19 Flyaway and Frizzy Hair Hacks For Smooth Hair

If you haphazardly or roughly blowdry your hair, chances are you’ll have a lot of frizz and tangles by the end of your styling sesh. Blowdrying your hair in sections with a bristle brush or paddle brush to create the tension needed to smooth the hair, and actually using the nozzle attachment that comes with your blowdryer can make all the difference. Using the concentrator nozzle means that you can control the direction of airflow, and can blowdry pointing downwards, so you are encouraging the cuticle to lay down flat.

We recommend using lightweight hair oil, shaking three to four drops into your palm, flipping your head over, and rake oil through the length of your hair. It adds shine and lays down frizz without looking greasy. We love using oil on frizzy hair when dry as well but suggest applying it to damp, towel-dried hair after a shower and we would also recommend using less oil on finer textures and a little more for thicker textures.

If your hair frizzes up around your hairline or roots, we have the perfect trick fro smoothing it out when wearing a bun hairstyle or updo. First, wet your hands, then rub the tiniest puff of mousse between your hands to dilute it. Think 90 percent water, 10 percent mousse, then smooth your hands over your roots and hairline. Since it’s just the top layer of hair, it doesn’t take a long time to dry, and you will be left with smooth, but not stiff, curls, thanks to the hint of mousse.

hair serums are one of the best answers to frizz and flyaways, but they’re often filled with silicones. While some hair types may find silicones beneficial for heat-styling protection, conditioning, adding shine, and smoothing the cuticle, if you’re trying to avoid them (as someone with curly hair of fine hair might), we recommend looking for products with silicone alternatives. Hemisqualane is a plant sugar-derived silicone alternative that provides colour and heat protection and is great at reducing frizz. Squalane is also wonferful for adding moisture and shine into the air.

Smoothing formulas are ideal when talking about frizz and flyaways, but what works for someone with thick, coarse hair wouldn’t be best for someone with thin or fine hair. If your individual hair strands are thick and you’ve got a lot of them, we recommend going with a smoothing hair balm that has a bit of weight to the formula. But if your hair strands are finer or don’t have as much density, we would recommend a lightweight aerosol smoothing spray that won’t weigh down your hair.

One of the easiest ways to prevent damage and breakage that can lead to flyaways? Make sure you trim your hair at least once every three months. Split ends are especially prone to dryness (aka frizzy hair’s worst nightmare) and can lead to breakage that makes the strand much shorter than the rest of your hair, so schedule regular appointments to avoid any long-term damage.

If you’re looking for a long-term solution to frizzy hair, may we suggest our Goldwell Kerasilk in-salon hair-smoothing treatment? this treatment is a gentle, formaldehyde-free option that helps soften and elongate your hair texture – no damage included. Formaldehyde-free treatments smooth frizz without removing your texture, which means your hair will retain its natural curl when you air-dry, but it can still look smooth and sleek with a quick blowdry

If you’ve got curly or coily hair, you know that traditional blowdrying can leave you with more frizz and flyaways. If that’s not your goal, try a diffuser attachment instead, it’ll help evenly disperse the airflow from your dryer so you get more definition and volume. Using a diffuser also decreases drying time without disturbing the curls.

Humidity is a big reason behind unwanted frizz, and since you can’t control the weather, try the next best thing: anti-humidity sprays. We suggest patting your roots with anti-humidity hairspray whilst it is damp to shield your hair from any heat or frizz-inducing foe you might encounter throughout your day. We recommend Goldwell’s humidity barrier spray for silky perfection to win back control against humidity. This spray provides long-lasting transformation into perfectly smooth and soft hair for up to 3-5 months.

Fried, sizzled hair is way more prone to frizz and flyaways than healthy, nourished hair, so if you know you’re using a hot tool, make sure you’ve got a solid heat protectant on hand. Don’t have one? Consider a multipurpose styling product that offers not only heat protecting but other benefits as well so you get the most bang for your buck. We recommend the GHD bodyguard heat protect spray as the first step in your styling routine. Suitable for all hair types, GHD Bodyguard coats every strand of hair to prevent the cuticle from lifting, improving the smoothness of the hair surface to provide thermal protection and salon-quality results.

Find a shampoo that is sulfate-free to prevent frizz. Shampoos with sulfates can strip and damage your hair over time, which will mess with your hair cuticle and lead to frizz. Our favourite gentle shampoo is KMS moist repair – it’s super moisturising and leaves your hair feeling silky.

Along with cutting out the sulfates, look for a shampoo with glycerin as one of the first ingredients (the closer the ingredients are to the top of the list, the more concentrated they are in the formula). Not only does glycerin help combat frizz by penetrating the hair shaft and hydrating it from the inside out, but it also creates a protective coating on the strand, helping mitigate damage.

Conditioner is your number-one weapon in dealing with frizz. Try Goldwell’s rich repair restoring conditioner and for extra benefits their 60-sec treatment masque. Apply it from mid-shaft down to your ends, keeping it away from your roots, and wait at least 1 full minute, for full effect, before rinsing it out.

If your hair isn’t properly hydrated and moisturised, you’ll have a harder time smoothing frizz with styling products later on, which is why we recommend starting to smooth your frizz out from the shower. Opt for a smoothing shampoo and conditioner when you wash your hair, and add a deep-conditioning mask that suits your hair needs (whether that’s moisturisation or restoration) to your routine. Rubenstein’s favourite for a silky finish is any of the Goldwell 60-second treatment masques, they have a range of different masques aimed to target different hair issues and requirements.

As you know, your hair is at its most vulnerable state when it’s wet. That means using the wrong towel can literally make (or break) your hair, which is why your fabric choice is that much more important. Cotton towels create friction with your hair, leading to frizz and breakage, we would recommend drying your hair with towels that have microfibre technology that prevents friction and helps dry hair faster. For a cheaper alternative you could also just use an old t-shirt to wring out any excess water without roughing up the cuticle.

If you get flyaways around your hairline and part that are really obvious when wearing a sleek, straight hairstyle. We recommend using hairspray to smooth them as opposed to an oil, as hairspray provides a stronger solution. Instead of blasting your hair with a layer of spray, opt for a lighter touch: Spritz a clean toothbrush with hairspray (try our ultimate fave, Goldwell’s perfect hold big finish 4 hairspray), then brush it over your hairline or part to keep those wisps down.

Nothing will seal the cuticle like intense heat from a flat iron, but you also don’t want to risk damage for the sake of a smooth cuticle. You may think that your flat iron from 2011 works just fine, but it might actually be causing more damage and frizz than you realise. We sear by GHD heat tools and recommend them to all of our clients. GHD heat tools use ceramic heat technology, working at the optimum styling temperature of 185ºC to deliver kind to hair styling, ensuring shiny, sleek results and a long-lasting finish. Simple, effective, iconic, the GHD heat tools are timeless. We also recommend spritzing a lightweight heat-protectant spray over damp hair before you use any hot tool to help prevent frizz, and also use it to smooth any flyaways on dry hair later in the day.

Not to sound like a broken record, but if there’s one piece of advice you take away from this blog, let it be that moisture is the key to smoothing frizz. We love to load the hair up with a leave-in conditioner while wet to ensure our hair cuticle is filled with nourishing ingredients that will give the hair softness and shine.

If you’re still sleeping on cotton and wake up with frizz, now is officially the time to switch to a silk pillowcase. Silk really helps protect your hair while you sleep, it maintains your hair’s natural oils, which is especially important if your hair is fragile from chemical treatments.