Group Therapy: How Do I Deal With Crazy Flyaway Hairs?

By Shilpa Bhim

Natural, tousled hair is definitely a look I aspire to, but the halo of flyaways that appears whenever I leave my hair unstyled absolutely is not. I’ve tried all of the products that promise to “tame flyaways” and the results have been pretty lack-luster. So, because there’s no better way to solve a personal beauty problem than to find out what works for real women, I surveyed the leading ladies in my life to find out how they cope with flyaways. Here’s what they suggested.

First up, I approached my sister. She’s got thick, semi curly hair, deals with more flyaways than me, and has her two-step overnight anti-flyaway routine down pat.

Step 1: Use liquid Keratin as a treatment after washing hair.

Step 2: Once hair is dry, apply a small amount of Argan Oil to the ends of hair, before securing into a plait.  

My friend Vanessa, who also has thick, wavy and super-long hair also swears by Argan Oil for taming frizz and flyways. Her pro tip? Use the oil on the ends of your hair only to deal with fuzzy split ends — and use very sparingly. (Try The Buff’s Argan-based hair oil for a lightweight flyaway solution.) Meanwhile, Uma, who works in beauty and fashion swears by her trusty eyebrow spoolie and a little bit of Vaseline. Yes, Vaseline! “I use the spoolie to brush down the tiny flyaway hairs and baby hairs — I have heaps,” she says. Then, she uses the tiniest amount (like a really tiny amount) of Vaseline on her finger to smooth all the hairs down. Laura from the Prettyish Facebook group has a similar hack to Uma. “I spray some hair spray on a toothbrush and comb down flyaways with that.”

Lastly, Alex, Tara and Ashley are pretty excited to share their holy grail anti-flyaway products. Alex can’t live without her leave-in Miracle Hair Treatment by Eleven Australia. “It doesn’t leave any trace in your hair - even in my thin hair, just calms the frizz!” she says. For Tara, Kevin Murphy’s leave-in conditioner is the answer. It gives her hair some extra life (and shine) particularly if it’s fallen flat or frizzy after drying.

Ashley has a couple of go-to anti-flyaway products, starting off with a hair oil. A few drops of this in the palm of your hand and you have a perfectly smooth ponytail according to Ashley. She also loves Redken’s Control Addict Hairspray. “The trick is to spray it a few inches away, then take a tissue and gloss over the top,” she says.

What about you, Prettyish community? How do you tame your flyaways? An elaborate hairstyling routine? Endless amounts of bobby pins? Or do you let your flyaways soar free? Share your #flyawayhacks in the comments below — my hair will thank you for it.

Photo: Urban Outfitters