By Vanessa Chia - published
Besides good weather and delicious food, chances are, there’s one more thing you look forward to when you’re overseas in a country with a drier climate, such as Japan or South Korea—smoother and more “well-behaved” hair. If you’ve ever wondered why you have more good hair days in these countries, it’s because of the lack of moisture in the air. Singapore’s humid weather means that frizzy hair is very common. And, it affects all hair types, from straight to wavy and curly.
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What Causes Frizzy Hair?
According to hair experts, the main cause of frizz is a lack of moisture. In short, dry hair is frizzy hair. So how does frizz occur?
Frizz happens when the hair cuticle (the outer layer of the hair) is lifted or open, which in turn, causes the hair to appear rough and less smooth. And this can be due to a range of factors, such as heat damage, chemical damage from hair services like colouring or perms, or friction from towel drying that causes the hair to be devoid of moisture.
It is also why the high humidity levels in Singapore is one of the biggest cause of frizzy hair. Since frizz is caused by dry hair seeking moisture, inevitably, your dry hair will trying to absorb the moisture in the surrounding atmosphere. However, the hair strands do not absorb the moisture evenly, and this causes the hair shaft to swell irregularly, resulting in the hair becoming frizzy and unruly.
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5 Ways To Keep Frizz Away
Besides using moisture-imbuing or hair-smoothening shampoos and conditioners, here are five other things you can do to keep frizz at bay:
Avoid Hot Water
Give those hot showers a miss. The steam can actually lift the hair cuticle, causing moisture to escape, resulting in more frizz. Opt for lukewarm water when washing your hair and don’t forget to finish with a cold water rinse to seal the cuticle, keeping the strands as smooth as possible.
Towel Gently
Dry, damaged locks are fragile by nature and become even more vulnerable (aka prone to breaking) when wet. Instead of rubbing your freshly washed hair vigorously back and forth, gently blot the water out by pressing the wet strands between the towel.
Rubbing roughly can cause the hair cuticles to lift even more and result in a less-than-smooth dry down. Not to mention, excessive friction from the rough towelling can also lead to split ends and breakage that result in more damage, static and frizz.
Also, consider swapping your regular bath towel to a microfibre one as this will help reduce the friction when towel-drying, which can exacerbate the frizz.
Apply Leave-In Products To Damp Hair
Application matters, and this means knowing when to apply your leave-in serums and creams when the strands are best able to absorb them best.
For instance, applying anti-frizz serums and creams to damp hair (usually when about 70 to 80 percent dry) can help seal in the moisture while protecting the hair against heat during styling, which in turn, prevents frizz during.
Blow-Dry Your Hair
Did you know that air drying freshly shampooed hair can contribute to frizzy locks? This is because the longer parched and damaged hair remains wet, the hair shaft will continue to swell, resulting in hair cuticles lifting, which creates that frizz when it finally dries.
Thus, it’s best to keep hair smooth by blow-drying it. And yes, while heat styling can cause further damage and frizz, using an anti-frizz, heat-protectant product can help minimise and reduce the damage. And do so using a lower temperature setting on your hairdryer to minimise fly-away and prevent moisture loss.
For curly locks, use a diffuser as it will soften the air flow so curls remain bouncy and not frizzy.
Trim Your Hair Regularly
Damaged hair is often prone to frizzy-ness due to breakage and split ends. This is why getting regular trims can reduce the frizz. By removing the dry, damaged ends, hair becomes more manageable, but also lies smoother. And with the split and/or damaged ends removed, it also means that the hair strands are less porous, which reduces their thirst for moisture and results in a healthier and more polished appearance.
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The Best Anti-Frizz Products For Smoother Hair
1. Perfect Serum Magic Straight Serum, $18.50, Mise en Scène at Shopee Mall
The finishing touch to your glass hair glow. Infused with the brand’s unique Aurora Flat and a patented Upright Solution technologies, achieving an effortlessly polished ’do is easy-peasy. Hair is smooth, sleek and shiny in an instant.
2. Intense Smoothing Serum, $52, Moroccanoil at Sephora
Want smooth, shiny and tamed locks? Whether you have straight, curly or wavy hair, this styling serum will nourish hair while also keeping frizz at bay, for up to 72 hours, with a help from a formula infused with argan oil, vitamin E, ascorbyl palmitate and squalene.
3. Creamy EX Damage Repair Hair 3.0, $29.80, &Honey at Shopee Mall
Using a unique blend of three different types of honey—manuka, raw honey and black bee honey—alongside royal jelly extract and hyaluronic acid, this lightweight oil-serum repairs hair damage caused by heat, friction, UV, colour chemical service and dryness. The result: Hair is smooth, manageable and soft to the touch.
4. Intensive Repair Anti-Frizz Serum, $49, L’Occitane at Shopee Mall
This hardworking serum tames frizz, protects against heat damage from styling tools and smooth locks without heaviness. Its blend of oils—angelica, ylang-ylang, sweet orange, lavender, geranium, sunflower and jojoba— together with amino acids leave hair softer, smoother, stronger and tangle-free. The best bit? The formula is silicone-free too.
5. Frizz Fix Serum, $38, Bondi Boost at Sephora
Enriched with a blend of vitamin C, argan oil, hyaluronic acid and a triple blend of frizz-repairing actives, this silicone-free serum detangles locks, while smoothing down frizz and fly-away. In addition, it also contains a six-oil blend to add moisture, deliver shine and protect against humidity.
6. Omega Leave-In Conditioning Spray, $100, Dyson at Shopee Mall
The key lies in Dyson’s Oli7 blend, which combines seven omega-rich oils—sunflower, macadamia, Abyssinian, avocado, olive, corn and sesame—to nourish the hair. Complemented by a fermented oil complex, it nourishes the hair, reducing breakage while protecting against heat damage and keeping frizz and fly-aways away.
7. Unove No-Wash Water Ampoule Treatment, $25.90, Unove at Watsons
A couple of spritzes, and say goodbye to frizz and unruly tresses. This leave-in treatment is infused with a blend of proteins, amino acids and plant oils like water soluble collagen, hydrolysed silk and keratin, silk amino acids, as well as olive, macadamia seed and argan kernel oils. Together, these nourish the hair and leave locks smooth and shiny. It also doubles up as a heat protectant too.
8. Collagen Boost-Moisture Mist, $25.90, MyBoostars at LazMall
Enriched with skin-loving active ingredients like hydrolysed collagen, jojoba seed oil alongside a beauty serum that contains three types of micro collagen and biotin, this dual-phase serum spray is just what thirsty and damaged hair seeks. Best bit? It also moisturises the scalp while leaving hair smooth and oh-so-soft.
9. Gloss Absolu Frizz-Glaze Cream, $71, Kérastase at Sephora
The perfect companion to thick, frizzy tresses, this anti-frizz styling cream promises to keep hair smooth and humidity-resistant. And it’s thanks to a combination of glycerin, hyaluronic acid, glycolic acid and wild rose that promise to deliver up to four days of frizz-free smoothness.
10. Anti-Frizz Crème, $58, Ouai at Sephora
A lightweight cream that contains upcycled jackfruit, beetroot extract and plant-based polymers, it provides thermal protection from heated styling tool use, as well as keeps tresses smooth with frizz control properties that last up to 72 hours.
11. StyleSign Air-Dry BB Cream, $41.42, Goldwell at LazMall
Achieve a smooth blow-out finish without a hairdryer with this smoothing cream. Using marine bamboo extract, this smoothing cream nourishes the hair and fights frizz at the same time, leaving locks silky smooth and healthy looking.
12. Smoothing Blow Dry Cream, $50, Kerasilk at Amazon
Using a blend of biomimetic silk and a Silk+ technology, this heat-activated cream replenishes damaged locks’ lost amino acids and boosts its resilience for stronger, healthier hair. At the same time, it also protects against damage from your heated styling tools while delivering an smooth and shiny blow-out for a chic and polished finish.
13. 7 Second Instant Nourish Water Treatment For Hair & Scalp with Camellia Flower Oil, $65, Jung Beauty at Ksisters
Enriched with camellia flower oil, this two-in-one rinse-off treatment cares for and invigorates the scalp, while also helping to smooth dry and damaged hair, leaving it smooth and tangle-free in a jiffy. All you need is just seven seconds in the shower, post-shampoo. Plus, the water-based formula doesn’t leave hair looking limp, making it great for fine hair too.
14. Premium Touch Hair Oil, $19.90, Fino at Watsons
Powered by squalane, pearl peptide, vitamin E and dimethicone (a silicone-based polymer), this lightweight oil repairs damaged locks from within while also helping to tame frizz. On top of that, it shields hair against friction and heat (especially from heated styling tools), ensuring that hair remains smooth and shiny without looking flat or feeling heavy.
This article contains products independently selected by our team of editors and writers. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices listed are accurate at the time of publishing.