UjENA Swimwear and Fashion

Taming For The Frizz

Humidity can turn a beautiful head of soft curls into Marge Simpson-like frizz in just minutes. If looking like the Bride of Frankenstein isn’t what you had in mind when you left the house, here are some great tips for managing curly hair, especially in high humidity environments like Puerto Vallarta.

Healthy Hair First

Even straight hair can look frazzled if it’s dry and broken from too much combing, brushing when wet, using improper metal brushes, excess towel drying and too much harsh washing and blow-drying. Always use gentle products, follow your hair stylist’s suggestions. Keep your ends trimmed and when possible, try to wash only every other day.

When curly hair meets humidity, simply having healthy hair is not enough to keep it manageable without looking like you’re wearing a football helmet. For everyone with natural curls and waves coming to the Ujena Jam in
Puerto Vallarta, listen up.

Coddle Your CurlsA few weeks before the Jam use a heat-based or leave-in moisturizing treatment and have your ends trimmed. Also purchase a very gentle shampoo and rinse-out conditioner-moisturizing rinse. Accept the fact that while you’re on the photo shoot, you will be washing your hair at least once a day.
Give your curls a little TLC after shampooing. Comb your hair out using your fingers and twisting to the ends let it dry naturally. While damp, add just a few drops of the de-frizz product of your choice. If you have a favorite styling gel, either mix it into the de-frizz solution or add later. You’ll have to experiment with the amount to use.

Choosing a De-Frizzer

The most common ingredients in frizz tamers are silicone based fluids or oils. They usually come with some combination of the names Cyclomethicone or Clyclopentasiloxane. Bumble and Bumble’s DeFRIZZ is this chemical in its purest form. Other more expensive formulations like Pureology’s SuperStraight is pumped up with jojoba oils, colors fixers, sun protection and styling foam. Many good words have also been put in for several Bed Head products including Foxy Curls Conditioner.

The silicone basis of all these products means a little bit goes a long ways. Start out with just a few drops or a dime size dollop on short hair, a quarter size dollop for long locks. Too much will definitely weigh the hair down and make it appear greasy.

You’ll also want to keep some of your de-frizz potion to touch up during a humid day. Sometimes all these moisture-holding products need is a spritz of water and a finger scrunch to settle back down.

Last year Living Proof’s NoFrizz won Allure magazine’s Beauty Breakthrough with a product that is not silicone based. Although there were a lot of hoopla and QVC sales, many users have complained the product caused their hair to dry out. But a majority of users have praised it and although a little pricey, it still sells in five different formulas depending on your hair.

If you’re joining us at the Jam, have hard-to-control hair or heading toward another humid environment experiment with these products a head of time. And remember, with most of them, just a little dab will do ya’.