While we look forward to all things summer, there’s one thing we never, ever miss: frizz-inducing humidity. There’s not much you can do to fight the elements, but there are plenty of tricks for taming frizzy hair once and for all.

We rounded up 7 of our fave frizzy hair hacks for getting your hair to behave – even when the temperatures outside start rising:

1. Space Out Your Shampoos

Frizz can happen to anyone – especially if you have dry or damaged hair.

“When hair is damaged or dry, the outer layer of hair (the cuticle) lifts, which allows moisture to pass through and swell your hair strands,” explains Lindsey Metrus, BuzzFeed’s style reporter.

If you’re dealing with hair that’s extra-sensitive to moisture, do your best to space out your shampoo sessions. About every two to three days works best, says Elisa Hills, co-creator of BLNDN, a hair care line for blondes.

“Any more, and you risk stripping your hair of its natural, protective oils that keep it shiny and healthy,” Hills told Greatist.

With more natural oils on your scalp, your hair should have an easier time retaining moisture and strength – especially when that dreaded humidity hits.

And, if you haven’t already, consider switching to a sulfate-free shampoo for added frizz-protection. Sulfates are the chemicals that help give your drugstore shampoo all those extra bubbles – but they also strip away moisture.

When it comes to fighting frizz, you want to leave your hair with its natural defense system. Kick sulfates to the curb and strategize your shampoo sesh for a healthier head of hair.

2. Co-Wash with Conditioner

Girls rocking natural or curly hair know how hard it can be to lock moisture into thirsty strands.

Since curly hair can prevent the scalp’s natural oils from penetrating the entirety of the hair shaft, women with these hair types often suffer from dry, brittle, or broken cuticles. That’s a ripe environment for frizz.

If this sounds familiar, try co-washing your hair with conditioner once or twice a week to give your hair the moisture it needs to be happy.

Thankfully, according to Vogue’s Mackenzie Wagoner, there are a whole lot more options for women who need extra moisture to fight that frizz halo.

It’s a great formula: co-washing + more moisture = frizz-free.

3. Multi-Task with a Mask

Even if your hair’s not excessively dry, you can still suffer from an occasional visit from the Frizz Fairy.

To cut down on general frizziness, try using a hair mask or hair oil treatment once a week, says beauty editor Carly Cardellino.

“Doing a special treatment at least once a week, especially in colder months when the air is dry, will help fill any holes in your hair shaft that soak up outside moisture and contribute to frizz,” Cardellino writes at Cosmopolitan.

Bonus? Your hair will be red carpet-level soft and shiny for days and days.

4. Better Blow Dry

Whether you head out the door with a wet head, or spend hours in front of the mirror with a blow dryer, it’s time to rethink your routine.

Everything you do once you step out of the shower can impact how much frizz you’ll have to contend with during the rest of the day, from towel-drying to heat tools.

“Using a bath towel is considered the standard way to dry off the hair after washing, but if done incorrectly, it’s basically the fastest route to breakage and frizz,” explains Rachel Krause at StyleCaster.

Instead, twist hair to squeeze out moisture while you’re still in the shower, then do the same – gently! – with your towel. Anything more intense might damage your hair.

While it feels like letting your hair air dry can save a few extra steps, without a little bit of heat you could be adding to your frizz problem.

According to a recent study reported in Prevention, “While the heat of a dryer can cause more damage than not using one, using a hair-dryer at the right distance and temperature can actually cause less damage than letting hair air-dry.”

Huh?

Apparently all that left-over moisture from your shower can, over time, force your hair’s cuticle to expand – and become more prone to breakage. So while air drying is good for your hair, letting your hair air dry completely is bad.

Once your hair is almost finished air drying, blast it with a little bit of heat. Remember to push the “cool air” button on your hair dryer to avoid frying your strands.

And ladies with curls? If you’re not already using a diffuser to help you tame your mane, it’s time to get on that:

“A diffuser is a blow dryer attachment that minimizes a lot of the frizz that comes when curly hair is naturally air dried,” hairstylist Britt White explained to Good Housekeeping.

“It also gives a boost to the curls that may lay flat because of your hair’s weight and length,” she added.

There you have it: the perfect way to blow dry curls into submission while eliminating frizz.

 

5. Dial Back Your Heated Tools

By now you know that excessive heat, especially from styling tools like straighteners, flat irons, and blow dryers, can cause major damage.

But did you know what actually happens to your hair?

“Hot tools such as hair dryers and curling irons fry off your hair’s cuticles, the first line of defense against dryness, leaving the cortex exposed,” explains Jill Percia at Women’s Health.

“The parched cortex is left no choice but to soak up moisture from the air to compensate, causing frizz.”

If you want to curl or straighten your hair, just be sure to turn down the heat and use a heat protectant that can protect your hair up to 450 degrees.

“The flat iron is most dangerous of all the hot tools in my opinion,” Brennan told Refinery29. “It should always be used on low heat and with little pressure.”

6. Style Smarter

Sometimes you can do everything right, and you’re still fighting frizz when you check your hair in the bathroom mirror.

A restorative hair serum can help fight frizz – and will also offer added protective benefits for your tresses.

“This product will also help keep out unwanted moisture that can cause hair strands to swell,” she adds.

On the go? Keep an old mascara wand and a travel-size hairspray in your bag to smooth down fly-aways, suggests Lindsey Metrus at BuzzFeed.

It’s the perfect solution to calm those “frizzy areas” around your ponytail “or those annoying baby hairs around your crown,” Metrus writes.

Travel-size frizz protection? Yes, please.

7. Wrap It Up

Chances are you’re sleeping on cotton-blend sheets. (Hey, we’re not judging.)

But you should know that cotton can wreak havoc on dry hair – making it even drier and more prone to frizz.

“To keep your cotton pillowcase from sucking up all the moisture in your hair, wrap it up at night in a bun, and then tie on a silk scarf, which will retain moisture,” stylist Ursula Stephen suggested at Cosmopolitan.

Alternatively, you can beauty sleep your frizz away with a silk pillowcase or silk bonnet.

There’s no use fighting the weather, but you can act now to tame frizzy hair into submission. From co-washing to better styling products, embracing a no-frizz beauty routine will help you get sleeker, shinier hair – once and for all.