20 Tips to Reduce Frizz in Curly & Wavy Hair

Curly and wavy hair looks gorgeous even when it’s frizzy, but there are days when you want less of it.

Maybe you want softer, defined clumps that aren’t hidden by a wild, frizzy poof standing up but don’t know what to do to reduce it.

Or perhaps you’ve learned some tricks to bring it down, by adding products and styling, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

It can be frustrating to lose definition in your waves and curls quickly and watch it turn frizzy because it just had to be that humid.

Many of us don’t even know we have naturally wavy curly hair because they’re hiding behind a dry poof! In fact, if you google synonyms for frizzy, the first option is ‘curly’!

On my Instagram, I often get messages like:

“My hair isn’t curly but dry and frizzy.”

“My curls look great when they’re wet but they become poofy and frizzy when they dry!”

“My waves look good only on wash day! The next day it’s a cloud of frizz.”

If this is you, you HAVE to try these tips I’ve listed in this blog post.

I was going through the same thing some years ago and discovered these techniques to get my curls looking their best, despite the weather (as is realistically possible!), or products at hand.

Once I learned what helps moisturize, smooth, and define my hair, I started recommending them to hundreds of people every month through DMs, YouTube comments, and emails and watched with joy as readers started to see a drastic difference in the results.

If you’re also tired of battling excessive frizz and long for smooth, defined curls or waves, try these out, gradually, so you’re not overwhelmed,

(P.s.: I have to be honest here, I’m at that stage of my natural hair journey and I don’t mind frizz as much anymore. But that is also because I know exactly what to do or troubleshoot if I want to reduce it.)

But first, what exactly does frizz mean?

What is Frizz

Frizz refers to those sections of your hair that stand (literally) apart from the rest and don’t clump with the other ‘neater’ sections.

This happens when the topmost layer of your hair strand, the cuticle, becomes damaged or raised. Since wavy and curly hair is porous, it quickly absorbs moisture from the air, making the cuticle swell and become frizzy.

Our hair type also becomes frizzier more easily, since our hair has the driest texture of the lot and needs regular and consistent hydration and moisturising.

While damaged cuticles caused by excessive heat, chemical treatments, and coloring are much harder to fix, normal frizz can be reduced by following the right hair care routine.

I will also recommend practicing acceptance. Frizz is normal and natural and your hair care journey gets far more fun when you make peace with it!

(Learn more about why our hair type is more frizzy than others here: 10 Things You Should Know About Curly Hair

Now, if your usual response to frizz is to smooth it down with some water or a ‘serum’, then you know it doesn’t work for a long time and those sections will stand at attention again.

I find brands marketing serums as a solution for frizz to be a huge scam, but that’s just my opinion. They don’t work because our waves and curls need more than just water or silicones to condition internally.

So what works? Let’s find out.

How to Reduce Frizz in Naturally Wavy and Curly Hair

Remember, experimentation is key. Take the below tips as guiding points and trust your results to learn what suits your hair best!

1. Don’t brush your waves or curls dry every day

Have you noticed that when you comb your waves and curls when they’re dry, they immediately poof up and become 3-4 times bigger?

This is because you disturb your hair’s natural pattern, and you end up separating clumps with friction through combing, or brushing dry, resulting in frizz.

If you grew up in India, this tip might alarm you.

Does this mean you shouldn’t ever brush your waves or curls?

Nope. Just don’t do it daily.

Instead, comb your hair dry:

1. Right before you shampoo, with a detangling comb/brush or a wide toothcomb
2. 15 minutes (or the previous night) before you shampoo with some oil

When you brush it out this way, you can remove tough knots and tangles. This makes the other steps in the routine easier to do.

You can also comb your hair when it’s wet, like:

1. After applying conditioner generously
2. After applying a leave-in conditioner or stylers like curl creams and gels.

Combing or brushing after your hair is wet, and has some product applied, leaves them defined and moisturized. When your hair can clump together, it can form beautiful, defined ringlets!

But Pallavi, CG Method says you shouldn’t comb curly hair…

Yes, the original method created by Lorraine Massey, and explained in her book does say you shouldn’t brush or comb curly hair.

Long story short- her method spread across the world and people modified it to suit their needs, where they included combing their waves and curls. They just didn’t do it daily, and instead, through the steps mentioned above!

So don’t worry, and just try the two steps mentioned above, and see how it works for you!

Pro Tip: Invest in a detangling brush. Getting this brush has changed my life forever by reducing the pain as I detangle my curls dry or wet. There are other options you can also use! Want to watch how I comb my curls? Check out this YouTube video!

2. Don’t shampoo every day

Have you noticed that when you shampoo with a regular, run-of-the-mill shampoo, it takes ages to wash off the lather?

You also end up with squeaky clean hair that feels dry and unpleasant to touch.

This is because, in most shampoos, the cleansing ingredients called sulfates are usually very harsh on wavy and curly hair. They mimic a detergent and strip your hair of its natural oils.

They are also called ‘Clarifying Shampoos’.

With our hair being naturally drier than other textures, removing even more of its natural oils can leave it dry and frizzy.

Now imagine this level of cleansing daily, on our already parched hair type!

If you shampoo very often, but still find your scalp is oily, then it’s possible you are over-cleansing and your scalp is over-compensating and producing extra oil.

I find shampooing hair twice a week is usually enough for me, but you can also do it thrice a week if that’s what you need.

Now some readers tell me they end up washing their hair daily because their scalp gets sweaty or dirty quickly due to humidity, or from travelling.

If this is you, wash your hair as often as you need, but use gentler cleansing products. (more on this in the next tip).

Pro Tip: Can’t buy or find gentler shampoos? Take a small amount of your regular shampoo in a mug and add generous quantities of water. Using diluted shampoo can also help reduce dryness and frizz in your hair.

3. Use milder shampoos and co-washes

If you shouldn’t use regular shampoos too often but need to clean your hair daily, what do you do?

Perhaps you work out daily or go for a swim.

In that case, try shampoos that have milder ingredients that cleanse your scalp without stripping it of its natural oils.

You can also add ‘co-washes’ to your wavy hair routine or curly hair routine.

Co-washes are conditioning cleansers, which are mostly formulated like conditioners but also have a small amount of mild cleansing ingredients, doing the job of two products in one.

Remember that co-washes are good when used sparingly, and shouldn’t be used each time you want to wash. Your scalp needs to be cleaned regularly too.

If you’re co-washing regularly, wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo once a month. This will remove any build-up on your scalp and hair.

Some wavy hair peeps enjoy better results when they clarify twice a month.

Pro Tip: Can’t get milder shampoos? It’s okay! Shampoo your scalp and let the lather run down the remainder of your hair length. You can also apply a light layer of oil before you shampoo to reduce dryness. 

4. Apply a moisturizing conditioner

If you’re new to the wavy and curly hair world, you must understand that more than shampoo, it’s your conditioner that will drastically reduce your frizz.

Often I get asked, ‘What shampoo should I use to reduce frizz’?

While your choice of shampoo is important because the right one will not lead to excessive dryness, it is the conditioner with its moisturizing and hydrating ingredients that will smooth down the raised cuticle of your hair strand.

You might have come across people talking about conditioners like, ‘Oh, that gives a lot of slip!’

It’s because using a rich, creamy conditioner moisturizes our hair, and leaves it ‘slippery’, making it easy to detangle.

In India, as a result of what I call ‘Pinterest hair myths’, I found that many in the older generation have a marked suspicion of conditioners. They think it can cause hair loss or whiten your hair, both of which are incorrect.

Using a conditioner regularly in your routine is one of the most effective ways you can reduce dryness and frizz, in my mind it’s my top tip out of this list!

Pro Tip: How to Apply Conditioner on Wavy and Curly Hair

• Separate your hair after you’ve finished shampooing into 2/3 sections.
• Squeeze out excess water
• To each section of your hair, apply a generous dollop of conditioner from mid-length to ends.
• With the conditioner that’s left on your palms, skim your crown lightly. Avoid directly applying conditioner to your scalp.
• Use your fingers to detangle each section gently.
• Use a detangling brush OR a wide-tooth comb followed by a narrow-tooth comb on each section.
• Remember to start with the bottom section and work your hair up. Gentle movements are key here to avoid breakage.
• Keep the conditioner on for 2-5 minutes and rinse.

You know you’ve found a good conditioner when it’s easy to detangle after applying, and leaves your waves and curls looking shinier and softer.

5. Apply a leave-in-conditioner / curl cream / gel

After conditioning, your hair will be more moisturized.

But since conditioners get washed out, textured hair types, like wavy, curly, and coily, usually need additional products to keep frizz at bay.

A leave-in-conditioner or stylers like curl creams and gels are meant to remain on your hair until it’s washed next. This way, they keep your hair strands moisturized for longer.

Curly hair product terminology can be tricky and vague, but largely, leave-in conditioners are products that hydrate hair, whereas stylers (foams, mousses, curl creams, custards, gels) go a step ahead and help define waves and curls, and preserve their shape for longer.

Now, fine or wavy hair types don’t need as much moisture as coarse and curly hair textures.

As a result, people with wavy hair, or loose curls often get see lesser frizz, and more defined clumps when they use:

• a lighter leave-in conditioner (like mousses and sprays),
• smaller amounts of curl cream,
• and gels with low-medium hold

Read more about your hair type here to find out what will work best for you: How to Find Your Natural Hair Type

6. Increase the quantity of conditioner and leave-in-conditioner.

If you’re already shampooing and conditioning, you are also using after-wash products like a leave-in or a styler BUT still find a lot of frizz…

Then it’s probably because you’re not applying the product correctly, or you’re not applying the right amount.

Use too much, and your hair can get limp and lose definition.

Use too little, and you’re left with dry, frizzy hair.

I have noticed, that in most cases, it’s usually because one needs to increase the amount.

Don’t be scared to experiment, you can always wash your hair the next day.

Only after experimenting with different amounts, will you understand what’s the right amount for your hair.

Just remember to apply enough conditioner until each section of your hair is coated; the strands can ‘slide’ against each other, and it’s easy to unravel any knots.

Pro Tip: Watch wavy hair routines and curly hair routines of different people. Find someone whose hair is similar to your hair looks and mimic what and how much product they apply. 

7. Check for glycerine in your products

Living in a humid city can be stressful for those who have naturally wavy or curly hair.

When there is a lot of moisture in the air, our hair’s cuticle can’t help but ‘stand up’ and absorb water, which leads to frizz!

To reduce this absorption, and to ‘humidity-proof’ your hair, you can try glycerine-free products.

Glycerine, is a humectant, an ingredient that pulls in moisture from it’s environment.

As a result, using products with it may be the reason your waves and curls are still frizzy, if you live in places with tropical, sweaty weather.

Some brands have recently protested, citing that it is not helpful to look at ingredients like glycerine in isolation, and that the entire formulation in totality works together to give frizz-free results.

But the general consensus among the community, especially from many of my readers who live in Mumbai or Chennai, is that using glycerine-free stylers does help them.

I’ve officially used this line too many times in this post but here it is again- try it and see whether it helps you!

Watch – My Review of Glycerine-free Curly Hair Line- CurlVana

8. Use alcohol-free products

Alcohol-based ingredients are often used in leave-in conditioners, curl creams, gels, or any styling product since they help speed up drying time.

But for waves and curls, such products can over-dry our hair and increase frizz.

Look through the ingredient label and choose products that do not have common alcohols like Ethanol alcohol, Ethyl alcohol, Propanol alcohol, Alcohol denat, Isopropyl alcohol, Isopropanol alcohol, or Benzyl alcohol.

An easy way to find such gels is to look for Curly Girl Friendly Gels, which won’t have any alcohol.

Pro Tip: The first five ingredients listed are usually present in the largest doses. So if you can’t find an alcohol-free gel, you can also find one that has that ingredient at the very end of the list.

9. Deep condition regularly

When you are just starting on your natural hair journey, your waves or curls are likely to be dry, coarse, and frizzy for some time.

To speed up its recovery, you can deep condition it.

A deep conditioner is formulated to be a stronger conditioner, is usually thicker and richer in consistency, and can have ingredients that reduce damage, like proteins.

Many of the ‘hair spa’ treatments you get in Indian salons include applying a deep conditioner, often that is the only step, which has led to some brands calling their hair mask a ‘hair spa.

I saw a big difference in my curls after deep conditioning regularly, especially my crown frizz when I was just starting on my curly hair journey.

Now, as I’m updating this article in 2024, after neglecting my hair through the pandemic and after, when I did not deep condition at all, I can firmly say my hair has suffered for it.

My curls don’t last as long, and they’re rougher and drier.

As I’m restarting my journey, deep conditioning is one step I aim to be regular with.

Want to learn how to do it? Check out this post here: How to Deep Condition Wavy or Curly Hair

10. Ensure your hair is sufficiently wet for styling

I’ve found that many people who find significant frizz, are not applying their after-wash products the right way, by applying it after their hair has dried up. Don’t wait too long after your shower to style.

This also leads to crunchier waves and curls.

Instead, style your hair inside the shower, right after your hair wash. It’s easier and also saves time.

(There is one popular exception to this tip- a technique called Smasters method, which recommends styling on damp hair. Some people with wavy hair have found success with this method.)

Pro tip: If you can’t style your waves or curls inside the shower, simply keep a spray bottle handy. Spray water generously on your hair to get it sufficiently wet and then apply your products.

11. Change your styling technique

There are various styling techniques that you can use on your wavy or curly hair, like Smasters which I mentioned above.

If you’re new to the curly girl world, experiment with different methods gradually to find one that suits your hair.

Please don’t get stressed if a popular technique doesn’t work for you. Hair care is very subjective and creating a routine is more about finding methods that make you love your hair, instead of following the latest trend in the natural hair community.

Ready to get started? Check out this list of different styling techniques for natural hair here: Ultimate Guide to Styling Waves and Curls

Pro Tip: If you’re a beginner, just start with the two techniques listed below:

Technique 1: More suitable for Curly Hair

1. Take a dollop of your leave-in conditioner or curl cream in your palm.
2. Place and wedge your palms between a section of your hair (like the praying hands emoji) and apply the product with a smoothing down motion.
3. Next, use a comb or a styling brush to distribute the product uniformly.
4. Repeat with a gel.
5. Finally, take sections of your hair and scrunch up to squeeze out excess water and product.
6. Repeat with a cotton T-shirt or a microfiber towel,
7. After hair is fully dry, scrunch sections of your hair gently, to remove any cast (‘crunchy curls’).

Watch my video below to learn how to do it!

Technique 2: More suitable for Wavy or Loose Curly Hair

1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 from Technique 1
2. Directly scrunch up sections of your hair instead of combing or brushing.

When you don’t comb or brush after styling, you preserve bigger wavy clumps and don’t break them into smaller undefined ones.

Watch this video to learn how to do it.

12. Use a t-shirt or microfiber towel to dry

A normal towel’s fabric can cause frizz.

Instead, use an old t-shirt or a microfiber towel, which will reduce friction between our hair strands while it dries.

I know some of us also have grown up rubbing our hair vigorously between a towel. I strongly recommend stopping that!

When you’re gentler with your waves and curls between styling and until they’re dry, and yes this means you have to stop playing with it, you reduce frizz.

Pro Tip: There is a very popular way to dry your hair with a t-shirt, called plopping.  Watch this to learn how to do it. 

13. Rinse with cold water

Using hot water can be harsh for wavy curly hair as it can open up the hair cuticle & damage it, causing frizz.

I know warmer temperature water makes for a more pleasant shower, but try lukewarm water instead of pipping hot, and do a last rinse with cold water to seal the cuticle.

It’s hard to do this in Delhi winters, so I only do it when the season allows it.

14. Air dry your hair

A typical blow dryer can separate your waves or curl clumps and cause frizz.

If you have the time, simply let them air dry.

You can sit on the bed in front of a fan to speed it up, but naturally drying your hair reduces frizz since you’re not using any heat from a hair dryer.

15. Diffuse on cold

But if you’re in a hurry, or it’s super humid outside, it’s best to dry your hair completely before you head out.

Instead of using a hair dryer on high heat with its tiny nozzle, use one that comes with a diffuser.

A diffuser is an attachment for hair dryers that helps distribute hot air uniformly over a larger surface area, reducing heat damage.

It is a safer way to dry your hair if you want quick results with a blow dryer. It is also my favorite way to get more volume for my curls when my hair is long!

Pro tip: Start with low heat on the lowest speed and finish off with cold mode

16. Cut down or avoid heat from straighteners and blow dryers

The more you use the straightening iron, or curling wands, the more you fry your hair strands & make frizz a persistent visitor.

This doesn’t mean you can never straighten your hair- once in a while won’t damage your hair as much as regular doing it definitely will.

Many people with waves and curls have grown up straightening their hair daily or using a hot iron rod to curl up sections that are wonky compared to the rest of their hair, and as a result, end up with damaged hair.

Prop tip: In some cases, heat damage is too extensive for your hair to recover. If so, first try bond repair treatments like Olaplex or K-18. If that also doesn’t help, it’s time to be patient, and gradually cut off the bottom sections of your hair, while taking care of the new growth the right way.

17. Don’t touch your hair

When you follow a routine for your waves and curls that leaves them hydrated, bouncy, and soft, it’s very tempting to touch them.

But if you want to control frizz, avoid touching, fiddling, or playing with your hair, especially until it dries.

I know looking at my videos, it looks like I don’t follow this rule 😛 but I don’t mind a little bit of frizz.

If you want to reduce frizz, adopt a no-hands approach!

And yes, this also means saying no to over-familiar people who come to you wanting to touch your hair.

18. Protect your hair while traveling & sleeping

Don’t let your hair get trapped between bag straps while you travel, as it makes the strands rub against fabrics that leave it frizzy and increase breakage.

Instead, protect your hair & keep it out of any obstacles when you travel, like with a loose pineapple, bun, or ponytail.

While sleeping or napping, use satin pillowcases or a satin hair cap. This is especially important if you have more frizz on days two & three.

You can find protective accessories for wavy and curly hair here.

Pro tip: Check out my nighttime routine here.

19. Don’t overdo oiling

In India, we grow up with the concept of champi where we drench our hair and scalp with oil the night before and then shampoo vigorously (read, excessively) the next morning to remove it.

Here’s the issue: this can lead to dryer, frizzier hair.

What people don’t get is that oiling or even serums don’t moisturise your hair. They seal it.

They do, however, when applied lightly, protect your hair from the dryness of your shampoo, and reduce something called ‘protein loss’.

So, when you want to oil next, I recommend giving your scalp a good oil massage and applying a layer of oil lightly to the length of your hair and ends.

It should be just enough to nourish your scalp and hair and make detangling more easy.

If you’re suffering from dandruff, did you know excessive oiling increases flakes?

Since I have chronic dandruff, especially in drier months, I oil my hair for only 15-20 minutes before shampooing, instead of the previous night.

20. Switch to a (modified) CG-friendly routine

Don’t want to think too much and begin your hair journey with a clear set of rules and recommended products?

If so, you can follow CGM, modified for Indian people, whose steps, will also reduce frizz.

More on this in my post here!

Wrapping up

When I first wrote this post, back in 2017, it was much simpler and had very opinionated, clear tips.

But it did not include exceptions to some tips, which I learned myself only after spending years blogging in this niche,

I feel they are important to know, to build a holistic hair routine, so I’ve made sure to add them where needed.

I hope these tips help you. Try them out, and let me know if they work for you by dropping a comment on this post!

If you have any doubts, you can also reach out for a personal consultation by mailing me at pallavijuneja92(@)gmail.com

Don’t forget to check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel, & follow me on Instagram to stay updated!