How to Air Dry Hair Without Frizz (and Why Your Hair Puffs up in the First Place)
Air dried hair that lays smooth and sleek, giving that perfectly tousled I-woke-up-like-this finish is the dream. In reality? Most of us aren’t blessed with such an au naturale ease.
In fact, frizzy hair after air drying is incredibly common—and frustrating. But with the right products and techniques, it is possible to air dry your hair and get smooth, defined results.
These expert tips from Color Wow chemist Dr. Joe Cincotta break down why frizz happens in the first place, and how to beat it without using heat.
Why Does Air Drying Make My Hair Frizzy?
Frizz forms when the hair’s outermost layer—the cuticle—is raised. This lifted cuticle allows vital natural moisture to leach OUT of strands and disruptive environmental moisture to enter INTO strands, swelling up the hair and leading to a rough, frizzy texture.
If your hair is damaged from coloring, heat tools, or even aggressive brushing, that can rough up the cuticle over time. Genetics and humidity play a role, too, making some hair types naturally more frizz-prone.
When it comes to fighting frizz, Color Wow has been at the forefront of innovation from the start—developing expert formulas that smooth, seal, and transform every texture.
Our advice for avoiding frizz when air drying? Use products that prioritize moisture, smooth the cuticle, and are right for your hair texture.
How to Air Dry Hair Without Frizz
Frizz control starts with how you towel-dry your hair. After washing, gently squeeze out excess water using a microfiber towel or an old cotton T-shirt.
Avoid rough towel drying, as friction can raise the cuticle and create frizz. Instead, pat or scrunch your hair to remove moisture without disturbing its smooth surface.
From there, the right products make all the difference (think: mega moisture!). Whether your hair is straight, wavy, curly or coily, we’ve got your air-dry match.
The Best Frizz-Fighting Air Dry Hair Products - Based on Your Hair Type
For all hair types:
1. Dreaming
Dreaming, our advanced resurfacing treatment, is designed specifically for puff-prone hair. It strengthens, smooths, and seals the cuticle in a single step.
Use this breakthrough resurfacing treatment in the shower or bath as your first step. After shampooing, apply Dreaming to wet hair from roots to ends and leave it on for 3 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.
You can read more about the science behind Dreaming here.
2. Money Mist
Money Mist, our luxe leave-in conditioning spray, is the ultimate multitasker, perfect for combating every air dry frustration. It not only delivers 81%* less frizz and 69%* less breakage, but also detangles, moisturizes, strengthens, adds body, amps up shine, silkens and smooths.
On towel-dried hair, spray evenly from roots to ends and comb through to distribute.
*Average results based on independent testing
For wavy hair types:
1. Dream Coat for Curly Hair
Want to give your natural texture a boost? This one-step styler moisturizes, defines and defrizzes without the heavy, crunchy finish.
Apply Dream Coat for Curly Hair to clean, damp hair. Spray generously section by section, making sure to saturate your strands, then scrunch to encourage curl formation (no diffuser needed!).
For curly to coily hair types:
1. Flo-etry
This is an air dry must for curls. Curly hair is naturally more dry and frizzy because natural scalp oils can’t make it down the twists of each strand.
Flo-etry serves as your scalp oil supplement, delivering vital moisture from roots to ends. Start by applying a small amount of Flo-etry, our ultra-hydrating serum, to damp hair.
2. Shook
If you have tighter coils that need some extra styling support, try Shook. This shake-to-activate bundling spray combines powerful hydrators with flexible polymers for perfectly defined, glossy, frizz-free curls (without the crunch!).
Spritz Shook evenly section by section, then scrunch gently to enhance and set your natural curl pattern.
When used together, this anti-frizz duo is proven to reduce frizz by 84%*, plus lock in moisture, and define curls or coils, without stiffness or crunch.
*Average results based on independent testing
Air Dry Frizz Control, Sorted!
Frizz doesn’t stop when your hair is dry—so your routine shouldn’t either. Post-drying care can help lock in smoothness and keep hair looking sleek all day.
Minimize touching your hair to avoid reactivating frizz, and sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase to reduce overnight friction.
If strands start to feel dry or show signs of refrizzing, use One-Minute Transformation styling cream for a quick frizz fix in under a minute.
With the right habits and high-performance products, frizz-free air-dried hair is 100% possible.
Want to read more about keeping your hair frizz-free?
Not sure where to start on your Color Wow hair journey? Take our 60-second hair quiz to discover the perfect personalized routine for your hair type.
