The 4th of July in Houston means many things: friends and family, fireworks, footlongs… and unfortunately for many, frizz.

When hair is dry or damaged, your hair’s cuticle (which is the outer layer of each strand) lifts up, allowing moisture from the humid Houston air to pass through and swell up each strand of hair. If you have healthier, well-conditioned hair, your strands stay smooth because the cuticle lies flat. But if you have dry hair, and moisture from the air gets in under the cuticle, you’ll have frizzy, unruly fly-aways. And running a brush through it (especially if your hair is naturally curly) will make the frizz even worse.

Thankfully, there are several ways to combat frizz. Here are eight tips to keep hair frizz-free.

1. Condition your hair. You need to put moisture in your mane. A protein-infused conditioner will both manage frizz and create shine, and natural oils absorb easily into your hair, so try one of those over a synthetic silicon moisturizer, which lies on top of your hair and can actually make it appear dirty. Also try a deep conditioner to seal your hair’s cuticle to prevent humidity from getting in.
2. Wash your hair less often. Let your natural oils do their thing. If you have naturally oily hair, use a dry shampoo in between washes. Or consider only using conditioner — and skipping shampoo — twice a week to further avoid stripping your hair of natural oils.
3. Avoid products with sulfates and alcohol. Sulfates dehydrate your hair, and alcohol swells the hair cuticle. Instead, look for a shampoo with glycerin, which coats your hair with moisture from the inside out. Remember to read labels; the higher glycerin is in the ingredients list, the more concentrated it is. Also, consider switching to salon-quality shampoos, conditioners and other hair products, which don’t contain as many harsh ingredients.
4. Don’t rub your hair dry. Aggressively rubbing your hair with a towel causes unnecessary friction and can damage your hair. Instead, gently squeeze out the water, use a soft towel (or a cotton t-shirt) and let your hair air dry.
5. Try a bun. De-frizz wavy hair after its dry by pulling it in a bun or defining waves with a curling iron.
6. Avoid over-processing. Relaxers and straighteners can make hair brittle, which leads to breakage. And high heat settings cause your hair cuticles to swell, so go easy on styling tools. Let your hair dry 90 percent of the way before you blow-dry, and then use a round brush and focus the heat only on your roots. Use a heat-protecting product, lower the temperature of your tools and consider air drying your hair or use a diffuser.
7. Don’t brush or touch dry hair. Brushing disrupts your hair’s cuticle and can cause breakage. If you need to fix your hair, you can finger-comb through your hair with wet fingers to tame tangles.
8. Talk to your stylist. Your stylist has a lot more tricks and tips that will help keep you frizz-free, morning through night.