Frizz Fighters

Which ingredients should you look for on product labels?

When on the hunt for quality ingredients in your new frizz fighter, think about why your hair is experiencing frizz in the first place. If your frizzy hair is caused by natural or damage-induced dryness you’ll want to nourish your hair. To do so, find ingredients that will give your hair what it needs through one, if not all three, of these ingredient categories: emollients, humectants, or occlusives. We’ve compiled a few of our favorites and how they work:

Emollients – Emollients are naturally moisturizing ingredients that protect and lubricate the length of your texture for glossy, soft, and smooth strands. Shea butter is an effective emollient that’s widely used in both hair and skincare. It’s packed with vitamins and essential fatty acids, and when applied to wet hair, the water can help your strands absorb the moisture from shea butter, which makes it an ideal ingredient for conditioners and wash-n-go routines. When looking at product labels, ingredients are organized from highest quantity to lowest quantity. A good rule of thumb is that the first five to seven ingredients make up the majority of the product and should be the ingredients you take into consideration first. When formulated in higher quantities, shea butter is ideal for winter time and textures with coarse, dense, or thick hair; in lighter quantities, shea butter is a must for summer time, and textures with fine or thin hair. Look for shea butter in conditioners, such as Quench Ultra Rich Conditioner, and hydrating hair creams.

Humectants – Three powerhouse, frizz-fighting humectants are glycerin, panthenol, and honey. They support hair health by taking moisture from other ingredients and infusing your hair with that moisture.

• Glycerin is particularly great during humid, summer months because it’s lightweight and has long-lasting pattern hold for your texture.
• Panthenol Panthenol is lightweight with both emollient and humectant properties, making it a staple ingredient for any texture. In products like Volumizing Hair Spray that protect against the effects of humidity, panthenol enriches hair with shine or luster while binding to your strands to protect them from damage.
• Honey, while being a natural humectant, also has emollient and reparative properties, meaning it can help hydrate, moisturize, and strengthen your hair all at once.
  If you live in a dry climate or want to winterize your hair care routine, look for formulations that pair humectants with emollient ingredients. This will provide humectants a moisturizing layer to pull from. When formulated in products without emollients, humectants seek moisture from the air. When you’re in a dry climate, humectants won’t have hydration to absorb which can lead to dry or frizzy hair.

Occlusives – Occlusives are the last category, and tend to be most effective as the last step in your shower or styling routine. Occlusives are moisturizing agents that seal in hydration by acting as a protective barrier between your hair and its environment. Avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil are all holy-grail ingredients in hair product formulations because of their occlusive properties. Combined with the vitamins, fatty acids, and other nutrients found in these oils, they can maintain or restore moisture levels while adding shine, luster, and body to your hair. They are especially efficient when formulated in leave-in conditioners, such as Nourishment Leave-in Moisturizer, and finishing products (which are applied at the end of your routine to finish your style) such as Hydrating Finishing Balm.