We’re officially starting a petition to change the name of the Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Frizz- Fighting Hydrating Mask ($44) to Magic Mask, because that’s the only way we can think of to describe the smoothing effect it has on hair. Only there’s no Criss Angel illusionist act involved here, just the combo of vitamin E, mango-seed butter, and castor oil that could turn anyone into a believer.
Ouidad Advanced Climate Control
Frizz-Fighting Hydrating Mask
Best Hair Mask
We’re obsessed with the two-in-one aspect of the Crown Affair The Cleansing Scrub ($54). Not only does it exfoliate away any flakes and dryness on your scalp (thanks to Bolivian pink salt that dissolves fully in water), but it also suds up really nicely to use like a shampoo. It left our scalps feeling super clean but not stripped, and our hair was left silky soft, bouncy, and smelling like a high-end spa.
Crown Affair The Cleansing Scrub
Best Scalp Scrub
Native Coconut Milk & Turmeric
Curl Care Conditioner
Best Conditioner For Curls
Despite the ingredient list that’s jam-packed with superfoods, the Native Coconut Milk & Turmeric Curl Care Conditioner ($13) is not, in fact, a smoothie from Erewhon. It’s even cheaper, too, although we would pay Erewhon prices for the bouncy definition it gives curls and the creamy, cozy scent it leaves behind.
Yes, it made our hair feel soft and hydrated, but let’s be honest, that’s the bare minimum we expect from a conditioner. What really makes the John Frieda Frizz Ease Replenish & Repair Nourishing Conditioner ($9) stand out is the way it seems to undo the visible damage from dyes and heat styling, plus how long the smooth, frizz-free benefits last (thanks to hydrophobic agents that repel humidity until your next wash).
John Frieda Frizz Ease Replenish
& Repair Nourishing Conditioner
Best Conditioner
Unlike most curl shampoos, the Color Wow Curl Wow Hooked 100% Clean Shampoo ($29) contains no conditioners or moisturizing agents. Wait, don’t go — we promise it’s still hydrating. It contains proprietary technology that breaks down large oil particles that penetrate the cuticle where your hair actually needs them. This leaves curls feeling clean and springy, and we even noticed less breakage and shedding after.
Color Wow Curl Wow Hooked
100% Clean Shampoo
Best Shampoo For Curls
Briogeo Scalp Revival MegaStrength+ Dandruff Relief Shampoo
Best Shampoo
We’re all about the skinification of hair care, and we love the extra TLC the Briogeo Scalp Revival MegaStrength+ Dandruff Relief Shampoo ($42) shows the scalp. It suds up nicely and contains exfoliating AHAs and BHAs, plus charcoal, to help slough away dry flakes and residue while staying gentle enough to use every day (or at least twice a week for the full benefits).
One air-dry using the Bouclème Seal + Shield Curl Cream ($38), and the compliments just kept coming. As a result, curls looked more defined, were free of frizz, and felt incredibly soft. The lightweight formula added a ton of moisture and hydration (thanks to cupuaçu butter and marula oil) without weighing hair down, and all the benefits lasted all the way to our next wash day.
Bouclème Seal + Shield Curl Cream
Best Curl Cream
The true test of a winning leave-in conditioner? It’s hydrating enough to make a noticeable difference for our thick-haired testers but not so heavy that it leaves our fine-haired testers looking greasy. The Act+Acre Cold Processed Leave-In Conditioner ($48) passed with flying colors. The combination of squalane and proteins (this stuff is silicone-free, BTW) delivered hydration deep into our hair to help eliminate frizz and disguise damage and dry ends.
Act+Acre Cold Processed
Leave-In Conditioner
Best Leave-In Treatment
Dae Violet Hour Purple Shampoo
Best Color Treatment
Maintaining healthy and bright blond, gray, and lightened brunette hair can sometimes feel like Sophie’s choice: you can either treat it for dryness and breakage or you can tone the color. The Dae Violet Hour Purple Shampoo ($30) tackles it all in one product. It’s deeply hydrating, and the sulfate-free violet formula counteracts any brassiness. For the best results, let the lather sit for at least two minutes before rinsing.
The Squigs Gooseberry Delight Hair Oil ($34) is so much more than a hair oil to work through your towel-dried ends. The amla-based oil (a beauty staple in Indian communities for centuries) is an overnight scalp and hair treatment, a frizz fighter, a flyaway smoother, and a shine enhancer. It’s absolutely ridiculous how silky our hair was after just one use.
Squigs Gooseberry Delight Hair Oil
Best Hair Oil
The Pardon My Fro Edge Boss ($15) could be the secret to finally nailing those slicked-back buns and artsy baby-hair swirls you see all over your feed. The strong-hold edge control glides right over any style and holds on for dear life (we dare humidity to even try) without feeling heavy or sticky. Even better? Hours into our wear test, there was nary a flaky white speck in sight.
Pardon My Fro Edge Boss
Best Edge Control
Olaplex No. 4D Clean Volume
Detox Dry Shampoo
Best Dry Shampoo
The Olaplex No. 4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo ($30) is like a scalp treatment and dry shampoo in one, and all the credit goes to its patented bond-building technology that neutralizes odor and absorbs oil and sweat without clogging your pores or leaving behind powdery white residue.
The Matrix Fixer Hairspray ($22) manages to have everything you appreciate about hairsprays — a flexible hold, the freshly shampooed smell, a touch of bounce — without the things you don’t (that’s you, sticky crunch and flaking).
Matrix Fixer Hairspray
Best Hairspray
We can’t tell what we love more about the Ceremonia Guava Beach Waves Hair Texturizing Spray ($20): the effortless, just-took-a-dip-in-the-ocean look the pink Bolivian salt gave our curls, or the subtle fruity-meets-sweet scent of ripe guava and tonka it left behind.
Ceremonia Guava Beach Waves
Hair Texturizing Spray
Best Wave Spray
Andrew Fitzsimons Après
Sexe Texture Spray
Best Texturizer
The Andrew Fitzsimons Après Sexe Texture Spray ($16) is the next-best thing to having the celebrity stylist do your hair IRL. Instead, it gives you the same naturally tousled, undone look you’ve seen on his clients like Megan Fox and Khloé Kardashian. One spritz all over turns curling-iron waves from sausage to sexy and gives your perky ponytail an elevated edge, all without feeling too gritty or crunchy.
It has more than curb appeal; the Pattern The Blow Dryer ($189) also comes with a star attraction: its attachments. The wide- tooth comb attachment effortlessly glides through curls, coils, and tight textures (it even worked to gently dry the lengths of one tester’s small knotless braids). And the brush attachment dries and stretches coils with ease. Sounds fire, right? Luckily, the nozzle stays cool enough to hold it from there if you want more control.
Pattern The Blow Dryer
Best Blow Dryer
Cordless tools are clutch in theory, but in reality, the battery lives and lackluster heat power of existing options leave much to be desired. Then came the Harry Josh Pro Tools Cordless Ceramic Curling Wand ($325), the first cordless curling wand with a full-size, one-inch ceramic barrel; full power up to 425°F; and a rechargeable, interchangeable battery that actually lasts long enough for multiple style sessions. (It stays hot for up to 40 minutes using even the highest heat setting.)
Harry Josh Pro Tools Cordless
Ceramic Curling Wand
Best Curling Iron
Rahua Heat Protectant Shield
Best Heat Protectant
Rahua’s sustainable practices and philanthropic mission are reason enough to love the brand, but the new Rahua Heat Protectant Shield ($38) is our third-favorite thing. Misted onto dry or damp hair before styling, this heat protectant helped treat frizz, flyaways, and damage during our blow-dry, and we couldn’t get enough of the tropical scent it left behind. Just be sure you’re light-handed. Too much spray can lead to a very slight crunch.
We feel like we’ve figured out a major life hack with The Original Unbraider ($25). This genius design managed to take down four braids at once (it can even tackle up to eight!), and when we paired it with the leave-in spray that’s part of the system, the comb slid right through without any tangles. They really thought of everything.
The Original Unbraider
Best Braid Tool
Silk pillowcases are great, but if you toss and turn in your sleep, you need a frizz-fighting solution that sits a little closer to home. Enter the Grace Eleyae All-Satin Knot Turban ($40). It stayed on comfortably all night and protected our curls in a full-satin bonnet (it feels like silk without the price tag!). We woke up with day-one definition on the second and third days.
Grace Eleyae All-Satin Knot Turban
Best Hair Wrap
Shark FlexStyle Air
Styling & Drying System
Best Blow-Dry Brush
The Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System ($300) is a multiuse tool that converts from a powerful blow dryer to a blow-dry brush and styling wand with just a twist, and it gives us all the bounce and shine you’d dream of with less heat damage and time battling an arsenal of tools.