Compare our top picks
Honorable mentions
Photo: Kat Merck
Sutra Heat Guard Blowout Cream for $24: I love the Sutra IR2 straightener, so I had high hopes. This thick, almost fragrance-free cream is meant to protect up to 450°F and reduce drying time, but my hair felt dry after use.
Function Beauty Smooth With It Blowout Mist for $13: This Target-exclusive spray is infused with Argan Oil and Tsubaki Oil (from the camellia fruit), a popular ingredient in many K-beauty products. It’s a spray, but I was surprised to find that it comes out with an opaque, cream-like consistency rather than a liquid, which means it comes out a bit heavy. However, sometimes my curly hair needs something heavy, and this definitely worked for me, it visibly reduced the frizz after blow-drying, and my hair felt so soft.
Remilia Rice & Shine Leave-in Conditioner, $24: This is a moisturizing and heat protective spray with a cool, cork-covered bottle and a harmless scent. However, it didn’t do much for frizzy hair in my tests.
Marc Anthony Grow Long Anti-Frizz Shield Ultimate Blowout for $10: This anti-frizz spray is a great value, but it didn’t work for 3a curls, and it’s outperformed by Beauty’s Smooth With It (above) in this price category.
Raw Sugar Multi Miracle Leave-In Conditioner is $10: I really liked the woodsy finish and spray nozzle on the bottle of this heat protectant conditioner, but it didn’t perform well on frizzy hair in my tests.
Biolage Thermal Setting Spray for $24: I like the Biolage brand, and the fact that it can be used on wet or dry hair (although they don’t specify temperature limits). However, whether I used it wet or dry, I found that it left parts of my hair feeling stiff. However, some online reviewers found that they absolutely loved it for their curls.
Courtesy of Amy Jay
Amy J Heavenly Hair Milk for $40: This isn’t quite a spray, but it’s lightweight enough, and comes in a cool bottle with a pump that twists down to become a flow cap. It’s a combination of heat protection and detangling, and is an excellent anti-frizz product in its own right (it supposedly reduces drying time too, but this benefit wasn’t noticeable in my testing). This was at one time my first choice for best scent, but someone online said it smelled like clay, and I could never unsmell it.
Moroccanoil Perfect Heat Protection for $15 (2 oz): All Moroccan Oil products come infused with Argan Oil, and this spray that protects up to 450°F is no exception. It can be used on wet or dry hair, and is very lightweight – I thought it worked like a lightweight hairspray, for better or worse. I didn’t like the smell or the super soft alcohol spray – in fact, I was worried it might dry out my hair, but it didn’t.
Milk_Shake Lifestyling Amazing Anti-Humidity Spray for $28 and Smoothing Cream, $24: I like Milk_Shake as a brand, and these products were quite good, but they didn’t stand out enough to qualify as top picks.
Verb Frizz Defense Smoothing Spray for $22: I’ve heard great things about this frizz-fighting spray, and it’s really lightweight, non-drying, and doesn’t leave any heavy residue. It would be a great choice if you have straight or wavy hair, but there are more effective options for cutting type 3 and 4 frizz if you’re trying to get wavy hair.
Reverie Milk Nourishing Anti-Frizz Treatment for $44: I loved this cream’s spicy, botanical scent, its sleek glass bottle, and the fact that it protects up to 450°F (according to Reverie, it doesn’t say so on the bottle). It worked well! There are a lot of better options at half the price. (Note: This is reviews editor Adrienne So’s current favorite heat protection product for thick, wavy 2a hair. She mainly likes the ease of application and frizz prevention, but admits it’s expensive.)
Others we tried
Photo: Kat Merck
Hairstory Primer Smoothing & Protecting Mist for $36: This leave-in spray protects up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and is designed to work for everyone New Hairstory Wash ($64)which includes a detergent-free “cleansing cream.” I tried it and it reminded me of everything “No poo” A movement of the early 2000s, where practitioners eschewed modern shampoos for more natural options like baking soda. This method isn’t for everyone, but if you try it, I don’t think the mist adds enough to justify the cost.
IGK Good Behavior Spirulina Protein Smoothing Spray, $38: I felt like this aerosol dried out my hair a bit, and has the same unpleasant smell as the 4-in-1 (above). I didn’t care for it in a liquid mist, but it was overwhelming as an aerosol cloud.
Photo: Kat Merck
R+Co Bleu Hypersonic Heat Design Mist for $36: This high-tech aerosol housed in a recycled aluminum bottle was a favorite during the first weeks of testing, and I loved its 450°F protection and crease-resistant properties. However, it uses a polymer and resin complex to soften the hair, and over time I noticed that it left a sticky residue on my hands and heat tools.
Cloud 9 Miracle Repair 3-in-1 Moisturizing Spray for $26 and Cloud 9 Blowout Blow Dry Serum for $23: People rave about Cloud 9 online, and I really like the vibrating hair straightener from parent brand Beautopia, but none of these products did much to reduce frizz during my tests.
Mane Cotton Candy Dry Texture and Volume Spray for $26: Protection up to 380°F This model is supposed to add volume, and I had high hopes given my positive experience with this brand’s Temp Check heat protector (above). However, it had the opposite effect on my mid-back hair.
Briogeo Goodbye Frizz Heat Protection Cream, $26: I have thick, unruly hair, and I felt that this protective cream made my hair unmanageable and difficult to style. This may indicate its effectiveness, but I felt like I had to do too many passes with the titanium flat iron at maximum temperature.
Photo: Kat Merck
Pureology Instant Lift Spray for $32: Pureology is known for its formulas specifically designed for color-treated hair, so I was hoping this would be a great solution for those who don’t want to risk damaging expensive strands or balayage. However, it seemed to leave a dull residue, and neither I nor my short-haired tester found the hair volumizing feature to be very effective.
R+Co Chainmail Thermal Protection Spray for $36: I appreciated this mist for its ability to add a lot of visual shine, but the aerosol nozzle wasn’t as targeted as I would have liked, creating a fine mist so widespread that it was almost impossible not to inhale it. I also found the cologne-like smell overwhelming.
Milk_Shake Lifestyling Thermo-Protector for $40: I usually love Milk_Shake products, but this aerosol spray seemed to dry out my hair and add to the frizz in my hair which was already difficult to deal with after blow-drying. It also didn’t add a noticeable amount of shine as promised.
FoxyBae Cool AF Heat Protectant + Biotin for $16: I love the fun design of this pump spray bottle, plus it can be used on wet or dry hair. However, it did not seem as effective as other brands and was greasy when used on dry hair.
Chi 44 Iron Guard for $19: This powerful drugstore product works well for heat protection while also taming frizz, and the new Botanical Bliss scent is an improvement on the original formula. However, it left a sticky residue on my hands and heating tools.
Neqi Diamond Glass Styling Spray, $12: I love Nikki hair perfume spraySo I had high hopes for the heat protectant, but it didn’t do much to reduce frizz.
Frequently asked questions
How do heat protectants work?
Ingredients vary, but most heat protectants work in much the same way: by spreading ingredients like copolymers or silicones that coat the hair shaft to slow heat conduction (but not stop it completely). Many heat protectants also include humectants to help seal and smooth the cuticle to reduce frizz. Since heat protectants can only slow heat damage, not stop it completely, it’s still important to use the lowest heat settings possible for your hair for the least amount of time.
I wash my own 3a curly hair Twice a week, dry it with a dryer, then use a hair straightener. I touch up my hair with a straightener daily. I tested the heat protectants mentioned in this guide during my normal daily life over a period of four months. I used each product either on damp hair before blow-drying or on dry hair before straightening – whichever is indicated in the instructions. If the product can be used on both wet and dry hair, I’ve tried it both ways.
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