Frizz gets a bad rap, especially in the curly–coily hair world. Whether your unique texture has been compared to unrealistic beauty standards, or you’ve felt pressure to fit in with damaging chemical straighteners—frizz makes us feel some type of way. 

Contrary to popular belief, frizz is not always a bad thing—it might even be by design. 

not all frizz is created equal

Humidity isn’t the only thing to blame for frizz (looking at you, Florida). It can come from your natural hair texture or shape, or environmental factors that are worsened by damage. Here’s what we mean…

Frizz from your natural texture and shape happens when strands aren’t in formation with the rest of your curls and coils. They break free from the crowd and stand on their own, creating a soft halo around your crown—a one-of-a-kind accessory. Sometimes I create it on purpose, using a hair pick to shape hair to new heights. Embracing these voluminous, less-defined locks are one of our many modes of curly–coily expression.

Then there’s not-so-intentional frizz. What I like to call “wet frizz” in humid environments. Our hair picks up water molecules in the environment, which causes different points along our hair fibers to swell unevenly. This changes the shape of hair, straying away from the patterns you’re used to.

So avoid humid environments and you’re good…right? Well, frizz can happen in dry environments too, from charge buildup. You see, hair naturally carries a negative charge. In cold, dry climates, like charges repel and push your strands away from each other. This is what we call “dry frizz” or staticky flyaways.