The 49 Best Hair Care Products of 2026, Tested by 101 Beauty Experts

Air drying your hair can be a bit of a roller coaster ride—sometimes it’s got that off-duty model vibe and other times it just kind of limply hangs there like it gave up midway through the drying process. Jonathan Van Ness’s brilliant Air Dry Cream is how we ensure its more of the former than the latter. It conditions and softens your strands with moringa seed oil as it enhances texture with a botanical blend of chia seed and linseed extracts. Delivering an ultra-light hold that gently coaxes your hair into the best version of your natural texture, this MVP cream also eliminates frizz and keeps it away. “It truly delivers the most beautiful soft hold, keeping my waves structured but never crunchy,” says Marie Claire Beauty Director Hannah Baxter. “It’s been a staple in my hair routine for years.”

We’ve been fans of blow-dry brushes for so long, we’ve almost forgotten what it was like struggling with a round brush in one hand and a blowdryer in the other. These days, there’s a brush for every hair type and length, but the tool that won our hearts did so by being the easiest one to use at home and on-the-go. The Wavytalk Jet Brush has a compact size and auto-sensing dual voltage, which automatically switches to the correct voltage for the country you are in, so there’s worries about overheating or shorting. The two-inch oval barrel works well on short-to-medium hair, effortlessly grabbing your shortest layers and getting close to the root. Its smaller size and light weight means that you don’t have to sacrifice performance for travel-friendly size.

We put a lot of products in our hair to get it to do what we want and, over time, all those conditioners, texturizers, shine serums, and curl controllers can start to build up on the strands. This clarifying shampoo from Biolage not only helps remove all that residue, it gently balances the scalp and your natural oils using exfoliating glycolic acid and a fermented blend of teas. It gets the gunk out and revives your hair from all the excess to rebalance and revive without stripping away essential moisture or dulling your color.

Anyone who has ever colored their hair knows that it’s a love-hate relationship for the ages. We love how great fresh color makes us look and feel, but we hate how quickly the hue fades. Whether you’re a blonde that goes brassy or a redhead that can’t figure out how to keep the shade past your first wash, this leave-in mask from Wella needs to be in your post-color routine. It has glycine (a purifying amino acid) and vitamin B5 to extend your color vitality as it protects against everything that can dull your color: heavy metals, hard water, UV rays, heat damage, and dryness. Hair is shiny, soft, hydrated, and your color remains salon-fresh for up to 10 weeks.

A strengthening hydrator that also keeps your color vibrant? Say less. Schwarzkopf’s Color Protect Conditioner uses bond-building technology to reinforce and rebuild bonds as it seals and protects the hair cuticle. It prevents fading as it repairs damaged bonds, so hair looks and feels softer and maintains that fresh-from-the-salon hue for up to 12 weeks. It’s so good, you might even be able to go an extra week (or two) between your next color appointment. Tell your colorist we’re sorry…

Curly girls know that you can’t just grab any conditioner off the shelves and call it a day. A conditioner is great at providing the moisture that your more porous hair desperately needs, but because your follicles are more open than straight hair, it also means you lose that same moisture faster. Plus, if you heat style, color, or chemically treat your hair, you’ve also got to deal with the damage and breakage that comes along with it, leaving your curls frizzy, dry, and poofy. Olaplex’s hydrating conditioner for curls has patented bond building technology that helps to both strengthen and define curls of all types, from waves to coils, as it delivers a lasting dose of moisture via plant oils that also enhance shine and softness. Curls have more slip and better manageability without the weight.

It feels like there are legit a million curl creams to choose from these days (which we’re not really complaining about, since there was a time not very long ago when our options were extremely limited) and it can be confusing to figure out which one is going to deliver the hydration, hold, and definition your strands desperately need. This cream jelly from TRESemmé does all that and then some, with the added bonus of eliminating frizz and ensuring curls are soft and touchable. It’s two products in one, with the moisture of a cream and the sculpting and shaping of a gel. You get bouncy, shiny, structured curls without the crunch.

Forget the gel, these days we’re all about jelly. Lighter and more fluid than a traditional gel, curl jellies like this one from Bounce Curl deliver a medium hold and more slip, creating definition and softness with lots of shine. Made with strengthening ceramides and a blend of bioactives to lift curls and waves while adding movement, we’re obsessed with the Ceramide Jelly’s ability to reduce frizz and keep our strands from inflating in humidity.

If you’ve experienced the dreaded mid-day curl flop, you are intimately familiar with the power of a good curl refresher. If your hair is more curly or coily, you also know that it’s not easy to find a refresher that will both breathe life back into your spirals without shellacking them into place. It’s a delicate dance of hydrating, defining, detangling, and making it a breeze to restyle. Which is why we love this refreshing curl milk from Being haircare. It does all of the above in a formula light enough that it can be used on the daily. It’s got coconut oil and shea butter—curly hair MVPs—to nourish and soften, smoothing out knots and kinks as it enhances your natural curl pattern in a formula that won’t create annoying build-up on your strands. So you can go longer between wash days, which is always a plus for curly and coily hair.

If you’re going through the trouble of curling your hair, you want to ensure your strands look better than when you started, which means a tool that won’t fry your hair in your quest for curls. This Hot Tools iron has a titanium-coated barrel that heats up in just 30 seconds to minimize frizz. With a heat range up to 430 degrees, it can be used on hair types ranging from fine to coarse and comes in five sizes, so you can customize your curl. “One of the best styling tools in the game,” says Beauty Director Hannah Baxter. “It gives you even heat distribution and consistent curls.”

If there’s anyone’s advice we’d trust for our curls, it’s Shakira. Her spiral mane has been on our mental beauty vision board since she first gyrated into our collective consciousness 20 years ago. It's why her isima hair-care brand was one of our most anticipated brand launches—if it’s got the Shakira seal of approval, it’s bound to be a slam dunk. This detangler is a prime example of what makes the line so fantastic. It not only helps eliminate snarls and knots, it protects against heat styling damage up to 450 degrees, nourishes and softens, and boosts shine without weighing down your spirals. Ceramides help reduce breakage while the line’s proprietary FiberSeal complex helps smooth down and seal the cuticle, smoothing rough texture and creating a glossy effect on the hair. “I LOVE that it can be easily used on dry hair,” says Marie Claire Beauty Writer Ariel Baker. “It was fab for a pre-poo detangle.”

Our love of this unique drying diffuser has been well documented—there’s simply no other hot tool that coaxes curls and waves to be their springiest like the Bellissima Diffon. It has a ceramic heating element infused with argan oil to protect hair and infuse curls with moisture as infrared heat and ionic technology cuts down on drying time for even the thickest curls without frizzing you out. The real star is the shape—it’s a diffuser bowl attached to a dryer in an hourglass design, which allows more airflow for faster drying while making the tool easier to handle than the traditional blow dryer with diffuser attachment. The diffuser itself has 48 air outlets and 12 finger-like prongs to honor your natural curl pattern, be it loose waves or tight coils. Bellissima is an MC favorite because they care about how we care for our curls—the brand just released a new digital model of the Diffon boasting faster drying times and two interchangeable diffusers that looks to be yet another game-changer for how curly girls style their strands.

OUAI didn’t have to go so hard when it created this viral dry shampoo, but we’re awfully glad they did. It does all the things you need a dry shampoo to do—absorb sweat, dirt, and oil—without leaving your strands looking powdery or feeling sticky. And the scent! We have to restrain ourselves from spraying this from head to toe because the rose, bergamot, lychee, white musk, and champagne aroma is that dreamy. Fresh, lifted locks and a scent we can’t stop sniffing—Super Dry Shampoo is the total package.

Baby hairs are one of those little quirks of the body that you don’t really give much thought to until they start becoming a problem. Which is usually when you’re running late for work and attempting (and failing) to slick back your hair into a sleek ponytail. This buildable wax comes in a convenient stick that you can swipe into your hands or directly onto your hair to tame unruly edges. It’s extremely buildable, so you can start small and work your way up to how locked in you need your ‘do to be. “This product is also great for sculptural [styles],” says Ryan Kazmarek, a stylist at IGK Salon in NYC. “Smells fantastic and I even used it on my eyebrows to hold them in place.”

We legitimately don’t know how we straightened our hair before this flat iron hit the scene. It’s a wet-to-dry iron that takes your hair straight from the shower to silky, sleek strands—no blow dryer required. It works on all hair types and textures and includes multiple attachable combs to detangle and prep hair as it dries. The secret to its glassy results is that it not only uses auto-sensing ceramic plates that adjust the heat but also a high-velocity fan that forces air around the plates to work as a mini blow dryer. Clamp the plates together and lock it for a targeted dryer that you can use to rough dry your strands to that 70 percent dry the brand recommends before engaging the plates. Ensure it's in “wet” mode, then run the plates through your hair and let the combo of the direct heat and the forced air create your glossiest, sleekest hair ever.

This styling milk from Davines has been in our hair routines for so long, we don't think our hair knows what to do without it. That’s because it’s truly the GOAT for managing frizz, especially on wavy and curly hair. It’s the perfect blend of smoothing frizz while also maintaining touchable, natural texture. It offers heat protection up to 446 degrees and uses regenerative apple extract to smooth strands, enhance shine, and repel frizz for up to 72 hours. Extra bonus points for the scent, which blends citrus, florals, and musk to create a delicate aroma that you’ll catch subtle whiffs of but not so overpowering that you (and everyone around you) can’t escape it.

At first glance, this tiny dryer from Bio Ionic looks like a very fancy tool you’d find in a hotel bathroom. It’s luxe, but it’s small, and that might have you believe that means it can’t give you the power and versatility you need for your ‘do. That couldn’t be further from the truth—it has all the power of a full-sized dryer in the compact shape of a travel version. That means three speeds, three heat options, cool shot, a digital LED screen, dual-voltage for international travel, a foldable handle, and a concentrator and diffuser attachment. All of that, plus the brand’s signature ion mineral technology to seal the hair cuticle and lock in shine and moisture. “I love how lightweight this dryer is while still providing maximum power,” says New Jersey-based colorist and stylist Jennifer Korab. “The design makes it comfortable to hold. My hair dried quickly while maintaining shine.”

If you’ve been avoiding hair gels because you think it means an express ticket to a shellacked look with a sticky texture, it’s time to reacquaint yourself with the category. This extreme hold gel from Camille Rose is the perfect way to experience just how far gel formulas have come in the last decade. It helps create structure and maximum definition for curls and coils, taming frizz while also bestowing moisture and slip. All of that and somehow it doesn’t feel tacky or crunchy. That’s because it has guava fruit essence to hydrate and smooth, plus kakadu plum extract to give your curls bounce and control frizz.

There’s shine and then there’s whatever Swedish sorcery this spray from Maria Nila is practicing. It’s a heat-activated formula that smooths the hair follicle, adding mega-shine alongside frizz control and shielding hair from humidity as it protects the hair strand for up to 450 degrees. It delivers the kind of glossiness that would make a Disney princess weep, deeply hydrating and adding bounce thanks to amino acids, provitamin B5, sunflower extract, and pomegranate extract. Not to mention that the shine and frizz-free finish will last up to four days after styling, giving you long-lasting protection against the elements actively trying to mess up your mane.

From postpartum to perimenopause to GLP-1s, there are myriad reasons why you might start shedding your strands at an alarming rate. Not only is it scary when it happens, it’s frustrating to try and figure out how to fix it as doctors are still discovering the causes around hair loss in women and what can be done about it. That's why we appreciate Nutrafol’s serum for hair growth—formulated with the help of physicians, they’ve invested in third-party clinical research to ensure that the ingredients chosen and the formula as a whole can measurably help reduce breakage and replenish lost thickness and fullness. The highly absorbable formula has ashwagandha exosomes, Irish moss peptides, and pea spout extract to help replenish lost nutrients at the scalp and minimize breakage as it reduces hair shedding. “As a clinically backed brand, Nutrafol does have a stamp of approval based on available clinical research,” says Bridgette Hill, a trichologist, colorist, and scalp therapist. “The synthetic fragrance free formulation is ideal trichiologically.”

Hair oil is one of those products that sounds good in theory, but oftentimes people wind up abandoning it because they aren’t using the right oil for their hair. While you might think that you need one that feels thick to get the shine and conditioning you’re seeking, you can actually achieve both gloss and hydration and avoid the limp locks and potential grease that comes with those too-heavy formulas. Case in point: Chris McMillan’s signature hair oil—which dispenses via spray, rather than dropper (yes, it’s that light)—has a water-light, buildable texture that can impart instant hydration and shine, taming frizz and delivering heat protection up to 450 degrees. The mix of Japanese tsubaki, blackcurrant, wheat, and moringa oils won’t weigh down even the finest of hair as it absorbs on contact, leaving your hair glassy, soft, and protected against the elements.

One of our favorite things about Beyoncé’s Cécred collection of products is that she’s been known to field test the formulas during her high-energy shows. Her hairspray lived up to our high expectations and then some—anything that can hold up to the Texas heat and the legendary Bey hair fan is definitely a product we want in our routine. The hairspray earns its moniker by creating the type of flexible hold that will lock a style in place without glueing the hair itself down. Instead, your ‘do stays put but your hair still has the natural movement and bounce of, well, hair. It has a complex of shape-forming polymers to maintain your style, plus panthenol to moisturize, desert plant oils to create glossy shine, and plant stem cell lipids and black honey fermentation to protect against heat damage, humidity, and pollution.

You could spend an hour with a curling iron or flat iron, trying to shape your strands into that perfect undone-yet-done beachy wave, or you could make your life easier and get more consistent results with this uniquely shaped hot tool from ELLA BELLA. The triple barrel head makes it a snap to press your hair between the plates and reveal loose, off-duty model waves. It heats up in 90 seconds and has ionic technology to increase shine and ensure a smooth result. It’s a frizz-free, shiny style in just minutes—no tutorials, awkward twisting, or contortion acts needed to get the look. It’s great for beginners, but also good enough to wow the pros: “I was impressed by the consistency of the wave formation from roots to ends,” says Korab.

If you’ve ever been subjected to the childhood torture that is your mother ripping a brush through your snarls, you know how important a good detangler can be. This Korean brush is the kind of tool we wish moms had at their disposals in our formative years. It has both boar bristles (to more evely distribute oils through your hair for increased shine) and nylon bristles (to detangle without the yanking or pulling). It’s gentle enough to use on extensions and delivers a smooth and frizz-free finish with every stroke.

Whether you’re doing daily blowouts or you’re more of a low-maintenance rough-dry kind of girl, a heat protectant is a non-negoitable if you want to keep your hair looking and feeling healthy. Applying heat to your hair without some type of protective product is the hair equivalent of walking outside without putting on sunscreen—you’re going to see the immediate and long-term effects of that damage. We love this versatility mist from Milk_shake because it's lightweight enough that you won’t feel it in your hair but it has powerful protective properties. You can spray it on damp hair before styling, or to dry hair before you apply heat from your flat iron or curling iron. It has the brand’s signature milk proteins to condition and strengthen, plus quinoa to safeguard your color and silk proteins to protect and restore your strands from heat damage. You get shine, hydration, and protection in a weightless spray that makes drying easier and your hair look shiny and soft.

Mara Roszak’s RŌZ line is quite possibly one of our absolute favorite things happening in hair right now. From the must-have for all hair types Milk Hair Serum to our newest obsession for defined curls, the Milk Styling Mousse, it’s the rare case of a line that’s all bangers. Even something as simple as a conditioner is elevated to a next level hydrator when Roszak gets her hands on it. According to the celeb stylist, she created her Foundation Conditioner because she couldn’t find a clean version that created the results she needed and that works for all hair types. With peptides and ceramides, Foundation detangles and hydrates as it minimizes breakage and delivers essential fatty acids and vitamins that restore moisture, de-frizz, and strengthens the hair without leaving behind a heavy feel. “It leaves hair soft [and results are] better when a heat cap is applied,” says celebrity stylist Kiyah Wright.

Curly, coily, and textured tresses will love this nourishing shampoo from Cantu. It’s sulfate-free, providing a gentle cleanse that won’t dehydrate your strands. Instead, it infuses your curls with essential hydration with batanu (a.k.a. palm nut) oil and Jamaican black castor oil. It not only fortifies your mane, but replenishes lost moisture and retains that hydration for up to five days. Wash day is already enough of an ordeal—the longer you can go between washes without sacrificing your style or manageability is a win in our book.

There are very few people on this planet who can achieve super-long hair that is also naturally full, lustrous, and bouncy. Gravity tends to pull your strands down and can make them look more limp and lifeless as you add on inches. Which is why we love hair extensions—you can add length and body to your natural strands with ease. While they’ve been standard operating procedure for celebrities on the red carpet, in the past few years we’ve seen more brands start to offer pro-level extensions that can be attached at home. Our favorite option by a mile is the Halo Pro because it’s both the easiest to apply and blends the most seamlessly with your natural strands. It features what the brand calls RootWholesale Luxury technology, which mimics how hair grows naturally from the scalp. Made of 100 percent Remy human hair, it’s available in 25 shades and four lengths. When we say this is dummy proof application, we mean it: Simply section your hair, place the “halo” wire halfway down the back of the head and adjust to fit. It comes with detachable combs that you can use for additional security and two single pieces that you can use to fill in gaps or blend for a final look that’s so natural, you might forget your hair doesn’t grow out of your head like that.

This Redken overachiever is the one leave-in to rule them all. It’s a conditioner, heat protectant, strengthening treatment, anti-fade, frizz tamer for high-maintenance hair. So if you chemically process, heat style daily, or are just dealing with damaged and brittle strands, this formula is the resuscitator your mane needs to unlock a glossy, soft, smooth, and strong finish. It works by restoring hair from within the cuticle, with citric acid to reinforce weakened bonds and improve hair’s overall strength for a 10 times smoother look and feel. “One of my favorite go to’s,” says Giovanni. “I personally love using this as a leave-in after a color service and my clients have also loved how it feels and smells in the hair.”

If we were constructing a Mount Rushmore of hair pros, Jen Atkin would be the first name on our list of mane gurus to include. Not only is she the stylist behind the hair of celebs like Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa, and Hailey Bieber, she’s also the brain behind two of our all-time favorite brands—Ouai and her newest baby, Mane. If you haven’t yet experienced the brand, we can’t say enough amazing things about the Hydration Hugs mask. It’s the foundation for creating Atkins’ signature effortless style, infusing your strands with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and plant proteins and peptides. Used weekly, the whipped hair mask formula melts into strands to help prevent breakage and frizz as it drenches hair in weightless moisture, then seals it all in. “This mask is great for hydration, leaving the hair soft and smooth without feeling heavy,” says Kazmarek. “It’s perfect for dry or over-processed hair that needs a quick refresh.”

We know collagen is in literally everything these days, but a collagen mousse is actually low-key brilliant. Infused into this texturizing mousse, hydrolysed collagen plumps up hair as it supports your strands’ elasticity. So instead of drying out your mane and leaving behind a sticky residue, MONDAY’s mousse gives you weightless texture, lift, and body while actively boosting hair health. The collagen also makes it a great pick for fine hair, says celebrity stylist Jennifer Yepez, because it adds instant volume and a touch of natural texture.

We ask a lot of our hair tools, enlisting them to do everything from dry, straighten, smooth, and curl our locks. That's what makes a multi-styler such a smart investment—instead of forcing your flat iron to try and create volume at the root, a multi-styler like this affordable option from Revlon is literally three tools in one, each with a specific function that can address everything from frizz to body to waves. Revlon’s Multi-Styler features a base with three interchangeable attachments that can be used to blow out your ‘do, smooth unruly strands, add body to limp locks, and shape soft curls. There’s a Root Booster attachment, flat Paddle Brush attachment, and Volumizer Plus round brush, so you can mix and match to get your desired style without having to keep switching between your blowdryer, flat iron, and curling iron.

We’re guessing rosemary and PDRN are not two ingredients you’ve ever thought about mixing together. However, K-beauty brand Medicube did, and we’re grateful for it—the combo is the heavy hitter in their reparative conditioner and it provides 360 degree support for your strands and your scalp. Rosemary soothes and nourishes the scalp to create an ideal environment for healthy hair growth, while PDRN reinforces weak and damaged strands. It also has a strengthening and smoothing blend of 19 amino acids for shiny, fuller-looking locks.

Like pastries and wine, the French really know what they’re doing with hair care. This reparative mask from French brand Cair (which was created by the geniuses who brought us the chic La Bonne Brosse brush) addresses total hair health, targeting not just the strands but the scalp, too. Its main ingredient is rice bran water, which deeply restores and nourishes all hair types and textures. Coupled with hyaluronic acid, and veggie-derived collagen and keratin, the mask opens the hair cuticle to directly infuse the follicle with vitamins, nourishment, and regenerating fatty acids. “The formulation is filled with natural plant powered actives that reinforce the broken parts of our hair,” says Hill. “Though formulated as a pre-shampoo mask, I have found it to give beautiful results to coily, and tightly coily hair as an after shampoo treatment.”

This overnight rejuvenating serum from Crown Affair goes to work when you clock out for the day. It’s fast-absorbing, so you don’t need to worry about it leaving a greasy mess on your pillow (or your face) and the mix of rosemary leaf extract, tsubaki, flax, and chia seed creates weightless hydration, shine, and total restoration as you snooze. We wish everything worked this hard for us while we got our beauty rest.

Epres did all of our ‘dos a favor when it released this shampoo. Created by one of the co-founders behind Olaplex, it has a patented biodiffusion technology that ensures the bond-repairing and strand-strengthening formula absorbs deep into the hair follicle. The unique liquid molecule tech continues to work in the hair even after its dried, seeking out damaged areas to help deliver both instant and long-lasting reparative benefits. That means damaged, color-treated, and breakage-prone manes have an in-shower solution to help strengthen and fortify their follicles.

Yes, this scalp scrub has the consistency of a body exfoliator. But it’s statistically impossible not to fall in love with this cult classic once you actually get it on your locks. Once you start working the salt scrub through your roots, it transforms into a creamy, easily spreadable cleanser that you can feel (complimentary) sloughing away build-up and dead skin cells. It reduces oil without drying, leaving you a fresher, lighter, more balanced mane and scalp.

Scalp care is becoming more widespread in the U.S. but Korean brands really wrote the book on healthy scalps. K-beauty looks at the scalp as an extension of the hair, meaning scalp care is not meant to “fix” a specific problem, but rather serve as daily maintenance—in the same way you shampoo and condition, Korean brands argue that balancing and caring for the scalp’s microbiome are a functional step towards your hair goals. And no brand understands that better than Dr. Groot. This leave-in serum oil has become a recent fave for being both a scalp-spa worthy experience and for the results we’ve been seeing with it. The lightweight formula doesn’t leave behind any sticky or greasy after-effects, and it boosts your roots with biotin, rosemary oil, antioxidants, and amino acids. Both scalp and hair are hydrated, balanced, and strengthened for noticeably fuller and shinier locks.

Dyson had us at “scalp bubbles.” This power-packed foam-to-serum scalp treatment helps address everything from build-up to excess oil and even hair thinning. It combines amino acid-rich barley root, niacinamide, ectoin, and caffeine in a fun, bubbly formula that strengthens your scalp and stimulates hair follicles. “One of the more innovative formats in the category,” says Christina Ross, the head of science and impact at Credo Beauty. “The airy bubble texture creates a unique application experience and it felt lightweight on the scalp.”

The last thing you want to do after spending hours getting your hair just the right shade is immediately wash that covetable hue right down the drain. That’s what makes the right shampoo for color-treated hair so essential—it helps clean your strands without stripping away moisture or color molecules. This French pharmacy staple pulls triple duty by cleansing the hair as it enhances shine and helps soothe a scalp irritated by the harsh formulas used to achieve your signature shade. So all you have to worry about is the best style to show off your soft, shiny, and vibrant hair.

Finding the right shampoo for curls and coils can be a decades-long struggle. There’s always something we wish a formula did better, whether it’s truly preserving our curl pattern or ensuring we’ve got enough moisture that our strands don’t feel like the Sahara. This sulfate-free shampoo from Surface has ended our search, thanks to a formula that gently cleanses without stripping, while simultaneously infusing our curls with mega moisture thanks to cocoa butter and babassu oil. Instead of playing frizz roulette every time we wash our hair, instead we can look forward to consistently soft, defined, and shiny spirals.

While we’re all for embracing the gray, not everyone is ready to rock a silver mane. That's where this shampoo from Nioxin comes in. It’s been formulated to address all signs of hair aging, from thinning and dullness to dry scalp and even pigment loss. And, of course, to thoroughly clean your strands. It’s got niacinamide to support scalp health and nourish your roots, plus caffeine to support thicker, fuller strands and black oat peptides to support melanin production. Hair stays looking lush, shiny, and healthy for longer.

Maybe we’ve seen one too many shampoo commercials, but we fully believe that an extra glassy finish is within our grasp, if only we had the right serum. We were starting to think we might be delulu, but then we found this unicorn of a shine enhancer from Kérastase. Not only does it bestow the type of shine to our hair that would have our stylists dropping to their knees in awe of its luster, it delivers ultimate frizz-fighting power for up to four days. Its lightweight texture is perfection for fine and medium hair types and it keeps humidity out and moisture in. Just be sure you’ve got a good pair of shades nearby after you apply—you don’t want to wind up blinded by that shine.

If your hair tends towards fine and flat, a texturizer can give your ‘do bounce, volume, and hold. This airy spray creates that trifecta without the potential downside of hair that feels sticky or has a crunchy finish. It uses a unique polymer technology that creates an invisible “web” between the hair fibers, creating space so the strands are lifted up and plumped up. No natural curl or wave? No problem—mineral micro-crystals create soft texture, so hair is full but still touchable. Zero grit, zero roughness, and zero worries about your locks going limp by midday.

Bumble’s Thickening line has been a stylist and editor staple for years, but the newest entry to the collection might just be our favorite. It not just thickens, but actually addresses thinning strands and sparse roots so hair looks and feels full of body. It uses rice peptides to add density to the hair, plus what the brand is calling Strand Plumping Technology to expand your strands to create thickness throughout. It’s a heat protectant, so a fab pre-blowout product, and has antioxidants and an energizing complex to treat and protect your scalp. Your hair looks both thicker and fuller while feeling healthier from root to tip.

Styling creams are the real workhorse of your hair care routine and it’s time we gave them the respect they deserve. Many of us scrunch it into our hair and then expect it to work miracles, doing everything from delivering hold to taming frizz. It’s a lot to ask of one product. Maybe we have such high expectations because we started using this overachiever from Blu Green. After all, not many creams can provide weightless heat protection, control frizz on both blow-dried and air-dried hair, create a non-crunchy hold that sets your style and retains movement, and adds touchable, buildable volume. And yet, this one does all of those things, inflating hair at the root for lifted locks that look good and feel good. No wonder all the other styling creams are jealous.

Voluminous, bombshell hair starts in the shower. If you overdo it with the conditioner or reach for a too heavy formula, you’re sabotaging your strands before you even get to the styling. Which is what makes this volumizing conditioner from Philip B. such a great option for fine, flat hair — it uses lightweight hydrators like glycerin, plus plant extracts to detangle and hydrate without weighing hair down. You get all the gloss and softness of nourishing oils, without the risk of your hair deflating and feeling greasy.

Your scalp has a lot more to do with your ‘do than you might realize. Yes, we all know a healthy scalp equals healthy hair and caring for the scalp generally leads to better looking and feeling hair. But the scalp is also responsible for stealing your natural volume—excess oil, product build-up, and dead skin cells can all flatten out your strands at the root, making it doubly difficult to expand your strands with a volumizer later. This specialized shampoo targets the scalp as it cleans your hair, balancing the scalp microbiome as it helps dissolve build-up and oil. So you start with a truly clean slate that isn’t weighed down by all that (scalp) baggage. “Impressed with how it left the integrity of the hair while also removing build-up,” notes celeb hairstylist Sunnie Brook.

There are some truly awe-inspiring beauty innovations being released in recent months that have us feeling like we stepped into a techno futuristic world. Take K18’s new hair longevity serum—in addition to helping improve your scalp barrier, it also can help prevent shedding and grays. Seriously. Instead of targeting specific symptoms, it uses biomimetic peptides, glycerin, niacinamide, and yeast protein to address oxidative stress, one of the main causes of premature aging. That helps to anchor your strands at the root and boost melanin synthesis to stop grays in their tracks. It’s been clinically tested to retain 19,000 more hairs (so they stay on your head instead of in your shower drain), while 70 percent of the study participants saw fewer grays. “From a formulation perspective, this serum's technology and robust clinical data are very impressive,” says cosmetic chemist Alexandra Arriaga.