Taming the Frizz in the Tropics
No, but seriously…can you? Tame the frizz when you live in the tropics, that is? As a self confessed frizzy haired person I can honestly say - yes, but also, no. In my experience it’s pretty hard to be entirely frizz free in Singapore unless you plan to style your hair and then not go anywhere that is not air conditioned, not even for a second, not even to leave the air conditioned confines of your taxi or car to make the 3 minute walk inside the next air conditioned building. Those 3 minutes can be your frizzy hair’s undoing. Plus, exercising. You can’t do that if you want your locks to remain sleek and frizz free.
So while it is possible for a frizzy haired person to keep hold of shiny sleek tresses, it is pretty damn hard if you want to actually live life.
After 12 years of living in Singapore I toggle between caring and making an effort to tame my hair and not caring at all and letting it be a mass of frizz. As much as I would love to have my non-Singaporean (read: humidity free location) hair every day of the week, I also don’t want my hair to get in the way of life. When I haven’t done my hair I don’t care about walking the dog and getting caught in a downpour, or exercising outside, or walking at a fast pace to get somewhere. But when I’ve actually dragged out the hairdryer and irons and spent a good hour under the strongest air conditioning while I style my hair - those everyday activities give me pause for thought.
For those of you (myself included) who like to make an effort to control the frizz (at least from time to time), there are products and tips that can help in the battle. I have a couple of products that work for me, but I wanted to know from a person who sees frizzy haired folk on the daily, what professional advice they would have for us. So I turned to Toni Ovenden - owner and hairdresser at Love Hair.
“We kind of specialise in expat hair so the frizzy hair issue is one that we fully understand. It is also one of the most asked about hair conundrums that we see in the salon so we have plenty of recommendations when it comes to Singapore and frizzy hair”, Toni explained.
So it seems we’re not alone. Let’s hop to it.
Toni’s Go-to Products for Frizz Free Hair
“Start with a really good hydrating shampoo and conditioner - because the drier your hair, the more frizz you’ll get. In salon, we love Kevin Murphy products and I swear by the Hydrate.Me Wash and Rinse. Once your hair is clean it’s all about the right products before and after blowdrying and ironing that will help to ensure your hair stays smooth. The Ever.Smooth Blow Dry is great for this.”
Good products designed for reducing frizz are one thing - but honestly, even the best products in the world are not going to do the job alone. The thing that separates salon smooth hair and your own attempts at home is technique…which means learning how to blow dry like a pro. This is an area that I kind of fudge - I have my own technique (which I’m sure a professional hairdresser - a.k.a. Toni - would probably consider highly questionable) but I have definitely developed better hair drying and ironing skills along the way through trial and error. One thing that seems really obvious (but is definitely true) is that in order for my hair to stay looking smooth, I really need to dry it. If there’s any kind of moisture left in my hair because I lose the will to live half way through and just can’t be bothered to stand under the hot hair dryer for a moment longer, then I may as well not have bothered at all. So that’s one humble tip from me. Hair needs to be bone dry to stand a chance against Singapore’s humidity.
Toni’sTop 5 Styling Tips for Humid Weather
Blow-dry with purpose. Always point the nozzle down the hair shaft to smooth the cuticle and reduce frizz.
Use a round brush. It creates shine and tension for a sleeker, longer-lasting finish.
Cool shot to set. Always finish with a blast of cool air to lock your style in place.
Protect before you heat. Products like Ever.Smooth activate with heat and shield hair from moisture.
Hands off! Once styled, avoid touching your hair – it disrupts the cuticle and encourages frizz.
Other options for increasing your chance of lovely silky smooth frizz free hair is to have an in salon treatment and learn how to actually blow dry your hair properly (this is a genius skill to have up your sleeve).
“At Love Hair, we offer the Bhave Smoothing Treatment — a natural, keratin-infused service that smooths, strengthens, and defrizzes without harsh chemicals. It’s a total game changer for life in Singapore’s humidity.”
Learn to Perfect Your Style with Love Hair’s Blowdry Masterclass
Want to master your look at home? You can book in for Love Hair’s 1-on-1 Blowdry Styling Masterclass — a hands-on appointment where you’ll learn how to recreate a salon-worthy finish that lasts.
Here is what’s included:
Customized Styling: Choose your focus – smooth & bouncy blowdry, curly hair diffused, or heat-styled waves. Let us know what tools you use at home so we can match you with the right stylist.
Step-by-Step Guidance: From prep and sectioning to styling techniques and finishing touches.
Pro Tips: Learn our favourite techniques tailored to your hair texture and goals.
Hands-On Practice: Style your own hair under expert supervision and leave feeling confident and equipped.
So there we have it. All the low-down on fighting frizz in Singapore. For those of you wanting to know what I use to tame my frizzy mop, here are some links below.
Shampoo and (hair mask used as) Conditioner : I have always relied on Kerastase for these. Not only do I have frizzy hair but I have seriously thick hair so if you are a fine frizzy girl, these might not be great for you. Also, when I was in Switzerland recently I forgot to pack my conditioner so had to go to the local supermarket to get some. And it has been a game changer. Cheap - and because the packaging is all in German - I actually had no idea what I’d bought. Turns out it is for curls - which makes sense because frizzy hair is often inherently a little curly so maybe that’s why it works for me. It’s my new fave. Shampoo. Conditioner. New Fave Cheap Conditioner.
Pre-Blow Dry: 3 pumps of this. Followed by a small squeeze of this. And that’s me done.
Toni Ovenden is the founder of Love Hair, an eco-luxury salon based in Singapore and Hong Kong. With over 20 years of experience, Toni leads a passionate team committed to sustainable beauty and effortless, healthy hair — even in the most humid climates.
Love Hair Salon
10A Jiak Chuan Road
Singapore 089264