Before you embark on your next at-home blow-dry, chic updo or straightening sesh, let us introduce you to the award-winning hair styling products that promise a big and bouncy, smooth and sleek, frizz-free finish every time.
Styling your hair at home is an often laborious task. You don't want to risk the arm ache of a 20-minute blow-dry for all the root lift to drop the next morning, or watch your sleek finish disappear into a cloud of fuzz by lunchtime. That's when a brilliant smoothing serum, heat protection sprays or volumising mists will pay dividends, giving hair the best foundation for long-lasting results.
The key is to think about the look you're trying to achieve. Curls may benefit from a gel that defines ringlets; fine, flat hair can inject volume with a texturising spray, while smooth styles will stay sleeker with a frizz-fighting serum.
Coupled with the best hairdryer, straighteners or even your fingers (a stylist's best tool!), these award-winning hair styling products deliver a flawless finish for every hair type and texture.
9 award-winning hair styling products, according to our expert judges
RRP: £4.59
Dry shampoo is one of those products that everyone should have in their bathroom cupboard. Although it shouldn't be used as a substitute for traditional shampoo (you still need to regularly and thoroughly cleanse build-up and bacteria from the scalp), dry shampoo can be a godsend on days when you really don't have time for a full wash and blow-dry.
Not only that, but a great dry shampoo will mop up excess oil to reinstate oomph to roots that have gone a little flat and lank. That's why Batiste is our pick. The novel formula is activated by physical exertion - perfect for gym-goers - to absorb sweat and release bursts of scent as you exercise. Even if you're not one for the gym, it's a hardworking formula and brilliant styling tool that freshens up second or third-day hair, injecting body and bounce. Apply a little at a time, aiming at the roots to soak up oil, or ruffle through the lengths to add texture.
Cos Sakkas, Global creative director, TONI&GUY was particularly taken with, "the nice subtle scent. It worked great for oily roots and gave hair volume without leaving residue."
RRP: £32
If you have coarse, frizz-prone or colour-treated hair that never stays smooth for long, you will love this. Like a salon smoothing treatment in a bottle, Color Wow Dream Coat is a beauty team favourite, and often seen in the hands of Chris Appleton, one of the world's most sought-after stylists, responsible for keeping Kim Kardashian's hair picture-perfect. Like an invisible topcoat for hair, the heat-activated formula swathes each strand to deliver a super-sleek finish that stays silky even in humid conditions.
What's more impressive is how light this feels in the hair - it's near-imperceptible. It has built-in heat protection, negating the need for a separate product, and the results will see you through 3 to 4 washes, so it's great value. Spray generously through the hair then blow-dry smooth. The tension from your brush works in tandem with the heat-activated polymer, helping to encourage a smooth, glassy finish.
Hair and make-up artist Katie Pettigrew is a huge fan. "I found it easy to apply and easy to blow dry with. The results are smooth and long-lasting."
RRP: £46
For those who subscribe to the notion of "the bigger the hair, the closer to heaven", you will feel positively evangelical about this texturizing spray, which adds body at the roots, bounce through the lengths and a sexily tousled effect to your blow-dry.
Unlike some styling sprays, which can feel a little too wet, this one is completely dry and weightless. It's labelled as a texturizer, but it does moonlight as a luxury dry shampoo with patented polymers that absorb oil at the roots without leaving a tacky, powdery residue in its wake. It's caring too, with antioxidants to preserve colour, and Hawaiian white ginger root extract, which adds softness and shine. The unique co-polymer blend offers gentle hold so your 'do lasts longer. If you're looking for something versatile, this spray can be used in numerous ways, injecting voluptuous volume to big and bouncy blow-dries, adding grit to updos or creating a piecey, slept-in Kate Moss-esque effect when ruffled through the lengths.
It smells fabulous and leaves hair looking effortlessly undone. As celebrity stylist Darren Fowler says, "It's a lightweight spray that gives hair a high-impact punch."
RRP: £38
There are many reasons why silky, smooth hair evades us, despite how much you try to wrangle it with the best hair straighteners. Some of us are born with naturally coarse, frizz-prone hair. This issue is often exacerbated when hair turns grey, and the scalp naturally produces less strand-smoothing sebum. Then there's those self-imposed factors, like dyeing our hair and using heated tools, both of which cause damage to the cuticle, leaving hair drier and more likely to suck up moisture from the environment, resulting in frizz and flyaways. That's why we rate this smoothing treatment which promises a 72 hour anti-frizz effect.
It's activated by the heat from your straightening irons, and forms a protective layer around the hair fibre to protect against styling damage and extreme humidity for up to five shampoos. Hair becomes more manageable, easier to detangle and less broken, with a shinier, smoother finish.
"This product was great," raves hairstylist Jo Clayton. "My fine, slightly dry and flyaway hair felt hydrated, soft and smooth, which lasted even after the next wash."
RRP: £36
Ladies with naturally-textured hair will know that curls require an extra bit of styling savvy and product know-how. Heavy, cakey products are the enemy of curls, weighing ringlets down, and some gels can leave that dreaded crispy, crunchy texture. Trepadora's Curling Glaze, however, nails frizz-free definition, without compromising on a beautifully soft, bouncy head of curls.
Apply the strong-hold gel to wet hair (this is the key to a fuzz-free mop of curls) then either let your hair air-dry or speed things up with the diffuser attachment on your hair dryer. Once hair is bone dry, simply scrunch those tendrils to soften the hold. Our judges were impressed by how well it spread through the hair and the structure of the curls. We're not surprised it's racked up almost 200 5-star reviews online.
"I am absolutely obsessed with this," admits Rhiannon Derbyshire, Senior Beauty Editor and resident curl expert. "My curls were so defined, soft, smooth and bouncy that it's now a permanent part of my routine. It's absolutely brilliant."
RRP: £12.75
Dry shampoo is best known for refreshing hair between washes but some formulas can feel drying on the scalp, especially if relied on too often as an alternative to a proper lather. If you've got a little more spending money this month, treat yourself to this luxurious dry shampoo, which not only absorbs excess oil but gently moisturises the delicate skin on the scalp and even provides UV protection. Win win.
One of the biggest draws of this waterless wash is its incredible scent - it smells more like a designer perfume than a styling product. It opens with fresh mandarin and thyme top notes, followed by intoxicating floral aromas and a warm, lingering vanilla undertone.
Beauty Writer, Annie Milroy was wowed. "I loved this so much, and I am now addicted to the floral scent. It managed to make my hair look fresh and clean without the dreaded white residue." Not only that but Session stylist Ben Cooke found it to be a useful styling product. "It also very well as a texturizer if you want a more tousled finish to your hair."
RRP: £27
Whether you’ve got naturally fine, flat hair, or noticed your hair getting thinner with age, you can boost body, bounce and fullness with this with this volume-boosting styling spray, proven to deliver 2x more volume.
This is a real does-it-all hair hero. Not only does it inject lift at the roots, but it helps hold your blow-dry and protects against heat styling up to 232°C. If you've always hated the crunchy crispiness of mousse, you'll love the weightless feel of this light spritz. Spray into just-washed hair that's been towel-dried to remove excess water. Apply from root to tip then (and this bit is crucial) flip your head upside down and blast roots with the hair dryer to encourage lift on top. Flip your hair back and finish styling.
"I liked that the heat protection is included, which reduces the amount of products you need to apply to the hair," explains freelance hairstylist and colour expert Katie Hale. "The hair felt plumper, and my clients' blow-dries lasted longer."
RRP: £1.65
Hairspray is arguably one of the most integral products in any styling arsenal. It 'sets' a bouncy blow-dry, fixes fancy updos in place and can be used to tame flyaways along your parting. It's basically the backbone of any style so it's important to get it right.
Yes, Bristows' Hairspray is an absolute steal but it's also got the goods to back it up. It smoothes strands and gives styled hair long-lasting, 24-hour hold without imparting that horrible crunchy white residue you sometimes see. Curls remain flexible, not sticky, and updos are set without looking stiff and old-fashioned. The mist is fine, not sticky and wet, locking in a smooth finish that can fend off frizz in humidity.
"This hairspray is fine enough to brush out and was great for taming flyaways on buns and ponytails," raves hairstylist Jo Clayton. "It also helps to maintain curls for longer when misted over hair after tonging."
RRP: £19.50
There's nothing quite like a salon blow-dry to make you feel amazing, but one of the secrets of a professional blow-out is knowing the best products to use to create a strong foundation and improve longevity, which is exactly what this blow-dry balm does.
Described by celebrity stylist Darren Fowler as, "a nice light product for a tamed blow-dry," this is a must if you're partial to a bouncy blowout at home. Overloading the hair with product can have an adverse effect, leaving hair flat and lank, but this formula has everything you need built-in, including heat protection, hydration, anti-frizz and even bond-repair, so that hair remains soft and swishy. Depending on your hair thickness, apply 2-4 pumps of product through damp hair, comb through then blow-dry.
Hairstylist Jo Clayton was also impressed. "I loved using it on my clients knowing that their hair was protected against heat damage from my hair dryer and tongs. It smoothed frizz and did not weigh the hair down like some blow-dry lotions can."
