I have had super dry and frizzy hair (think hair doubling in size!) for as long as I can remember. As a teen and young college-goer, I would constantly rely on heat tools like dryers and straighteners to tame my mane and get it to behave. The result? By the time I graduated, I was left with dull, lifeless and tresses. This was less than ideal because as a young working professional, I did not always have the time to style my hair and needed a proper fix to my frizz issue. As it turns out, following a good frizz-control routine followed by NOT vigorously rubbing your hair with a towel was the solution. But the one habit that really helped was staying off the hair towel and air-drying my tresses instead!

Towel drying wet hair can significantly damage your hair. This is because most towels are made with extra-absorbent and coarse fibres that can strip your hair of essential moisture and make them frizzy. Rubbing your hair with a towel can also damage wet hair follicles — so that habit had to be bid a big farewell. My first step towards changing a hair drying routine was to ditch the towel turban and instead, gently squeeze the length of my hair to get rid of excess water. To help you get a better idea, here’s a lowdown of my hair care routine.

 

My frizzy-hair-care routine

My frizzy-hair-care routine

 

Step 01: Hair massage - A nourishing hair oil should be a staple in every frizzy-haired girl’s routine and I use the Dove Elixir Hair Fall Rescue Hair Oil - Rose & Almond Oil. A proper scalp massage 30 minutes prior to shampooing, followed by applying it to the lengths of my hair as a mask. It is so lightweight and super easy to wash off, meaning I won’t have to treat my hair to excessive cleansing.

Step 02: Wash and condition - To add frizz-fighting powers to my routine, I use the Love Beauty & Planet Anti Frizz Combo. Infused with argan oil and plant-based cleansers, the formula is able to gently clean my hair without stripping it of moisture.

Step 03: Post wash care - When you quit the towel and heat styling tools, it is important to use post-wash products so that your hair dries with nourishing ingredients seeped deep into them. For day-to-day, I use the TIGI Bed Head Control Freak Frizz Control And Straightener Serum on damp hair. On days when I want some extra texture, I follow it up with the TIGI Bed Head Manipulator Styling and create some soft waves by coiling thick strands of hair around my fingers and letting them loose to dry that way.

 

My tried and tested air-drying tips:

My tried and tested air-drying tips:

01. Along with skipping the towel, I also tried to give up the hairdryer, unless I need some clean styling. The result was a mane that was considerably smoother and stayed hydrated for longer.

02. Since wet hair is prone to damage, I made sure to never step out for the day until my hair was completely dry. I also remained careful to not brush, tease or play with my hair too much while it was still wet.

03. On days I absolutely have no time to air-dry and need help, I use soft t-shirts to get rid of the dampness in my hair. This did not give me the exact same result, but at least my hair did not turn into a bushy garden.

04. Since I was cutting heat drying from my routine, I decided to do the same while washing as well. Washing hair with cold water makes sure that your cuticles remain unaffected — unlike hot water that can open them up and lead to even more frizz.

05. To avoid the temptation of brushing wet hair while drying, I sometimes used a wide-toothed comb to detangle my hair in the shower. This also helps spread out the hair conditioner as well. The result is beautifully detangled, air-dried hair… the way nature intended it to be!