
This serum is designed to help slow the hair ageing process, making it perfect for those with coarse frizz as a result of greys. Working to counteract the oxidisation and ageing processes we bring on our hair courtesy of straightening and other heat tool application, as well as colouring, it helps soften strands - meaning less frizz.
Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Super Nourishing Hair Mask, Myer, $57.90
This ultra nourishing hair mask is packed with coconut, fig, shea butter, linseed and argan oils. It can feel a little heavy on finer hair types, but if your hair is coarse and frizzy, it’ll drink it up - the results will be soft, frizz free curls.
BEST PRODUCTS FOR THICK, COARSE FRIZZY HAIR
Thick, coarse frizzy hair needs styling product, but probably not as much as you’d think. If you’ve been frustrated with frizzy hair that then feels greasy or weighed down by anti-frizz products, Scandizzo has the fix.
“Rather than trying to tame hair by weighing it down with styling products, start by prepping the hair in the shower with an anti-frizz shampoo and conditioner,” he explains, suggesting ELEVEN Australia’s Smooth Me Now range, which contains silk amino acids to help keep hair more manageable. “Once hair has been prepped right, only a small amount of product is needed to control frizz and flyaways.”
It’s also worth noting that you shouldn’t wash your hair too often. “The feeling of fresh hair is great but styling it is hard. Just a side note, it’s always better styling hair on day 2 or 3 when the natural oils are back in the hair.”
ELEVEN Australia Smooth Me Now Shampoo and Conditioner, Adore Beauty, $27.95
Ideal for super unruly curls and coarse frizz, this smoothing shampoo and conditioner set is super affordable, but works hard for the money, hydrating and calming strands for better styling.
Moroccanoil Intense Curl Cream, Sephora, $57
This leave-in conditioner/styling product is the perfect hybrid for control with moisture. antioxidant-rich and infused with vitamins, it helps to soften and protect hair while giving gentle hold and definition.
Virtue Un-Frizz Cream, Adore Beauty, $32
This light-hold styling cream has some rave reviews on Adore Beauty, with many saying they now can’t live without it. “I can use this on damp or dry hair. I personally find this quite lightweight, reduces frizz, adds a bit of shine but it’s not greasy, sticky or tacky feeling at all,” one reviewer says.
BEST PRODUCTS FOR DRY FRIZZY HAIR
Sometimes, frizz isn’t so much the result of humidity, but because your hair is dry. If you haven’t been loading your strands up with hydrating products, you might find it’s more prone to frizz and puffiness in humid weather.
“If this is the case, using a hydrating shampoo and conditioner,” explains Scandizzo. “Once a week, switch out the conditioner for a hydrating treatment to give the hair that extra dose of proteins and moisture.”
Virtue Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner, Adore Beauty, $56
While the price point is high, many fans of this shampoo are huge converts, having decided to trial the product to see what the hype was about. “I wasn’t a fan of this shampoo when I first started using it, and then I kept using it, and it has changed my life!! I’m so sad that it is about to run out!! My hair is stronger, shinier and smells incredible!” one reviewer wrote on Adore Beauty.
BEST PRODUCTS FOR FLUFFY HAIR
Fluffy hair can be the hardest to tame because it’s often fine and prone to feeling weighed down by product.
Try moisturising products in the shower designed for fine hair, and instead of reaching for rich cream styling products or mousses, try sprays and mists both during styling, and also to seal strands before venturing outdoors.
Kiehls Smoothing Oil-Infused Leave In Serum, $47
This light, gentle serum is made with argan oil and babassu oil, with a little going a long way. A hybrid between cream and oil, it tames frizz without weighing hair down.
Gisou Honey Infused Leave In Conditioner, Mecca, $54
Cult haircare brand Gisou launched at Mecca last year, and this leave-in product is a top favourite. Enriched with Mirsalehi Honey, the product helps to hydrate, smooth, detangle and protect hair from heat damage, pollution and breakage. A real do-everything product.
Redken Frizz Dismiss Instant Deflate Serum, THE ICONIC, $41
This is another great, light oil based serum for smoothing down flyaways and minimising frizz. Simply add a little onto towel-dried, damp hair and style.
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To get the best deal on every purchase, be sure to check out news.com.au Coupons, where you’ll find discounts on brands like Country Road, The Iconic, and many more.
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