Best heat protection spray for hair before straightening

Over time, hair becomes more susceptible to heat damage as it becomes drier and more fragile with age. Fortunately, you don’t need to give up your beloved blowouts or sleek, straight looks. The best heat protectants are designed to shield your strands from the potentially damaging effects of hair straighteners, blow dryers or curling irons and keep it healthy-looking, even if you regularly use a hot tool. By coating hair with a protective barrier before applying heat, you can prevent visible dryness and frizz, allowing your locks to look their best. Formulated as sprays, serums and oils, these products can also help detangle hair and decrease blow dry time.

By coating hair with a protective barrier, heat protectant sprays help prevent prevent visible ... [+] dryness or frizz while using hot tools.

We spoke to industry experts like hair and makeup artist Wout Philippo and hairstylist Devin Graciano about finding the right heat protectant product for every hair type. Below, find the best heat protectants to keep your look in mint condition.

• Best Heat Protectant Overall: Oway Thermal Stress Protector
• Best Heat Protectant For Fine Hair: Leonor Greyl Condition Naturelle Heat Protective Styling Spray
• Best Heat Protectant For Blowouts: Kristen Ess Blow Dry Mist
• Best Heat Protectant For Dry Hair: Balmain Hair Couture Thermal Protection Spray
• Best Heat Protectant For Curly Hair: Mixed Chicks Straightening Serum
• Best Heat Protectant For Colored Hair: Ouai Heat Protection Spray
• Best Heat Protectant For Natural Hair: Gisou Honey Infused Leave-In Conditioner
• Best Drugstore Heat Protectant: IGK Good Behavior Blowout Balm

Best Heat Protectant Overall

A Plant-Based Spray That Strengthens And Protects

Amazon

Oway Thermal Stress Protector

This brand is beloved by salons everywhere, and many stylists claim this as the very best heat protectant they’ve used. The company’s ethos is all about what’s good for you and the planet. The hair mist is formulated with clean, farm-sourced ingredients like organic black quinoa to strengthen and protect strands from temperatures of up to 437 degrees.

Best Heat Protectant For Fine Hair

A Blowout Booster From A Cult Favorite French Brand

MOST POPULAR

Leonor Greyl

Leonor Greyl Condition Naturelle Heat Protective Styling Spray

Those with thin hair are often wary of adding any product at all, as so many can weigh hair down. This lightweight leave-in conditioner is ideal for fine strands because it adds volume and shine while keeping hair bouncy and soft. It also helps prevent snags during brushing so that unnecessary shedding (and flyaways) don’t occur.

Best Heat Protectants For Blowouts

A Protective Mist That Helps You Kiss Split Ends Good-Bye

Kristen Ess

Kristen Ess Blow Dry Mist

A blowout can do a number on your hair, thanks to the combo of heat being applied close to your strands while a hairbrush is simultaneously tugging on the roots. This mist is ultra lightweight, and helps to smooth split ends using a proprietary strengthening complex. At the same time it targets weak areas of the hair, smoothing the appearance of damaged cuticles and helping to protect from environmental stressors.

Best Heat Protectant For Dry Hair

A Restorative Spray To Keep Hair Strong And In Tip-Top Shape

Balmain

Balmain Hair Couture Thermal Protection Spray

This pro vitamin B5 and silk protein enriched formula is an excellent match for parched hair. Together the ingredients nourish, strengthen and repair brittle strands. And its anti-tangle and softening effects allow heat stylers to glide through without adding further damage. (Fun fact: Every styling product from this line has heat protection in it.) We recommend combing it through damp hair prior to applying heat.

Best Heat Protectant For Curly Hair

A Serum To Help Calm Frizzies When You Want To Smooth Your Waves

Mixed Chicks

Mixed Chicks Straightening Serum

Make no mistake—curly hair is fabulous, period. But sometimes even those with amazingly natural ringlets want a sleek style, which calls for a heat protectant that can seriously tame flyaways (often a downside of having curly hair). This one, which includes chamomile, goldenseal and rosemary extracts, should be applied on wet strands for a smooth, frizz-free styling session.

Best Heat Protectant For Colored Hair

A Floral-Scented Pick That Protects Hair Health

Nordstrom

Ouai Heat Protection Spray

This heat protectant spray is great for color- and keratin-treated hair thanks to thermal polymers, and it feels super luxurious without breaking the bank. The product is scented with Ouai’s signature Rue St. Honoré fragrance, which includes notes of violet, gardenia, ylang-ylang and white musk.

Best Heat Protectant For Natural Hair

A Top Pick For Adding Definition To Natural Hair

Sephora

Gisou Honey Infused Leave-In Conditioner

We love this brand for its signature honey and propolis blend that nourishes natural textures while adding shine. Rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants, sustainably sourced honey repairs and restores while propolis (this one is sourced from the founder’s family bee garden) enhances hair texture and definition. As a bonus, it shields against harmful UV rays.

Best Drugstore Heat Protectant

A Protein-Infused Blowout Balm

ULTA Beauty

IGK Good Behavior Blowout Balm

IGK’s blowout balm has a thick texture upon application but rest assured it will not weigh down locks. The creamy heat-activated formula coats hair and protects it against temperatures of up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. We love the strengthening protein and moisturizing shea butter in this heat protectant. Pro tip: Start with a pea-sized amount on wet air and add more as needed.

What To Consider In The Best Heat Protectant For Your Hair

According to Graciano, the best heat protectants usually include “better-for-you ingredients that may also nourish the hair.” Here’s what to look for in these haircare products that go above and beyond.

Ingredients

When it comes to key ingredients, Philippo is a fan of argan oil. “It protects the outside of the hair but also strengthens and moisturizes it as well,” he says.

Ingredients in heat protectants can come in many forms and have to do with personal lifestyle preference, says Graciano. “However, there is a rule to follow: [Look for] fatty ingredients that are able to shield the hair, like natural oils such as coconut or more of a polymeric compound like dimethicone,” she says.

Formula

Formula typically depends on the desired end result. The sleeker you want your look, the more concentrated the product should be. “Look at the foundation of the product itself. Let’s say you have extremely fine hair and need to work on volume. It’s likely you wouldn’t reach for a cream, so opt for a mist instead,” says Graciano. “This is a general rule that can be broken if there is a mist that is actually heavier than your hair can handle.” Philippo says those with curly hair or dry textures will benefit from something more moisturizing like oil or cream.

Do Heat Protectants Really Work?

The simple answer is yes, heat protectants actually do work in protecting your hair against direct heat damage. “There is that ‘ah-ha moment’ when you realize the amount of heat we are putting on hair is directly influencing it and weakening it,” says Graciano.

And those with processed or dry textures risk damaging their hair cuticles, making it brittle. “A heat protectant protects the hair by enveloping the cuticles in a protective layer, while also reducing water evaporation by sealing in the hair’s natural moisture,” says Philippo.

When Should You Use A Heat Protectant?

Philippo says to use a heat protectant if you use hot tools on your hair often or daily, “and especially if you have sensitive hair that you want to protect.” This will ensure that you are locking in moisture and hydration and not releasing it through steam.

How Do You Use A Heat Protectant?

Start by prepping hair with a hydrating leave-in conditioner and comb through for even distribution. Graciano emphasizes this step: “If you don’t don’t comb through hair first, you might not be ironing out kinks or knots in your hair, which is also not the healthiest of practices.” Then, layer your hair with your heat protectant, starting from the most dehydrated point of the hair (your ends), working upward. As a rule when you are using any product (unless it’s a root volumizer), use a lighter hand as you work towards your scalp. Then, add your heat tool.

Why Is A Heat Protectant Important To Use When Styling?

Are you using a blow dryer set at mid temperature or are you using high heat followed up with an iron? “You may need to prep towel-dried hair with a heat protectant to get you through the drying process and for those irons,” says Graciano. He suggests testing a small amount of hair by pulling an iron through it until you see steam rising, which is moisture leaving your hair. “Now when you apply a heat defender prior to heat tools, you will know that it is the product’s steam and not your essential hydration,” he says.

Which heat protection spray is best before straightening hair?

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Should I use heat protection spray before straightening?

How can I protect my hair from heat damage before straightening?