Finding the best heat protection spray for you and your hair is essential in keeping your hair in a strong and healthy condition. Not only are they good at preventing styling damage to your strands, but many also boast the ability to address specific hair concerns, leaving your locks looking glossy and voluminous.
Whether you have thick hair or fine, greasy or dry, using a heat protection spray is an important step to repair hair, as well as prevent any further damage when reaching for your best hair straighteners and curling wands - or any heated styling tool, for that matter. They offer the chance for you to wave goodbye to fragile, frazzled, frizzy locks that are prone to split ends, by casting an invisible damage-preventing shield over your hair.
From luxe high-end formulas to options that are kinder on the purse strings yet get the job done, our beauty team has tried and tested an array of heat protectant sprays in hopes of scouting out the crème de la crème of the market, that will not only prevent damage to your locks but also leave them shiny and silky smooth…
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The best heat protection sprays, reviewed by our beauty team
RRP: £27 | Temp protection: Up to 232°C | Benefits: Conditions, detangles, softens, tames frizz
This dry mist instantly melts on my hair, meaning it doesn’t lose any of my freshly-washed bounce, but also includes conditioning jojoba and sunflower seed oils for extra nourishment, so your hair doesn’t feel crispy and dry either. Better still, there’s no tell-tale “hiss” when you pass the irons over your hair, even when curling your hair with straighteners. It also smells like a soothing pillow mist and is a welcome reminder to breathe every time I spritz it. An extra bonus.
Buy if: You're on the hunt for a lightweight formula with a salon-worthy scent
Avoid if: You're looking to apply to damp hair
RRP: £30 | Temp protection: Up to 232°C | Benefits: Hydrates, reduces frizz, softens, adds shine
Not only does Bumble & bumble’s heat protection spray create a barrier between heat tools and your hair, it also helps to smooth, increase shine and reduce frizz – all while limiting the damage from styling tools. That's not all, it’s also formulated with UV filters to prevent hair from drying out in the sun and stop colour fading, too. So, it's no surprise that it’s the brand’s number-one bestseller. The product itself is oil-based, including coconut, argan and sweet almond, which helps replenish lost moisture. Plus, its chunky bottle is set to last you for months.
Buy if: After a nourishing mist that offers extra UV protection
Avoid if: You have fine or oily-prone hair
RRP: £28 | Temp protection: Up to 230°C | Benefits: Detangles, minimise flyaways, reduces split ends and breakage
Although it comes out like a spray, Sol de Janeiro’s Milky Leave-In Conditioner's texture is more like a lightweight serum, which will appeal to those whose damaged and frazzled ends have a near-constant need for TLC (like mine). It leave my hair super soft post-styling, while also helping to keep frizz at bay – even on some very rainy days. Though the main goal here is to defend your hair from heat, I liked that this was more than just a heat protectant spray – there’s no reason you couldn’t use it to tame and smooth hair before air-styling, too.
Buy if: You want a nourishing leave-in conditioner that can be used without heat or you're a fan of Sol de Janeiro scents
Avoid if: You have particularly fine strands
RRP: £23.95 | Temp protection: Up to 230°C | Benefits: Conditions, smooths
A brilliant product for the time-poor, I find that one spritz of ghd's Bodyguard Spray is far-reaching enough to cover one side of my hair. It’s fine, lightweight and not sticky in the slightest, so even if you do go overboard and apply too much, you'll barely notice. The formula is dual-action, so it doesn’t just coat the hair to shield it from the heat, it also helps to flatten the cuticles for shinier, smoother hair that’s less likely to become damaged. This is definitely a great choice for anyone with fine hair.
Buy if: You dislike the sticky feeling of hair styling products or you're looking to boost shine
Avoid if: You want a long-lasting heat protectant
RRP: £28 | Temp protection: Up to 232°C | Benefits: Resists humidity, adds shine, body and bounce
This mist speeds up drying time and add volume and oomph to the hair, all whilst protecting your strands from heat damage. While it excels at boosting volume at the roots, also make sure you’re covering the lengths and ends of your hair, too, as otherwise they’ll still take the brunt of the damage. This spray boasts a very fine texture, which makes sense if the goal is to add volume, but it still felt like it had enough to it to give my thick hair added hold. While I wouldn’t say it added a huge amount of bounce to my hair, it certainly didn’t look flat or stuck to my head after styling.
Buy if: You want to boost volume
Avoid if: You already have thick, full hair
RRP: £6.99 | Benefits: Replenishes, smooths, moisturises and prevents breakage
It’s true that the more I straighten my hair (and the more dehydrated it becomes), the harder I find my battle against frizz. Luckily for me, John Frieda's Frizz-Ease spray is packed with humectants, which draw in that much-needed hydration. I found that a little went a long way – making it even more of a bargain – and my hair definitely looked and felt smoother afterwards without compromising on volume and movement. My only wish is that I could use it on dry hair, too, but unfortunately it’s far too sticky for this (trust me, I tried).
Buy if: You have hair on the drier side or want to keep frizz at bay
Avoid if: You want to apply to dry hair
RRP: £5.99 | Temp protection: Up to 230°C | Benefits: Fights dryness, softens frizz and flyaways, boosts shine
With a salon-worthy signature scent, at just under £6 for 150ml, L'Oréal's Heat Slayer Iron Spray is brilliant value for money. With daily use on mid-length hair, it should last six to eight weeks, meaning there’s no excuse for skipping heat protection. The formula is slightly milky, with an initial stickiness that absorbs quickly. Just be wary of the spray function; it’s quite punchy, so I found that, unless I sprayed from a distance (and even when I did), some areas were wetter than others. Another way around this is to spray some onto your hands and then smooth through your hair.
Buy if: You have longer locks or you're looking for an affordable option
Avoid if: You dislike the sticky feeling of heat protectants
RRP: £33.85 | Temp protection: Up to 230°C | Benefits: Smooths, softens, reduces frizz, adds shine
If you want your hair to look and smell expensive, this Kérastase heat-protecting spray is for you. Designed with dry, fine to medium-thickness hair types in mind, this detangling blow-dry spray helps reduce knots and increase smoothness when styling. After spritzing, we found our hair to be much easier to blow dry and didn’t develop frizz and kinks. The spray itself is fine and far-reaching, which means a little goes quite a long way. The brand describes it as having a milky texture, but we’d say it’s closer to water (or skimmed milk at a push), which nourishes hair without adding extra weight.
Buy if: You're searching for a lightweight and salon-scented mist
Avoid if: You have thick hair
RRP: £7.99 | Temp protection: Up to 220°C | Benefits: Smooths and nourishes curls, protection against UV rays
If you tend to use a diffuser on your curls, or want to straighten and wave with the best straighteners for curly hair without the risk of disrupting your natural curl pattern, this is worth a try. One spray of Imbue's alcohol and silicone-free formula yields a lot of product, which is great if your hair is thick like mine, but I imagine less ideal if it’s fine. For that reason, I’d say don’t spritz directly onto the hair when it’s dry, simply smooth with your fingers and distribute through when it’s damp using a wide-tooth comb. It smells delicious and has just enough stickiness to help encourage and hold your curls as an added bonus.
Buy if: You want to condition natural curls or for a product without silicones
Avoid if: You're looking to apply to your hair when dry
🚨 Also consider
While these were our experts' top nine picks, the team as a whole has tested dozens of heat protection sprays over the years, and there are a few more that we just had to mention...
- JVN Complete Conditioning Mist: A nourishing mist that comes in the most gorgeous chic bottle, this spray is packed with hair-loving ingredients like Hemisqualane and hyaluronic acid that condition and smooth hair as well as easing tangles in the hair to prevent too much pulling when combing or brushing. Our only drawback is that with all this moisture and nourishment comes a slight heaviness to the product that can weigh it down and make it look slightly greasy - especially if your hair is on the finer side.
- Matrix Total Results Mega Sleek Iron Smoother Heat Protection and Frizz Control Hair Spray: Arriving in a notably-sized 250ml bottle, this heat protectant works great at smoothing strands for a sleek, frizz-free finish. It also boasts a gorgeous salon-worthy scent that lingers in your strands throughout the day, which is an added bonus. However, we did find that it left a slight greasy residue when spritzed onto dry strands, which meant it didn’t quite make the cut for this guide.
- Revlon UniqOne Coconut Hair Treatment: We have to give credit where credit’s due, the Revlon UniqOne Coconut Hair Treatment not only does a stellar job at protecting your strands from heated styling, but also helps to effortlessly detangle strands, control frizz and boost softness and shine - amongst many other benefits. However, it missed out on a place in this guide due to its thick and creamy formula that's dispersed using a heavy mist, which can be fairly messy and leaves dry hair looking greasy.
How we tested the best heat protection sprays
The heat protection sprays we tested for this guide
To put each heat protection spray to the test, our experts used them on either wet hair, dry hair or both - whatever the instructions advised. To keep the testing fair, we made sure to use the same shampoo, conditioner and hair styling products with every heat protection spray, in order to avoid other products from swaying the results. Of course, after spritzing each heat protectant spray onto our strands, we then used the same hair dryer and straighteners to style our hair.
Throughout the review process, we assessed the following factors: each
- The weight of the formula - was it was a light mist or heavy spray? Did it cover hair easily or collect in one area? Did it sit nicely on hair or make it feel heavy or greasy?
- How it felt - Was it unnoticeable and comfortable to wear? Or did it make hair feel sticky?
- How well it absorbed - How well did the hair dry after using? It's important not to use heated tools on wet hair, so hair has to dry well after using a spray.
- Results - was hair dry or nourished after use? Did it look shiny and healthy? Did it feel light and swishy?
- Scent
- Price - did the user experience and results warrant the price?
How to choose a heat protection spray
If you're wondering how to choose the best heat protection spray for you and your hair type, we've noted down some factors that will help you make your decision...
- Your hair type: This will dictate the heat protection formula that’s best for you. For example, if your hair is very fine, you’ll probably prefer a product that is lightweight, whilst those with thick and dry hair will opt for an oil-based formula. Either way, “Everyone should use heat protection regardless of their hair type or curl pattern,” says hairdresser Michelle Sultan, Creative Director at Imbue .
- The level of protection: With the majority of hair straighteners reaching a temperature of around 220°C, you'll need a spray that protects against this level of heat. If you’re someone who opts for a lower heat setting on your hair dryer and tools, then you can get away with a lower level of protection.
- Scent: This can be a divisive one as people either they can’t get enough, or they find them headache-inducing. If you’re sensitive to scent, you might find it better to shop in-store so that you can give products a sniff first before making a purchase.
- Whether it's for use on damp or dry hair: Some heat protection sprays can be used on both damp and dry hair, while others are formulated solely for use on damp hair. It's wise to select the product based on the state your hair is normally in when you use heat on it.
- Price: Whatever beauty product we're testing, this is always an important factor. In this scenario, if your hair is damaged or brittle, you may want to invest a little more in your heat protectant choice.
- Other benefits: Many heat protection sprays go way beyond just protecting your strands. “They are also packed with ingredients to nourish the hair,” says Sultan. They can help to reduce and prevent frizz or add volume, for example.
Your FAQS about best heat protection sprays, answered
What do heat protectants do?
Heat can cause an array of damage, from increased breakage and brittleness to dryness and split ends, hairdresser Michelle Sultan, Creative Director at Imbue explains. "The tell-tale signs of heat-damaged hair are dry, brittle texture and a lack of shine," she says. For those with curly locks, heat can also alter your natural curl pattern, Sultan continues: "You’ll often be able to notice the damaged parts of curly hair where the curls don’t form properly and are flat and limp."
In order to not negatively impact your hair whilst still styling it, hairdresser Zoë Irwin, Creative Director at John Frieda Salons recommends investing in a heat protectant spray, she says: "Heat protectors add a thin, invisible protective layer over the hair which means increased glide when using electricals, as well as adding hydration and [improved] longevity and shine in your style."
Do heat protectants really work?
Yes, heat protectants create a shield between the heat from styling tools and your hair, working to prevent damage. “Heat protectant is important because it creates a barrier between your hair and the heat tool, as well as providing moisture and nourishment to prevent dry hair,” confirms Tyler Moore, Expert Stylist at Live True London
“When you heat style your hair, you break down the bonds within it, temporarily altering its shape. It can rapidly evaporate the moisture in your hair (especially when blow-drying), which can lead to excessive dryness and frizzy hair. Everyone who uses heat styling [tools] needs to use a heat protectant if they want to limit hair damage.”
Is it better to use heat protectant on wet or dry hair?
Whether your hair is wet or dry, there are no benefits to using a heat protectant in any specific way. It’s more of a personal preference depending on when and how you choose to style your hair, for example if you only use heat on it when blow drying after washing, it would be better to use a heat protectant that can be applied to damp hair. On the other hand, if you grab your heated tools on the daily, regardless of when you wash your hair, you’ll benefit more from a product that is designed to be spritzed onto dry hair, Sultan recommends: “If I’m going in with the hair straighteners again I’ll apply another layer of heat protectant.”
Make sure to spritz throughout your strands before applying any heat, Irwin adds: "I always think of using heat protectants like using moisturiser on the skin – you wouldn’t use foundation without this as it wouldn’t sit on the skin as well. I would never use styling tools on the hair without protecting it first." But it’s not only tools like the best hair dryers or hair straightening brushes that pose a problem – UV exposure from the sun has an impact, too.
It’s important to note that there are some heat protection sprays on the market that can be used on both damp or dry hair, while others only on damp – if you’re unsure, make sure to double-check the instructions label.
