7 Easy Ways to Scrunch Out the Crunch Without Frizz

Yes, I am a curly girl.

And I learned the term “scrunch out the crunch” back when I became familiar with the curly girl method.

Being a curly girl means I have taken a long time to perfect my curl routine. Because it’s not easy.

Sometimes the weather leaves my curls dry and I have to use a lot of moisturizing products so that my curls don’t get dry and frizzy.

And if you use too much gel, again – it could lead to a hard cast where your curls look scrunchy and almost wet – even though it’s actually dry and crunchy.

There is a balance that needs to be maintained.

And there are a few ways you can actually end up with soft, bouncy curls that are frizz-free – you just have to make sure that you are doing everything right before you scrunch out the crunch.

And there is obviously a technique to scrunch out the crunch without frizz – which I will be revealing in this post.

So, stick to the end, because I’m going to lay down everything I do to get soft, bouncy curls with no frizz!

Let’s get to it!

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1. Detangle your hair

You cannot and should never style your hair when it’s got tangles.

I learned this the hard way.

Even if it doesn’t look bad while it’s wet, when it dries, the tangles are going to look frizzy and even matted.

So, you actually have to make sure your hair is free of knots before you start.

The best way to do this is:

Wet your hair – it can be a wash day where you shampoo and condition or you can just be reviving your curls and using a spritz bottle to spray your hair – either way, make sure your hair is wet.
You can use a leave-in conditioner and gently detangle with your fingers or a detangling brush like this one (it’s really good). Do not pull – even if the tangles are bad. Take your time and be patient with your hair while you detangle it.
Work from the ends to the roots – Always, always start at the ends of the hair. Then work your way up. This will make the process so much easier.

A few measures to make sure your hair is always tangle-free are:

Detangle on your wash days (every 2-3 days)
Always keep your hair moisturized. I only shampoo once every 5 days, but every 2-3 days, I wet my hair thoroughly and go in with my Cantu Cream. I explain how I style my hair in this post.
Revive your curls on the second and third days so that your hair is always styled and never given a chance for the tangles to get really bad.
Trim your hair every 8 weeks. If you find that your ends are dry and not becoming moisturized with hair cream, chances are you have split ends. Split ends do not grow. They also rise up and damage the rest of the hair – that’s why it’s so important to trim every 2-3 months.

Frizz and tangles can lead to dry ends, knots, and breakage.

If you detangle your hair, you are ensuring that your hair health is at its peak. And honestly, this was one of the main reasons why my curls looked so frizzy.

Moisturizing your hair with a curl cream 2-3 times a week is what is going to keep your curls very moisturized, sleek, and soft.

2. Use cold water to rinse

Always, always use cold water to rinse your hair.

I love hot water but it’s not good for hair.

So, even if you’re bathing in hot water, do the final rinse with cold water or at least cool water.

This will make sure that the cuticles aren’t raised and the moisture from your hair doesn’t leave too quickly – it will help your hair become more moisturized and decrease the intensity of the frizz.

Remember, rinsing with cold water is going to seal in all the moisture.

3. Apply your curly hair cream to damp hair

A lot of people have different views.

And if you like applying your products to soaking-wet hair, that’s fine.

But I like applying my products to damp hair that’s not entirely wet.

I make sure to use my hair spray bottle and I keep misting my hair throughout the process.

I also mix my hair cream with a little water and create a nice emulsion because that makes it easy for my hair to soak it all up.

And be sure to work in sections.

You can do what I do and divide your hair into 4 quadrants and apply the cream or gel or both to each section.

I use the preying hand’s motion for this.

4. Apply the gel to wet hair

Now, if you’re skipping the curly hair cream, apply the gel to soaking wet hair.

If you are applying the gel to hair that has curly hair cream, then wet your hair with a spray bottle and then go in with gel.

Now you can use the preying motion, or you can scrunch up your hair while the gel is in your palm – both methods work.

Do what suits you best.

5. Use the right products for your hair

If your hair is very fine, then watch how your hair is reacting to the curly hair cream.

For instance, if the cream is weighing down your hair, then you are either applying too much curly hair cream or you’re applying the wrong kind.

If your hair is fine don’t use creams with shea butter or oil in them.

Use lightweight products.

The same goes for gel.

If your hair is very fine, you don’t need a strong-form gel. You can make do with a light hair gel.

Here are curly hair creams I love and have actually used:

Hair gels I recommend:

Miss Jessie’s Soft Curls (perfect if you want soft bouncy curls)
Garnier Fructis Style Curl Shape Defining Spray Gel (surprisingly good)

I used to be a huge fan of Devacurl but I don’t use it because one of the batches I used in 2018 caused hair loss and there was a huge controversy online that caused a lot of girls issues – so I stopped using Devacurl after that.

Please let me know if you find a good curly hair gel you love, so I can add it to this post.

6. Don’t touch your hair while it’s drying

Now, you can use a diffuser to dry your hair. Or you can let it air dry.

I prefer letting it airdry because I’m never in a rush and I live in a city where hair dries super fast!

So, until your hair dries, do not touch your curls.

It will disrupt the curl pattern!

Let the curls take shape and let the gel form a cast – this is going to let your hair set without causing frizz.

The more you touch your hair while it’s drying, the more frizz it’s going to have!

This if what your hair will look like after it dries, so until it’s reached this stage – do not touch your hair or try scrunching out the crunch.

7. Use a light-weight oil when scrunching out the crunch

This is my magic, all-time holy-grail method for getting those bouncy curls without frizz!

Never scrunch out the crunch with your bare hands.

Once your curls have fully dried and you have a nice gel cast on your curls, take a little oil in your hands and rub them together so that the oil becomes warm and then gently scrunch out the cast.

The oil is going to seal in the moisture and gently break the cast while adding shine to your hair.

Do not use heavy-weight oil.

Use a nice lightweight oil.

You can go in with jojoba oil or you can use Argan oil as I do.

And trust me, this is going to make your curls so soft and shiny!

Bonus: Use an old teeshirt to scrunch out the cast

After applying the oil to your hair, you can also scrunch out the cast with an old, cotton teeshirt.

I don’t like microfiber towels, I actually prefer using old teeshirts even though they’re not fancy because my hair looks great with them!!!

Be very gentle.

When you use a microfiber towel or teeshirt, you aren’t going to dry out your hair and the fibers are going to be very gentle to your hair and not cause frizz!

Don’t rub or pull, be very gentle and patient.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Please note that if you’re doing all of this but still having frizz, it might mean that your hair health might need some additional tender loving care.

And that’s okay.

I’ve experimented so much with my hair, by using heat tools and color in the past so my hair was damaged for a while and it took some time to recover.

By using the right techniques I’ve mentioned and finding your jam, you’re going to eventually discover your curl pattern without sacrificing your hair’s health.

Remember to keep adding moisture to your hair and if you find a product that works for you – stick to it!

I’ve been using Cantu and Shea Moisture for years because my hair loves it.

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