How to Make Hair Less Frizzy: My Daily Routine and Bedtime Steps (Before and After)

If you want to know how to make hair less frizzy, here’s what made the biggest difference for me: timing, not one magic product. Primer and serum go on wet hair, my oil waits until my hair is about half dry, and my ends get one more step at bedtime.

My hair is long and straight, I wash it almost every day, and I live in a hot, dry climate. When I can’t blow dry it properly, it shows. On a camping trip this summer, my hair dryer drained our power station faster than anything else, and my hair came out half wavy and fuzzy in every single photo. I told that story in my post about tent camping with dogs.

Below is my whole routine in order, with before and after photos, the exact products I use, and my cheat code for no-wash days. I’m not a hairstylist. This is just what’s in my bathroom right now and how I use it.

My hair	Long and straight, washed almost every day
Wash	Tea tree scalp shampoo or Caviar shampoo, a cleansing conditioner and a silicone scalp brush
Twice a week	Deep treatment mask on mid-lengths to ends during my half-body soak
On wet hair	Detangling primer spray, then a treatment serum (plus a styling cream on days I go out)
At half-dry	Hair oil, then I finish blow drying
At bedtime	Night creme on my ends, scalp ampoule massaged in with a gua sha
Every few weeks	Scalp detox before I wash
No-wash days	Dry shampoo powder, then a quick blow dry
Best for / Good to know	Best for straight or wavy hair that gets puffy and rough at the ends. Good to know: in my routine, the oil goes on at half-dry, not on soaking wet hair

How to Make Hair Less Frizzy: My Before and After

Here’s the before. These are my ends on the same day, before I washed. You can see the fuzzy, uneven tips sticking out in every direction.

And here’s the after, once I’d gone through the whole routine below and blow dried. Same hair, same day. The ends sit together and look smooth instead of fuzzy.

None of this is a one-time fix. This is what my hair looks like when I keep up the steps below, so let’s go through them in order.

Step 1: Wash Day (Two Shampoos, One Conditioner, One Scalp Brush)

I wash almost every day, and I rotate two shampoos. My scalp shampoo is Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Lavender Mint Moisturizing Shampoo. I’ve used it for years, and it’s my all-time favorite for my scalp. On days I’m not using my scalp shampoo, I use Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Shampoo. Alterna’s Caviar line is my second favorite hair brand after Oribe.

My conditioner right now is Keracolor Clenditioner in Clear, the big 33.8 fl oz (1 liter) bottle. It’s a cleansing conditioner, and I’m almost at the bottom of this one. I really like it so far.

While I shampoo, I massage my scalp with a soft silicone scalp brush. It’s a small thing, but it’s part of every wash.

Step 2: A Hair Mask While I Soak (Twice a Week)

My favorite treatment is Oribe Eternal Curls Deep Treatment Masque. Yes, it’s from a curl line, and I use it on my straight hair. Twice a week, I put it on right before my evening half-body soak and let it sit while I’m in the tub. I wrote out exactly where it goes in my wash order in hair mask before or after shampoo.

I scoop out a good amount and spread it evenly from the middle of my hair down to the ends. I keep it off my scalp.

Doing it in the bath means I’m not standing around waiting for a mask to work. I wrote about the rest of that soak, and the body routine that comes after it, in how I use body oil after a bath.

Step 3: Primer, Then Serum, on Wet Hair

After I wash and towel off, while my hair is still wet, I spray Oribe Run-Through Detangling Primer through it.

Then comes Oribe Hair Alchemy Fortifying Treatment Serum. This is about how much I use, smoothed through my wet hair.

On days I’m going out, I add Oribe Creme for Style while my hair is still wet. That’s my extra step for days I want my hair to look done.

Step 4: Blow Dry Halfway, Then Oil

I blow dry with my Dyson Supersonic until my hair is about halfway dry. That’s when I smooth in Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil, and then I keep drying until I’m done.

Here’s about how much oil I use. If I had to pick one step to tell a friend about, it’s this one: oil at half-dry, not right out of the shower.

My Bedtime Hair Routine (Ends and Scalp)

Right before bed, I smooth Oribe Gold Lust Restorative Night Creme for Hair onto my ends.

Then my scalp. I use Biblian Be Strong Advanced Ampoule, a 95 ml scalp ampoule from Korea. I apply it to my scalp and massage it in with a gua sha. Both of these bedtime steps happen right before I go to sleep.

Every Few Weeks: A Scalp Detox

Every few weeks, I use Act+Acre Cold Processed Scalp Detox before I wash. I really like how my scalp feels after it.

My Cheat Code on No-Wash Days

On days I don’t wash, Oribe Serene Scalp Oil Control Dry Shampoo Powder is my cheat code. It covers the oily look at my roots, and after a quick blow dry, you can barely tell I skipped a wash.

Good to Know Before You Try My Routine

• Timing matters as much as products. Primer and serum on wet hair, oil at half-dry, night creme on the ends at bedtime.
• Keep masks on mid-lengths and ends. I don’t put my mask on my scalp.
• Pair the mask with something you already do. Mine rides along with my bath, so I actually keep it up.
• Have a no-wash-day plan. Dry shampoo powder and a quick blow dry are what I reach for.
• You don’t need all of this. These are just the steps I’ve settled into after a lot of trying.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you only change one thing, try the timing: primer and serum on wet hair, oil at half-dry, and something for your ends at bedtime. That’s what gets me from my before photo to my after photo.

Next up, I’m sharing more of my at-home beauty routine. Tell me in the comments what your hair does in dry weather and which step you’d try first. And if you want the full soak that my hair mask rides along with, here’s how I use body oil after a bath.