FRIZZ – Winn the Battle

Erick Carter

I think its first important to understand hair and what causes it to frizz.

Most hair is made up of two layers the inner layer called the cortex and the outer layer called the cuticle, some do have a third called medulla.

The translucent cuticle layer of the hair is like shingles on a roof, which overlap each other and are on average 7-10 layers thick. The cortex of the hair is made up of two layers of protein and hair texture is determined by hydrogen, salt, and disulfide bonds. Heat and moisture break down the salt and hydrogen bonds allowing the protein to absorb moisture. The protein chains absorbed the moisture differently, causing uneven swelling within the cortex, which causes breaks in the cuticle. Thus adding more dryness and exposure to the cortex increasing the problem.

How can products help?

Products that are applied to wet hair help prevent frizz which is caused by moisture loss. I personally like to use a leave-in conditioner such as Rusk Deepshine Smooth or  Rusk Sensories Smooth. I also like a gel to help control the frizz such as W8less spray gel by Rusk.

Products that are applied to dry hair should help prevent the hair from absorbing moisture into the cortex layer. I personally like a silicone base product, such as Rusk Sheer brilliance. Silicone is design to block moisture from entering. Most popular oils today don’t have such silicones and if they do they are breathable and don’t give full protection. Along with this a proper shampoo is important, in your line of weapons to combat frizz a clarifying shampoo is important. The silicone base products can build up in your hair. Despite popular belief clarifying shampoos are not stripping and do not remove color, improper application of color and not understanding negative and positive charges in hair have more of an impact……but that’s for another month. Clarifying shampoo should be used once a week and before any chemical service.

How can a haircut help?

As we see curly frizzy hair desires moisture but needs control. It also desires weight, which helps pull the curl down. It is so important to remember that when looking through magazines for new haircuts. I am sure that everyone with curly hair has had it layered wrong for their hair type. Another alternative to layers is texture, it must be done cautiously, but it can be done successfully.