single line drawing of curly hair frizz

The Real Solution for Frizz

You wake to find the weather unkind—whatever is one to do? Indeed, frizz is something most people struggle to align themselves with. It certainly isn’t made easy by an abundance of marketing and media noise telling us we need to fight frizziness like it’s a pathogenic virus set on destroying our very existence. Hair salons and most curly hair specialists reinforce this by speaking negatively about what many people are genetically predisposed to have. Unsurprisingly, these individuals wish to sell you products that claim to solve everything that ails you. That is not how a curly hairdresser in Melbourne or anywhere else should operate.

While some products and rituals can temporarily soothe frizzy hair, none of this will offer a permanent solution. That fact is the reason for this article. There is a simple choice one has to make regarding frizzy hair. Either you choose to embrace what grows atop your head, or you don’t. You learn to live with and manage your natural texture, or you’ll likely reach for a flat iron. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably decided against burning your hair. That is a great start. Here’s the thing. Frizz is often going to be unavoidable if you have curly hair.

"There is a simple choice one has to make regarding frizzy hair. Either you choose to embrace what grows atop your head, or you don't."

Make no mistake, unless you are willing to spend a considerable amount of time and energy dutifully prepping perfect curls, frizz is something that you will need to co-exist with. To that point, it doesn’t matter how well your hair is cut, or how perfectly styled it might be when leaving the house, there are always going to be environmental elements that can undo things very quickly. That reality is something that people with frizzy hair have to accept. To assist with that, I am going to share some essential information. Every time a person has sat in the studio and complained about their frizz, the frizz wasn’t the real issue.

Allow me to explain. When a client comes in and mentions that they hate their frizz it is not the frizz that is causing them to feel that way. It is because the shape of their current haircut is making them feel unattractive. The frizz is silhouetting an unflattering haircut and compounding the negative feelings. If an individual is unhappy with their haircut, and their hair happens to be frizzy, the frizz will seem to be the primary issue. It is not. To prove this point, I will share something that happens in the studio nearly every day.

"Frizz is not the problem, bad haircuts are."

When I complete the dry-cutting portion of a client’s booking, every client comments on how they “love it already” and could “leave with it just like it is.” What is interesting to tell them at that moment, and I always do, is that their hair is considerably more frizzy than when they arrived. How could this be? Their hair is frizzier, but they are notably happier. This truth is the entire point of this post if not my career success. Frizz is not the problem. It is how one relates to it that is the challenge people have. Frizz isn’t the problem, bad haircuts are!

The quality and shape of a haircut have the emotional weight to influence frizz either positively or negatively. An unflattering haircut that is frizzy will reflect poorly on one’s appearance. A flattering shape that is also frizzy can often make someone feel beautiful. That reality is why it’s imperative to ensure a haircut is flattering independent of products and styling. That way, if life or weather doesn’t work in your favour, a haircut still supports you. Products and methods ultimately cannot control that which does not want to be. A well-designed shape and a change in how one relates to oneself are the only things that can help make someone feel more attractive about their hair.