If your hair is giving Frankenstein’s bride, this one’s for you.
Wintertime calls for warm beanies and plush wool sweaters, but our hair doesn’t seem to enjoy them. When your hair is unintentionally reaching new heights (thanks, hat hair), that Frankenstein’s bride look seems nearly impossible to calm down. Thankfully, there are quite a few static hair products that can help diminish the electrical charge in your hair.
Like frizz and flyaways, this hair-raising concern can be caused by a myriad of reasons, including weather changes, your hot tools, and your clothing. According to Los Angeles-based hairstylist Glenn Ellis, static usually happens when there is friction against your hair. “If you flatiron your hair too much or use a round brush in your hair for too long, too much friction is put on the hair,” he says. “It can also happen if there’s a change in humidity.”
Dry hair, a drier climate, and added friction are a recipe for your hair to build up an electrical charge (hence why this is usually a winter concern), which causes each hair to start repelling the other, kind of like two magnets pushing away from one another. In order to tame the static electricity, moisture is needed to weigh down the hair and diminish the charge, which is why Ellis suggests grabbing a leave-in cream, hairspray, or dry shampoo.
Anti-static hair products are surprisingly abundant, and we’ve found the very best formulas to calm down the chemistry project happening on your head. Below, take a look at what we’ll be using to minimize static and tame flyaways all winter long.
Fekkai Clean Stylers Flexi-Hold Hairspray
Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo
To get rid of static hair fast, Ellis says the Fekkai Clean Stylers Flexi-Hold Hairspray is a must. It’s one of his favorite hair-care products for its flexible, crunch-free formula that’s spiked with moisture-replenishing vitamin B5 and strengthening rice protein. “I love this hairspray because it’s super lightweight and will reduce static,” he says.
If you need one more reason to love Oribe’s popular Gold Lust Dry Shampoo, Ellis says it’s also great for counteracting static. “This dry shampoo is amazing because it won’t leave your hair white and will weigh down static,” he says. As it smooths frizzy and staticky hair, this starch-based dry shampoo also absorbs excess oil and adds a bit of volume and body to your overall look.
Ouai Leave-In Conditioner
Redken Frizz Dismiss Anti Static Oil Mist
Though Ouai’s once-viral static and frizz hair sheets are no longer available, the Ellis-approved brand’s Leave-In Conditioner is an aerosol-free (and therefore more environmentally conscious) option for sealing moisture into damp hair, therefore reducing the likelihood of static-induced hair-raising. Spritz this formula onto your hair for a dryness-reducing dose of vitamin E, panthenol, and tamarind seed extract. What’s more, its light yet effective formula is suitable for basically any hair type.
Redken’s Frizz Dismiss Anti-Static Oil Mist can be used on both wet and dry hair to smooth static, flyaways, and frizzy hair without making it feel greasy in the process. Instead of heavy, dense oils, the formula opts for a lightweight babassu oil that intensively conditions without over-slicking the hair.
Wella Invigo Nutri-Enrich Nourishing Anti-Static Spray
LolaVie Perfecting Leave-In
Before you reach for your blow-dryer , make sure you prep and prime your hair with the Wella Invigo Nutri-Enrich Nourishing Anti-Static Spray, one of the most affordable picks on this list. It contains goji berry extract for its moisture-retaining and antioxidant-rich properties and doesn’t require heat for activation so feel free to ditch heat styling altogether and air-dry your hair after spritzing it on.
The LolaVie Perfecting Leave-In is such a wonderful leave-in conditioner that we just had to give it an Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2022. This formula blew our finest-haired editors away for its ability to smooth, hydrate, and protect hair from heat damage with the help of bamboo extract. On top of its static- and frizz-reducing properties, it’s also a wonderful detangler. This moisture-sealing concoction is so lightweight that thin hair types can easily incorporate it into their routines while thick hair types can still enjoy its benefits, too.
R+Co Foil Frizz + Static Control Spray
Diane Ionic Anti-Static Styling Comb
Say adios to those hair-raising electrons with the R+Co Foil Frizz + Static Control Spray. This styling product features a moisturizing trifecta of argan oil, vitamin E, and the brand’s proprietary thermal polymer (otherwise known as silicone) to give any hairstyle a smoother, sleeker effect.
If you find that your usual hairbrush is causing your hair to stand up, you may need to swap it for the Diane Ionic Anti-Static Styling Comb. Instead of bristles, this comb has teeth that are charged with negative ions to counteract the charge in your hair. This dual-ended comb has larger-spaced teeth to detangle without breakage and a narrower side for smoothing.
Living Proof No Frizz Instant De-Frizzer
Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray
Soften, smooth, and boost shine all at once with the Living Proof No Frizz Instant De-Frizzer. This post-styling spray is one of the best hair products for reducing frizz and static as it contains conditioning ingredients like sea buckthorn, babassu, and jojoba oils that work overtime to address straying hairs.
Consider the Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray as the ultimate hair smoother, thanks to its heat-activated polymers. Once you turn on your hair dryer, watch as its impressive, Best of Beauty-winning formula softens and shines your hair without weighing it down. What’s even more jaw-dropping is that its formula’s static-defying magic lasts for up to four washes.
Briogeo Farewell Frizz Blow Dry Perfection Heat Protectant Cream
Moroccanoil Protect & Prevent Spray
If you’re looking for a silicone-free formula, we’re happy to tell you that Briogeo Farewell Frizz Blow Dry Perfection Heat Protectant Cream swaps the hair-weighing ingredient for a slew of nourishing, moisturizing oils. This Allure Readers’ Choice Award-winning blow-dry cream treats hair with argan, rosehip, and coconut oils to seal in moisture and create a glossier finish as your hair dries. It also guards against heat damage at up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
No matter how thick or thin your hair is, the Moroccanoil Protect & Prevent Spray is a must for anyone with dyed hair. Like every product from the brand, this formula is infused with argan oil to lock and seal in much-needed moisture, but it’s also formulated with sunflower-seed-derived heliogenol to prevent oxidization or stripping of color.
Olaplex No. 9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum
Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer
Kérastase Discipline Fluidissime Anti-Frizz Smoothing Spray
Damaged hair types should grab Olaplex No. 9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum, which protects hair against a laundry list of issues including static. The hair-perfecting properties of this formula stem from the brand’s signature ingredient, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, a bond repairer that addresses broken disulfide bonds for a smoother, stronger, and softer look and feel.
We love a formula that checks off multiple concerns, which is why we’re constantly spritzing the Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer. Its high-performance formulation contains argan and sunflower seed oils to provide heat protection, reduce frizz and static, condition, detangle — you name it.
Optimal frizz and heat protection are just a few spritzes of the Kérastase Discipline Fluidissime Anti-Frizz Smoothing Spray away. This luxurious formula guards against heat damage at up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit while it replenishes moisture via castor oil, glycerin, and hydrolyzed wheat protein.
