The 10 Best Anti-Humidity Hair Products Keep Frizz In Check Even During Swamp-Like Weather
Up until pretty recently, I took frizz as an accepted fact in my life, as fixed as my height or my eye color. This can mostly be chalked up to two other facts, one also fixed, the other less so. Firstly, I’ve got desert-dry, coily hair, which is unaffected by oils, leaving my strands extremely vulnerable to lifted cuticles. And secondly, I live in New York City, a literal subtropical island that is very, very humid. But as I have come to learn, the best anti-humidity hair products do a fabulous job of helping to keep my hair frizz-free and protected against humidty. “We can't control the weather, but we can control how much water our hair absorbs,” says Elle Medico, pro hairstylist and co-founder and stylist at UMI Salon.
As is the case with most things in life, preparation is key. To keep humidity from ravaging your ‘do, “try to be preventative by conditioning well and using the right products before styling,” says Sean VanGelder, pro hairstylist at Flore Los Angeles. “Prepping the hair with moisture and a smoothing or humidity-protective product can help create a barrier before humidity and environmental factors have a chance to disrupt the style.”
If you’re looking for an especially comprehensive approach to humidity hair control, “there are temporary, longer-term, and structural ways to combat frizz,” says Medico. “As a stylist, I recommend all three.” In the short term, she says, you can opt for “an oil-based product that coats the outer cuticle of the hair and repels moisture in the moment.” Long-term, use “products that build protein and moisture into the hair, creating a stronger, smoother cuticle.” And to build that foundation upon which you build all the above, she recommends “treatments that add keratin bonds to the outer layer of the cuticle for three-to-six -month periods.”
Read on for a roundup of the best anti-humidity products to fight frizz and leave your hair shiny and smooth.
The Best Anti-Humidity Hair Products
- Best Anti-Humidity Product For Serious Moisture: COLOR WOW Dream Coat
- Best Anti-Humidity Product For Fine Hair: Oribe Impermeable Anti-Humidity Frizz Control Hair Spray
- Best Bond Builder for Humidity: K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask
- Best Anti-Humidity Hairspray: Amika The Shield Anti-Humidity Spray
- Best Anti-Humidity Hairspray For Blowouts: R+Co Moon Landing Anti-Humidity Spray
Best Anti-Humidity Product For Serious Moisture
I’ve been a beauty editor for many years now, and I can say with conviction that Color Wow’s Dream Coat hair mist is one of a small handful of products that have managed to stand the test of trends among my colleagues. (VanGelder is a fan of this one, too.) That probably has to do with the technology: polymers wrap around each strand of hair, shielding it from humidity for up to four washes. It is heat-activated, so hot tools are required if you want it to work as designed, but it’s well worth it for strands so shiny you can see your reflection in them. There’s also an Extra Strength version for textured and dryer hair types.
Review: “This is a 5-star product for me. I took it with me to Lima, Peru, where the climate was very humid and hot, and my hair stayed intact for the most part; which is saying a lot for me. I have naturally thick, curly hair that reacts instantly to even the slightest bit of humidity and curls right back up. But with this, my hair actually stayed straightened and smooth for most of the time. I highly recommend it, especially if you struggle with frizz in humidity. I will definitely use it again. 5 stars!” — Sephora
Best Anti-Humidity Product For Fine Hair
Oribe's Imperméable Anti-Humidity Spray is recommended by both Medico and VanGelder; the former especially loves it for finer hair types, as it blocks humidity “without weighing [them] down or making them feel sticky.” Among its ingredients are a copolymer designed to enhance hairstyle wear-time; a brand-specific complex featuring watermelon, lychee, and edelweiss flower, aimed at protecting against oxidative stress and the elements; and vitamin B5 to soften, add shine, and improve manageability.
Review: “I love this spray. I live in Florida, have 3A curls, and this keeps them from becoming a mess with all our humidity. A little goes a long way, but there’s no heavy texture or stickiness in my experience. I use it after my hair is fully dry with usually just a leave-in conditioner.” — Sephora
Best Bond Builder for Humidity
The best way to keep your hair safe from humidity is to keep those strands moisturized and those cuticles laid, which is where K18’s Leave-In Molecular Repair Mask comes in. Medico recommends it, along with the brand’s Molecular Repair Hair Oil, “for daily frizz control and bond repair.” Anchored by the brand’s K18Peptide—which restores bonds destroyed by chemicals, colors, heat styling, and just general wear and tear—this leave-in treatment helps you cultivate the kind of healthy, hydrated strands that are far too composed to act up in a bit of sticky weather.
Review: “I love this hair mask by K18. I have some of their other hair products so I knew I would like this as well. After several uses, my hair feels so smooth and looks more shiny. I have less frizz which is amazing because I live in a very humid area. This mask has been great overall.” — Sephora
Best Anti-Humidity Hairspray
A lightweight mist that can be used on every hair texture, Amika’s The Shield Anti-Humidity Spray is an aerosol-of-all-trades. It provides heat protection up to 450 degrees (you can use it on wet or dry hair), is formulated with UV filters to shield the hair from the sun’s damaging rays, and blocks humidity; indeed, it’s designed to keep hair frizz-free for an entire 24-hour day. It’s also remarkably lightweight, considering all the benefits packed into the formula.
Review: “I have the type of hair that goes poof with the slightest bit of humidity. I recently had to go to Grand Cayman for work. It was hot and very humid. Fortunately, I took along The Shield. I was able to keep my frizz tamed and look presentable in the office. I was able to go to dinner and sit on the patio without having to worry about frizz. On days when I went to the beach, my hair was still smoother than it usually is at the beach.” — Amika
Best Anti-Humidity Hairspray For Blowouts
If you’re looking for a more flexible hold, R+Co’s Moon Landing Anti-Humidity Hairspray should be on your radar. It uses a polymer blend for frizz prevention and humidity-blocking, alongside tocopherol for shine and sea buckthorn oil for moisture and general scalp support (it’s loaded with antioxidants), all of which come together in a lightweight mist that won’t leave you with any crunch, stickiness, or flyaways, but will leave you with plenty of movement in your ‘do.
Review: “I never write reviews, but I have to for this! I don’t know if it’s magic or witchcraft or what, but this is hands down the best thing to use for humid weather! Summer is always very humid here, and I hate how frizzy and crazy my hair gets after 30 seconds outside. This spray kept my hair in check all day and didn’t weigh it down or make it feel sticky, it’s amazing! Worth the price!” – R+Co
Best Humidity Hairspray For Silk Presses
True story: When I got a bouncy silk press locked in with Cécred Flexible Hold Hairspray, my hair remained essentially intact for a month, with just a couple of touch-ups and nightly hair rollers—and again, I live on a subtropical island. The star ingredient here is the brand’s stemsheild complex, which protects against heat, the environment, styling damage, and, you guessed it, humidity. It’s backed up by a blend of oils selected for their ability to create a protective barrier (including Kalahari melon seed, mongogo, and wild plum) and moisturizing panthenol. Oh, and it also smells really amazing—like a candle you’d find in the gift shop of a very expensive hotel.
Review: “I’m in LOVE with this holding spray. It’s super lightweight… but don’t let it fool you. It held my curls in throughout an entire day in the humid, rainy Louisiana weather! It also doesn’t leave residue or [leave] my hair sticky or stiff. I still had all the movement. 1000% recommend!!” — Cecred
Best Anti-Humidity Oil for Curly Hair
Medico praises L'Oréal Professionnel's Liss Unlimited Primrose Oil for its ability to impart “shine and frizz control without disrupting curl pattern,” a major concern for anyone who has just spent hours defining their texture. The formula features a special blend of amino acids (consisting of oils and keratin) for hydration and strength; xylose, a sugar that helps provide heat protection and moisture retention; kukui oil, which smooths the hair cuticles, making it tougher for moisture to get in and cause frizz; and the eponymous primrose oil for strength and shine.
Review: “I have fine curly, frizzy hair. This product adds smoothness and shine. I can wear my hair curly or straighten it using this product! Love it.” — Amazon
Best Anti-Humidity Hair Gel For Curls
Olaplex’s whole bond-repairing business doesn’t just apply to its famous treatments: The No.10 Curl Defining Frizz Reducing Hair Gel also includes the brand’s Bond Technology, meaning it works to literally repair curls and pump up your natural pattern while also providing medium hold. The formula is bolstered by a curl-retention compound (which features humidity-resistant polymers) and a coconut-avocado hair milk, which is filled wth fatty acids and vitamins to nourish and soften.
Review: “I can be a little picky about hair gels, especially when it comes to defining gels, because they either make my hair too crunchy or too heavy, but I am thoroughly impressed with this one. Once my hair dries and I break the gel cast, by just scrunching a little, my hair doesn't feel sticky or heavy. This gel has also helped my constant battle against the summer humidity, helping keep my hair tame and defined, even on day 3 hair.”
Best Anti-Humidity Shampoo
If your commitment to defrizzing is so serious it cannot be contained to your styling routine, you always have the option of starting in the shower. Ouidad’s Advanced Climate Control works to smooth and seal cuticles, utilizing ceramides for the former and sericin, a silk-derived protein, for the latter—and, since it’s specifically formulated for curly and wavy hair, it’s free of sulfates, which can strip hair of its natural oils. Follow it up with the Advanced Climate Control Defrizzing Conditioner.
Review: “Best product I’ve found to fight the frizz. I have curly hair and I like to straighten it. Even in the most humid conditions, my hair is still smooth when combined with the shampoo and conditioner.” — Amazon
Best Anti-Humidity Conditioner
Real talk: I slept on Living Proof’s selections for those with textured hair for far too long. VanGelder is a fan of the brand’s No Frizz Humidity Shield, which has sadly been discontinued, but you can still take advantage of the brand’s expertise with the Anti-Frizz Conditioner. The key ingredient here is the proprietary Sili-Clone HairTech, whose star is polyricinoleic acid. It’s a bio-derived fatty acid that provides all the benefits of strand-coating silicone—think improved detangling, better slip, more shine, and conditioning—without any of its less-desirable attributes (like heaviness on the strands). Use it with the No Frizz Shampoo for maximum results.
Review: “I have very frizzy, curly, coarse hair and this is the ONLY conditioner (I also use the shampoo) that does the trick and leaves my hair shiny and soft and makes it so easy to blow out. I’ve used shampoos and conditioners that cost triple the price and they only leave my hair heavy and dull.” — Amazon
What Causes Frizzy Hair?
If your hair has lifted cuticles—which can be caused by dryness, damage, or simply genetics (shoutout to the high-porosity baddies) —you’re more likely to experience frizz than your flat-cuticle counterparts, especially in a humid climate. “Two factors contribute to frizz: humidity in the air—I'm looking at you, Florida—and cuticle damage/porosity of the individual hair strand,” Medico explains. “The more porous the hair, the more likely it is to absorb moisture on a steamy day. Once that excess moisture gets into the cuticle, the bonds react by folding in on themselves, and pop goes the frizz!”
What Hair Care Ingredients Help With Humidity?
If the goal is banishing frizz, and frizz is caused by moisture entering lifted cuticles… you gotta seal up those cuticles. “Look for ingredients that smooth, condition, or help create a barrier around the hair fiber,” says VanGelder; think butters like murumuru and shea, oils like coconut and almond, and, if your hair isn’t too fine and can handle their potential weightiness, silicones.
“Ingredients that coat and smooth the cuticle can help reduce friction and keep the hair looking more polished, while conditioning ingredients help improve softness, manageability, and overall moisture balance,” says VanGelder.
Why Trust Marie Claire
For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.
Meet the Experts
Want to read more?
Check out the full article on the original site