Frizz

Frizz is hair that does not align with the surrounding hairs, but stands up or curls independently, creating a fuzzy or irregular texture. The three main causes of frizz are genetics, hair damage, and humidity. Frizzy hair can be seen as a positive or a negative trait depending on the current fashion and one's personal preference. Many hair products, such as gels, pomades, and hair waxes, are designed to reduce frizz.

There is more than one . Researchers who studied the perception of hair health found that while women around the world perceived the absence of frizz as a sign of healthy hair, how they described "frizz" varied widely according to hair type and desired style. As described by women in the study, the two main types of frizz are:

By this definition, frizz is not exclusively a characteristic of curly hair; straight hair can be frizzy, and tightly curled or afro-textured hair can be frizz-free. "Frizz" sometimes refers to curly hair in general, but that is not what most women understand the term to mean.

According to cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller, the three main causes of frizz are genetics, damage, and humidity.

Some wavy or curly hair naturally aligns or "clumps" in a clearly defined, consistent pattern, and some does not. Curly hair that does not have natural curl definition appears frizzy and is sometimes mistakenly characterized as damaged.

Even when hair has a defined curl pattern, combing or brushing it when it is dry can break up the clumps, causing the hair to expand into a frizzy mass. This is often done intentionally to add volume.Blow-drying hair from the ends toward the roots can raise the hair's cuticle, resulting in frizz.

Although all hair is technically "dead", hair that has been damaged is perceived as less "healthy" than undamaged hair. Some styling techniques can cause breakage, chipping of the hair cuticle, and other forms of damage which contribute to frizz.

Excessive or rough brushing can cause breakage. This results in frizz because the hair is stretched out of shape before it breaks, so that the shorter hair that remains tends to spring outward, away from the main body of hair.Backcombing can be damaging, as can combing curly hair when it is dry. Excessive use of heat styling tools such as blow dryers and flatirons can weaken the hair, making it susceptible to breakage and split ends. Recommendations for minimizing heat damage include using heat styling tools set on low, using a diffuser when blow drying, and never using a curling iron or flat iron on wet hair. Direct heat can boil the water in the hair, causing bubbles to form inside the hair fiber, weakening the hair. Some authors recommend avoiding heat altogether, and allowing the hair to air-dry.

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Wikipedia