The 12 Best Heat Protectants for Fine Hair in 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Of all the heat protectants I tested, I thought Biolage’s bond therapy cream performed the best across the board. As shown on the paper test, it delivered near perfect results. The cream is incredibly rich and is easy to work through wet hair. A little goes a long way, and my hair felt velvety as I ran my hands through to dry it. Though, on the flip side, because of this, it also felt a bit heavier than usual. In my pre-heat protectant days, my hair would often feel coarse and look frizzy post blow dry. The frizz control was fairly effective aside from baby hairs (I have a ton), and my hair maintained its shine and silky feeling. As a bonus, the scent is fresh and I did get a little lift in the roots, though it’s not a promised result and my hair did fall flat later in the day. This is an ideal product for those with over-processed hair, as Biolage’s formula will condition and repair broken keratin bonds.  

Fast Facts 

• Size: 5.1oz 
• Benefits: condition, tame frizz, strengthens hair, shine 
• Max Temperature: 450F 
• Key Ingredients: coconut oil, citric acid 
• Hair Type(s): all, safe and optimized for color-treated hair  

“I recommend Défense Thermique,” Scalia tells me. “It is sulfate–free, multi–tasks as a detangler and reduces frizz. Kérastase’s heat protectant also passed the paper test beautifully. The initial volume after blowing out my hair was enormous. If I had added hairspray or texture spray to hold, it would have been insane. That being said, the longevity of the product was impressive. Style memory isn’t a promised feature, but my blowout lasted the whole day, and so did my curls when I tested it on a separate occasion. The only drawback was that there isn’t a continuous spray, but it’s easy to disperse with your fingers.   

Fast Facts 

• Size: 5.1oz 
• Benefits: detangles, hydrates, controls frizz, prevents split ends, adds shine  
• Max Temperature: 446F 
• Key Ingredients: ginger root, edelweiss  
• Hair Type(s): all 

My hair is notorious for falling flat in as little as 20 minutes. So, when the back of the bottle promised “repositionable looks with a natural feel that lasts days,” I was prepared to scoff. To test, I blow-dried and curled my hair. The Netsu Design cream rendered everything shiny and silky with a delicate scent I really enjoyed. Four hours passed, and the curls still looked fresh. The end of the day came, and they were loser but still defined. I decided to sleep in them as the ultimate test. After a night tossing and turning on my silk pillowcase, I awoke to soft curls/waves, depending on the part of my head you were looking at. I’m now hooked, and every time I curl my hair, this is in my prep routine.  

Fast Facts 

• Size: 5oz 
• Benefits: tames frizz, adds shine, strong hold, re-shapable  
• Max Temperature: 450F 
• Key Ingredients: n/a 
• Hair Type(s): all  

“I have curly hair that's currently color treated,” says PureWow Associate Editor Chelsea Candelario. “I'm prone to frizz and dry strands. I wash my hair once a week and wear it in its natural state.” Chelsea told me she had been wanting to try the SEEN Curly Creme for a while, so I knew she’d be the perfect tester. 

“Once I applied [the cream] to each section, I was able to run my detangler brush through my hair with no problem. The texture was lightweight and the product is [easy to dispense],” she reports. “My curls looked amazing after using this. It really delivered on providing a soft hold and a boost of shine with minimal frizz. I also love how it kept my curl definition even after I diffused my hair.” Chelsea notes that her hair requires at least two products to style, so after a day or two with just the cream, it began to frizz and dull in shine. However, the cream allowed her hair to retain softness. She would combine this with a mousse or gel for optimal results.  

Fast Facts 

• Size: 2oz, 6oz 
• Benefits: protects from UV rays, reduce frizz and breakage, color and keratin safe  
• Max Temperature: 450F 
• Key Ingredients: hemisqualane, bisabolol, ceratonia siliqua, moringa oleifera, squalane 
• Hair Type(s): curly  

I already have a volume-boosting mousse that I love, but it doesn’t provide any hold. Without hairspray, my hair deflates in five seconds. Thus, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Leonor Greyl’s Au Lotus mousse when I ran it through my hair. Ingredients inclue the star lotus extract (anti-inflammatory, softening), jojoba oil, mongongo oil (sun protection, omega-3) and marshmallow extract (anti-pollution). After drying and styling, I noticed that my hair felt a little coarser than it did with some of the other products, but did deliver on great volume, hold and shine. It held my curls pretty much all day, with just a little loss of volume.  

Fast Facts 

• Size: 5.1oz 
• Benefits: mega volume, hydrates, softens, adds shine 
• Max Temperature: 250F 
• Key Ingredients: lotus, chamomile, jojoba  
• Hair Type(s): fine 

If you prefer to heat style your hair from dry, the R+Co Bleu Hypersonic Heat Styling Mist delivers. It’s packed with the brand’s proprietary Repair Capsule Complex, vitamin E and keratin. I was skeptical at first, because I always blow out my hair (from wet) before styling because it has no volume and holds no shape. This claimed to be a hairspray/heat protectant in one...and it worked. The volume is major, rivaling some of the texture sprays I've tested. It can be a bit crunchy at first, but after you comb the product through it deflates a little and becomes smoother. Post-curl, my hair is still shiny and soft. The continuous spray was easy to use but I feel like it's easier to miss coverage if it's not a cream you can really work through your hair. Be generous when spraying. 

Fast Facts 

• Size: 6.7oz
• Benefits: seals in moisture, adds shine, protects from free radicals  
• Max Temperature: 450F 
• Key Ingredients: Proprietary Repair Capsule Complex, Polymer and Resin Complex, vitamin E, plant-derived keratin 
• Hair Type(s): all  

If you color your hair within an inch of its life, you probably a) need bond therapy and b) this heat protectant. It promises to boost shine, nourish the hair, smooth cuticles, hydrate, control frizz, condition, even out porosity...and that’s just getting started. Personally, I found the formula on the heavier side, but my hair isn’t color treated, so I could see how this would be intensely nourishing for someone with brittle strands. It gives great volume, even after a windy day in the city, and tamed all my flyaways. My hair didn’t feel as silky as with some of the other formulas but had a nice luster with texture and body.  

Fast Facts 

• Size: 6.8oz  
• Benefits: conditions, tames frizz, evens out porosity, adds shine 
• Max Temperature: 450F 
• Key Ingredients: almond oil  
• Hair Type(s): all  

“I usually blow dry my hair every three or four days and sometimes wear it naturally curly,” our tester, Ryann Logeais, tells me. “I have issues with frizz when I wear my hair naturally and some thinning along my hair line.” She tested the IGK Good Behavior 4-in-1 Prep Spray, along with its companion product, IGK’s Good Behavior Spirulina Protein Smoothing Spray. The brand recommends using them in tandem for best results. The Prep Spray detangles, controls frizz and adds shine, while the Protein Spray mimics the results of a keratin treatment, providing extra shine, frizz control and smoothness.  

“I thought the texture of both products was nice; the heat protectant is thicker than the protein spray,” she says. “The heat protectant was easy to use, [but I found] the protein spray more like a hair spray. [It’s] harder to have control of where you are spraying, but it smells good and combs through nicely. My hair feels thicker and has more body than when I use my other heat protectant. It seems to hold shape better and not fall as flat. It’s also less oily.” Ryann also reported that the hold had great longevity. “My hair generally gets frizzy after a couple days, but [that didn’t happen with this product]. My hair did gain a bit of curl back after a few days but held its volume and body.” 

Fast Facts 

• Size: 7oz 
• Benefits: tames frizz, adds shine, hydrating, UV protection  
• Max Temperature: 450F 
• Key Ingredients: coconut oil, spirulina protein  
• Hair Type(s): all, color-safe  

PureWow Commerce Editor Olivia Dubyak loves Olaplex’s Volumizing Blow Dry Mist. “It doesn't just protect my hair from heat damage, it adds volume when I blow dry my hair. I like that it's lightweight and doesn't weigh down my fine hair and it has a pleasant, fresh scent,” she tells me. The mist contains the brand’s patented Bond Building Technology, which helps repair damaged hair while also giving it body and bounce. It also provides humidity resistance and speeds up the blow-drying process.  

Fast Facts 

• Size: 5oz  
• Benefits: hair repair, gives body and bounce, adds softness and shine  
• Max Temperature: 450F 
• Key Ingredients: OLAPLEX Bond Building Technology 
• Hair Type(s): all  

PureWow Assistant Editor Delia Curtis’s hair is thick and voluminous, with a tendency to get oily and frizzy, especially in the heat. They liked that R+Co’s Chainmail spray both tamed the frizziness of their hair and gave them the ability to re-shape it, noting they are often indecisive when it comes to styling. “It had a lovely, airy finish and didn’t weigh my hair down.” Instructions direct you to apply on dry hair, and Delia found that the continuous spray made for easy application and didn’t significantly alter their hair texture. (Read: not crunchy.) The heat protectant did deliver on its promises: “My hair looked shiny and voluminous after the application and use of hot tools,” they report. “Definitely doesn't immediately frizz, which is lovely. And even after taking it out of a bun, my hair is still very put together.” 

Fast Facts 

• Size: 5oz 
• Benefits: flexible hold, adds softness and shine, re-shapable 
• Max Temperature: 450F 

• Key Ingredients: water lily extract, celery seed extract, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, avocado oil  
• Hair Type(s): all  

PureWow Mailroom Manager Samantha Melendez has fine, curly hair, so she prioritizes lightweight products to prevent her hair from going flat. She was impressed with IGK’s Style Memory Blowout Cream, noting that it felt like a leave-in conditioner. “When they advertised style memory they meant it,” she tells me. “It really holds that blow dry style so nicely and I find that when curling my hair, the curls lasted much longer.” Samantha notes that the heat styling lasted all day, and she was easily able to re-style it the following day. “I definitely recommended it to a friend already,” she says.

Fast Facts

• Size: 4.5oz
• Benefits: volume, hold, color safe, lightweight
• Max Temperature: 450F
• Key Ingredients: hydrolyzed quinoa
• Hair Type(s): all, including chemically treated hair

“I have very fine hair that I highlight about four times a year,” says PureWow Vice President of Editorial Candace Davison. “I tend to just let it air dry and rarely style it, since it's naturally straight.” 

She reports that the Redken Acidic Color Gloss had “excellent” hold and “surprising amount of volume. It's a fine mist that's easy to spray on and use, though it added a slight crunchy feeling to my hair when dry.” The bottle is equipped with a spray nozzle that Candace said was easy to direct. However, it was hard to maneuver to spray the back of her head. 

“While there was some crunchiness, I really liked the lift it gave my hair, making it appear fuller even with air-dried hair (pre-styling). It held a curl longer than expected, too. When I tested it with a curling iron, my waves loosened after two hours but held a general wave all day.”  

Fast Facts 

• Size: 6.8oz 
• Benefits: hydration, detangling, glossy shine  
• Max Temperature: 380F 
• Key Ingredients: Vitamin E, arginine, serine, glutamic acid 
• Hair Type(s): all, best for color treated hair, made to extend life of color