If your hair is prone to frizz, you’ll know well that it’s not just only rain that can be the enemy of freshly styled strands. Any moisture in the air can wreak havoc. Thankfully, the best hair products for humidity can act as a liquid umbrella, working to shield hair from moisture in the air and preserve the shape and finish of your style.
From a hair perspective, you may find life feels like a constant battle to prevent humidity undoing the hard work of your best hair dryer and best straighteners. Think forecasts of mist, the thick air of a gym changing room, steam rooms, foggy post-shower bathrooms... need we go on? It’s not all doom, gloom and inevitable fluffiness, though, as there are ways to stop hair from reverting to its original state. “A barrier needs to be created for hair to stop being attacked by humidity,” says hairdresser Michael Douglas, founder of mdlondon. “This is easily [achieved with] styling products that repel moisture and keep it out."
For long-lasting results, you’ll need to go beyond one hero product, starting with your best shampoo and conditioner through to styling products. But to get you started – and after much testing – here our thick, curly and frizz-prone-haired contributing beauty editor has shared her reviews of the nine best anti-humidity hair products on the market to suit various hair types.
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The best hair products for humidity, reviewed by our beauty editor
RRP: £45 for 200ml | Key features: Light hold and added texture
My issue with Oribe is that its products aren’t cheap – and every time I try one I love it so much that I don’t want to use anything else. Is it reasonable to say you can’t make your friend's birthday meal because you want to save money for a hair product? I’d be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind.
What’s great about the formula is that you can add it to your regime easily as an afterthought. Simply spritz some of the (very expensive-smelling) mist over your finished style and it will ensure that no pesky humidity ruins it as you go about your day. I road-tested it both in humid Miami and a very damp springtime week in London, so it’s fair to say it goes the distance in different climates.
Pros: Smells incredible, feels luxe, adds shine, reduces frizz
Cons: High price point
RRP: £27 for 200ml | Key features: Heat protection, lasts through multiple washes
My hair is as inconsistent as a flaky friend, going from sleek to frizzy if I so much as look at a drop of rain. I have tried many products to keep my frizzy hair smooth over the years, but Color Wow's Dream Coat is the one I return to time and time again. I spray it onto damp hair in sections before blow-drying and it's instantly smoother and shinier.
It also shows up when it counts and holds my hairstyle in place when I’m out and about without fluffy bits developing around my hairline. The only downside is it's quite weighty – some finer-haired members of our beauty team have found it sits too heavily in their hair, so if your strands are similar it may overwhelm them. That said, contributing beauty editor Lucy Abbersteen has fine-to-medium hair and can really layer it without any heaviness. The thing I like most about it is that you only need to use it every three washes, so one bottle lasts for ages (curly and extra strength formulations are also available). Frizz-free and economical, what’s not to love?
Pros: Lasts ages, smooths well
Cons: May be heavy on fine hair
RRP: £44 for 150ml | Key features: Heat protection, lasts for 72 hours, heat activated
The USP of Virtue's haircare line is its alpha keratin 60Ku® complex. Keratin is the protein that makes up most of our hair and this clever ingredient binds to damaged areas to help restore them to their former glory. Frizz Block Smoothing Spray also contains a special humidity blocker to take frizz off your list of worries – and it doubles as a heat protection spray.
It smells lovely and is lightweight enough that it doesn’t sit heavily on the hair (which will appeal to those with finer strands) but it still has enough "oomph" to work on thick hair like mine. However, as it's heat-activated, it only works when blow-drying or straightening your hair. If you don’t, you won’t get the results and it’s likely to leave your hair feeling tacky.
Pros: Heat protection, boosts shine
Cons: Heat activated; won't work without styling
RRP: £31 for 45ml | Key features: Heat protection, smooths with just one use, 96 hour frizz control
Living Proof makes some of the best haircare and styling products on the market. This little bottle of Living Proof Smooth Styling Serum is designed to create a smooth and soft finish in thick and/or coarse hair, specifically.
The product instructions recommend starting with two pumps, which felt quite vague, but I assumed meant you should then add more from there, depending on the length and thickness of your hair. Mine is shoulder-length and this amount was to be spot on; my hair didn’t feel weighed down and I couldn’t see any product in it, so I think I could even apply more if I felt my hair needed. It made blow-drying a faster and generally less painful process for me (my hair smoothed with minimal persuasion) and the results stayed polished until my next wash.
Pros: Speeds up drying time, leaves hair sleek, smells fresh & clean
Cons: Not for all hair types
RRP: £9.99 for 200ml | Key features: Styling polymers, invisible veil finish
I started using this anti-humidity spray years ago in a bid to stop my hair from pinging out of its style (which I’d spent hours wrestling it into) the moment I walked into a warm and busy bar. We've had an on-and-off relationship since then, but whenever I return to it I’m always reminded of its glossy-looking results in my hair.
The frizz protection here isn’t entirely impermeable, but it definitely reduces how much my hair steps out of line. Although the mist is fine, it does have an oily quality that those with thick, curly and dry hair will probably enjoy. If your hair is finer, I’d recommend spraying it from a good distance and using it sparingly to start with – you can always add more later if you think your strands need and can handle it.
Pros: Adds shine, staves off frizz, affordable
Cons: May be too oily for some
RRP: £28 for 150ml | Key features: Adds bounce, shine and definition; UV filters
Curly hair is often more porous than naturally straight hair, which makes it a prime candidate for frizz. Oil can help to seal in moisture, but can also drag and weigh down curls. Lucky for us, this Bumble and bumble buy is blended into a gel, making the formula lighter overall.
It is a bit sticky (which I think is often needed here for hold), but I found a little goes a long way. I smoothed it into damp hair, gave it a little scrunch and left it to dry. Instead of expanding into fluffy territory, my curls stayed completely under control. They felt soft and shiny – more bouncy and less bushy.
Pros: Lovely texture, doesn't weigh down curls, works with air drying
Cons: Takes trial and error to find the best amount to apply
RRP: £19.99 for 180ml | Key features: Heat protection, nourishing, heat activated
Frizz is common in dehydrated hair as the thirsty strands reach out into the atmosphere in search of the moisture they're lacking. It’s no surprise, then, that my hair is at its frizziest when it's a bit frazzled from over-washing and styling. Enter, It’s A 10 Miracle Blow Dry H2O Shield.
A fine-but-mighty mist, this is designed to locks out humidity, which meant I got my hair to look far more convincingly smooth and healthy than it actually is. It does offer extra help on that front, too, with ingredients like panthenol and sunflower seed extract to soften and moisturise hair that’s in need of a break (like mine). Just a few spritzes are enough to make a noticeable difference.
Pros: Nourishes, easy to use, lightweight, suitable for most hair types
Cons: Might not be sufficient for very dry hair
RRP: £28 for 223ml | Key features: Heat protection, nourishing formula
I don’t know about you, but my hair is always at its frizziest on holiday. I think it’s the combination of dehydration from sunshine and warmer weather, salt water and chlorine, mixed with the added humidity in the air that causes it to completely misbehave. If this sounds familiar, this can of joy will more than earn its keep in your suitcase (and haircare regime).
It shields hair from temperatures of up to 230°C (good for styling and sunshine), protects it from UV rays and extends the life of your hairstyle. It may not quite replace the best heat protection sprays, but if you don't want to layer too many products on your hair (or pack them in your case), it's a brilliant all-rounder. I took a gamble on it when I’d run out of hairspray and, to be honest, wasn't expecting much hold-wise. But it held tight to my waves all day and kept frizz at bay, making it a new favourite.
Pros: Holds hair, heat protection, aesthetically pleasing packaging
Cons: None, we love it
RRP: £24 for 147ml | Key features: Smooths and defines; lightweight hole
Trying to cut down on heat styling? Having frizz-prone hair makes this harder as nothing will smooth hair quite as well as tools like the best hair dryer brush or a pair of the best straighteners for thick hair. However, this product can help to bridge the gap.
I tend to leave my hair in its natural state when working from home to give it a bit of a break from styling, so I’ll wash it before I go to bed and leave it to dry overnight. The only problem is that my hair is so thick that it takes around two working days to air dry completely. By morning, the front and ends are dry, but it's still damp through the middle. The good news is that, by the time it had finally dried (around lunchtime), this product had smoothed it so effectively that it stayed perfectly sleek in a ponytail – even after getting caught in the rain. Impressive!
Pros: Smells great, smooths well, easy to use
Cons: Must be used sparingly
How we tested the best hair products for humidity
To make things as difficult as possible for our best hair products for humidity, we tested them during a month seriously wet weather. Our naturally curly-haired beauty editor judged each product based on how well it stopped her hair becoming a big fuzzy ball of frizz after stepping outside on such a damp day. To bring you a round-up reliable enough to consider risking leaving your umbrella at home, we ensured each one of the products included here performed in the following areas.
- Whether or not any frizz developed: It may sound obvious, but if fluffy hairs still made an appearance after applying a product, then it didn’t make the list.
- How detectable/heavy it felt on strands: Often designed with thick hair in mind, some of the best hair products for humidity can be on the heavy side. Ideally, a lack of frizz won’t come at the cost of having your hair slicked against your head.
- How well hairstyles lasted: Few things are more frustrating than creating a bouncy blow dry with your best curling irons, or after mastering how to use the Dyson Airwrap, only for it to fall to nothing when you step out of the house. A good anti-humidity product will stop moisture from getting in and ruining your style.
Our expert panel
Jess Beech is an experienced fashion and beauty editor, with more than eight years experience in the publishing industry. She has written for woman&home, GoodtoKnow, Now, Woman, Woman’s Weekly, Woman’s Own and Chat, and is a former Deputy Fashion & Beauty Editor at Future plc. With very thick and curly hair, she has a lot of experience in testing products that create a lasting smooth finish and stave off humidity.
Michael Douglas is a hairdresser with a career spanning more than three decades, and is the founder of both the mdlondon hair salon and hair tool brand of the same name. He's shared his expert insights into how best to shield hair from humidity and the top products.
Robert Eaton is creative director of Russell Eaton's Leeds & Barnsley salons and president of the Fellowship for British Hairdressing. He's shared some key advice on choosing the best anti-humidity hair products for your hair type.
Why does hair get frizzy when it's humid?
For those wondering why our hair responds to humidity by developing frizz, we put this to an expert, too. “When you style your hair you essentially heat it up and remove all the moisture,” Michael Douglas explains. “Inside the hair strands, there are sulphur bonds. These break down in water and re-form when the water is removed. So, once the hair has dried and been styled (with straighteners, curling tongs or your hair dryer), those bonds reform at that point.
“If any moisture gets into the hair, there is a breakdown of those bonds and the hair starts to go back to its original, un-styled structure,” he continues. “So, if your hair is naturally curly or wavy, this is when it will start to go frizzy. If your hair is naturally very straight, it tends not to make a massive difference."
Robert Eaton, creative director of Russell Eaton's Leeds & Barnsley salons and president of the Fellowship for British Hairdressing, agrees that curly hair types tend to be more susceptible to the effects of humidity, adding they often have more sensitivity and can be more porous. “Hair that is heavily damaged – where the cuticle scales are already quite worn and torn in areas – is also prone to being dry and frizzy," he adds.
How to choose the best hair products for humidity
Torn between a few of the best hair products for humidity, or can't land on one that sounds like it's your perfect fit? The following factors will help you to decide which one(s) are right for your hair and lifestyle.
- Your hair type and length: Robert notes that knowing your hair's texture and working on its condition with a consistent regime are also key to eliminating frizz and flyaways. “If you’ve got naturally frizzy or porous hair, or naturally wavy hair that [you find] quite difficult to control, my advice is to invest in a smoothing cream, which is best applied to your hair before you blow dry,” advises Robert. “The weight in the cream helps to control flyaway hairs. Then I would always perfect afterwards with a lightweight oil to lock in shine and moisture.”
- Price: Is your hair occasionally frizzy, but not really often enough that it bothers you? Start with a cheaper hair product for humidity – maybe something travel-sized you can take on humid holidays. You can always upgrade to a pricier product or bigger size if your hair becomes frizzier over time.
- Your current routine: Forget to apply products before blow drying, or simply prefer to let your hair air dry over using a hair dryer? A heat-activated humidity shielding spray will probably just gather dust in your drawer. In other words, choose a product you’re likely to use as part of your usual styling routine – and that fits into it easily.
- Streamlining where possible: If you don’t want to apply a cocktail of hair products, try to find a humidity solution that does more than simply repel water – it could have added heat protection or nourish the hair, too.
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