Got Frizz? Summer Alone Isn't to Blame
There was a time when frizzy strands were synonymous with summer. Sure, those hot, humid days were a drag, but a better hair day was always right around the corner.
With age, and especially as we enter menopause, frizzy hair can become an everyday battle. Along with greater fatigue, hot flashes, and thinning hair, a change in hair smoothness from hormonal fluctuations is yet another menopause symptom (though one that often surprises many of us), and the hot, humid days of summer only make matters worse.
But unruly, frizzy hair during or after menopause doesn’t have to be part of the plan. Keep reading for our list of 10 ways to tame menopause frizzy hair for smooth, manageable tresses all year round!
10 Ways to Tame Frizzy Tresses
1. Lock Out Humidity and Heat
High humidity is one of our hair’s worst enemies. Straight, fine hair tends to fall flat when it's humid outside, and curly as well as high-porosity hair (remember, aging hair is often highly porous) become frizzy and unruly due to the moist air forming weaker hydrogen bonds on our hair. To banish frizz when it's hot and humid, try a frizz-fighting spray that does double-duty as a heat protectant, like our No Remorse Heat Protection & Taming Spray. It has nourishing vitamin E and argan oil to help smooth frizz and avocado oil for heat protection up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit!
2. Protect Your Tresses Overnight
Yes, it's true—you can fight menopause frizzy hair while you sleep! If you're sleeping on a cotton pillowcase, it creates friction on your tresses every time you move during the night. Swap your regular pillowcase for a silk or satin one to fight daytime frizz. These create less friction on our hair than regular pillowcases.
For extra protection, you can also invest in a satin bonnet to wear to bed. If you opt for a bonnet, be sure it is well-fitted to your head. Tight bonnets can leave red marks on your forehead and temples, and a loose bonnet won't hold your hair securely.
3. Amp up Hydration to Combat Menopause Frizzy Hair
We know that our hair gets drier as we age. We lose the shininess and silkiness we had in our youth. To restore hydration to your hair, treat your locks to a weekly deep conditioning treatment in place of your regular conditioner. We love our Hair Redemption Restorative Butter Masque for its ability to instantly seal hydration into dry, unmanageable strands with a custom blend of rich, restorative plant-based butters. Hair Redemption is also formulated with caffeine, biotin, vitamin E, and argan oil to help repair damaged hair and restore smoothness and elasticity to aging locks!
4. Opt for a Low-Tension Hairstyle
Tight ponytails and updos cause breakage and damage to our hair, and damaged, brittle strands have more frizz and flyaways than smooth, healthy hair. Try a low-tension hairstyle to fight damage from tight updos.
Our favorite low-tension styles are low, loose braids and buns. These are effortlessly chic, and a stylish low-tension style can go from the gym to the beach to the office in the hot summer months! One of our favorites is a loose knot bun, and the best part is that this cute style works great on freshly washed and second-day hair!
To try it: Gather your hair into two low ponytails at the nape of your neck. Gently tie one piece over the other like you would tie your shoes or start a knot. Repeat once more, and then use bobby pins to secure the style. Adjust the bun and any loose pieces to your liking and mist with a light-hold hairspray to prevent flyaways. Et voilà—a chic, damage-free style!
5. Switch to Sulfate-Free Shampoo
Sulfates are detergents that can strip your locks of their natural oils, leaving your hair dry and frizzy. To combat menopause frizzy hair in any season, opt for a sulfate-free repairing shampoo like our Second Chance Repairing Shampoo for Dry or Damaged Hair. Using natural ingredients like argan oil, passion flower extract, and rice bran oil, Second Chance nourishes and moisturizes taxed, damaged hair while gently clearing away dirt and oils!
6. Smooth Frizz with a (Clean!) Mascara Wand
The tiny brush heads on mascara wands are great for touching up flyaways throughout the day! Because the brush bristles are small and dense, mascara wands work best on thinner spots, like the temples and hairline. You can use them alone or with a small amount of light-hold hairspray to touch up any stubborn flyaways.
7. Pack a Frizz-Fighting Spray in Your Bag
We've all been there: We leave the house with a cute hairstyle, only for frizz to take over, sometimes even moments after we walk out the door! And nothing ruins a good hair day as much as frizz and flyaways! Pack a frizz-fighting spray like No Remorse in your bag so you can make minor touch-ups to ensure your gorgeous out-the-door style stays frizz-free all day! Plus, No Remorse contains restorative vitamin E and weightlessly protects against damaging UV rays, so your hair won't get greasy or weighed down!
8. Find a Heatless Hairstyle You Love
Styling your hair without heat is playing the frizz-fighting long game! It might not immediately reduce frizz, but styling your hair without heat over time will help reduce breakage and damage. Dry, damaged hair tends to look frizzy and feel straw-like. Check out our list of 17 heatless hairstyling hacks for stylish ways to fight frizz and banish damage from heat styling!
9. Fight Frizz at the Root
Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp, and balanced sebum production is essential for preventing dry hair, especially after menopause! To optimize scalp health, avoid drying sulfates and parabens, and look for a scalp treatment that supports balanced scalp oils like our Superpower Hair & Scalp Duo. This award-winning, lightweight and non-greasy serum rebalances scalp oils while conditioning skin and hair at the roots for visible improvement to hair quality and scalp health! And the Superpower Liquid Comb ensures that you deliver the right amount of serum exactly where you need it, evenly and with no mess!
10. Talk to Your Doctor About Help for Dry Hair After Menopause
If you feel you've tried everything to combat dry, frizzy hair, it might be worth mentioning your concerns to your doctor. As we enter midlife, our estrogen levels drop, and this hormone change can cause hair loss, changes in hair texture, dryness, frizziness and hair thinning.
Your physician can run tests to determine if there's an underlying cause for your hair concerns, such as an estrogen deficiency, and offer treatment. If you don't have a regular doctor, look for a practitioner with certification from the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). You can click here for a list of certified physicians to help you get started!
Tell Us: Have you dealt with dry hair during or after menopause? Do you have a go-to method for taming menopause frizzy hair? Share in the comments below!
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Reach out to us on Facebook and Instagram, or check out our blog for more aging hair-care info! Better Not Younger has everything you need to fight frizzy hair after menopause as well as help for dry hair during and after menopause! Let us help you achieve your healthiest, most vibrant hair yet!