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7 BEST ANTI-FRIZZ SERUMS HAIRSTYLISTS LOVE USING AT THE SALON

 

Meet their go-to anti-frizz serums for megawatt shine.

Anti-frizz serums are the trick many professional hairstylists use to finally eliminate frizzy hair, and our best overall pick starts at just $5. According to our experts, despite their slippery texture, anti-frizz serums are non-greasy. They also offer an extra layer of protection by smoothing hair, enhancing shine, and guarding your strands against sun exposure and heat damage — meaning you can skip purchasing an additional heat protectant spray.

And if you’re thinking you can eliminate frizz by wetting your hair, you’ll be disappointed that it’s just a common myth. “Water actually makes it frizzier, and that’s exactly why an anti-frizz serum is such a useful product to have on hand,” says Raven Hurtado, a hairstylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago.

HOW TO SHOP

To help you shop smart for your hair type, our beauty editor, Nicole Saunders, connected with a few hairstylists for their no-fail tips and anti-frizz serum recommendations. Aaron Grenia, co-founder of IGK Hair Care, Luis Pache, a celebrity colorist and co-founder of TO112, and Hurtado all suggest checking the ingredient labels and considering your hair texture and thickness when selecting the best anti-frizz serum for your needs.

Best Ingredients

According to our experts, anti-frizz serums with biotin and keratin help maintain healthy, strong hair while adding shine. Natural oils, like coconut found IGK CRYBABY Anti-Frizz Smoothing Serum and castor oil infused in HerStyler Castor Oil Hair Serum, moisturize and make your hair manageable. Hurtado's also a huge fan of argan oil hair products, such as the Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti-Frizz Serum, because they nourish and protect your hair from UV damage. They also suggest moisturizers, including jojoba oil, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter, which are all found in the Pureology Smooth Perfection Smoothing Serum.

Worst Ingredients

Hurtado suggests skipping anti-frizz serums made with silicones, sulfates, parabens, and mineral oil because they can cause product buildup, skin irritation, dry scalp, dry and brittle hair, and possible loss of hair.

Hair Texture and Thickness

Anyone with fine or thin strands should opt for lightweight anti-frizz serums to avoid potential product buildup and greasy hair. One way to ensure you don't weigh down fine hair is to opt for a spray that lightly mists out the anti-frizz serum, such as the Kérastase Discipline Anti Frizz Smoothing Spray.

“If you have dry, thick, coarse, or brittle hair, you can use anti-frizz serums on a daily basis since dry hair needs extra hydration. If you have finer hair, you should focus on applying the serum from mid to ends, then simply apply the leftover product you have in your palms on the top of your hair,” notes Hurtado.

Ready for gorgeous, frizz-free hair? Check out these anti-frizz serums, which are a mix of hair stylist-approved picks and options Saunders carefully vetted for their ingredient label, texture, smell, and user reviewers to ensure they're aligned with our expert's guidance.

BEST OVERALL

Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti-Frizz Serum
Garnier
 

Pros

Great for all hair textures
Cheap
Paraben-, silicone-, and sulfate-free
More than 15,000 five-star Amazon reviews
Works on damp or dry hair
A little goes a long way

Cons

Low stock at Ulta

Key Specs

• Rating: 4.6-star average from more than 20,100 Amazon reviews
• Standout ingredient: Apricot oil
• Size: 5.1 fl. oz.

If you're shopping for your first-ever anti-frizz serum and have a tight budget, this is the product for you. This Garnier product is a favorite of Hurtado's because it's incredibly lightweight and is compatible with all hair textures and densities, ranging from straight to coily, and fine to thick.

Additionally, Hurtado says it provides up to 48 hours of frizz-free protection thanks to the combo of apricot and argan oils. She also appreciates the flexibility of applying it to damp hair and heat styling or a small pump to dry hair for a final, frizz-free touch.

Need more reassurance it's the best budget-friendly anti-frizz serum? Thousands of Amazon reviewers can't stop using this affordable option, and several even consider it as effective as the $20 Biosilk Silk Therapy and the $27 Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum.

“I go from waking up looking like Medusa to a tamed sophisticated ponytail in just a few minutes whenever I use this product — all with very little effort. I’m a frizz monster by nature and approve of this product and its miraculous powers to make me look human,” jokes one Amazon reviewer.

BEST FOR FINE HAIR

CRYBABY Anti-Frizz Smoothing Serum
IGK

 

Pros

Nourishes dry ends
Conditioning and color-safe

Cons

Small bottle

Key Specs

• Rating: 4.4-star average from nearly 370 Amazon reviews
• Standout ingredient: Coconut oil
• Size: 1.5 fl. oz.

IGK's anti-frizz serum combines coconut and safflower seed oils with prickly pear cactus extract to help seal moisture and control frizz for up to 72 hours without weighing down fine hair. Plus, it boasts a refreshing coconutty tropical scent that will make you dream of a beach vacation.

It’s so lightweight and effective that one Amazon reviewer has been loyal to this anti-frizz serum for over a year. Other reviewers love it for its non-greasy feel and rave about its moisturizing abilities.

“I have very frizzy hair, and if it rains or it’s humid out, my hair goes out of control. Thankfully, this anti-fizz serum keeps it calm, and my hair never frizzes up when I use it,” says one 5-star Amazon review.

BEST FOR HAIR GROWTH

Castor Oil Hair Serum
HerStyler

Pros

Adds luster
Doubles as a product that helps grow your hair
Calms an irritated scalp
Smells incredible

Cons

Takes months for noticeable new growth

Key Specs

• Rating: 4.5-star average from more than 700 Amazon reviews
• Standout ingredient: Castor oil
• Size: 5.1 fl. oz.

Who doesn't want longer, stronger, and healthier hair? This anti-frizz serum contains several ingredients proven to help grow your hair, including Hurtado-approved castor oil that conditions and protects. It's also made with argan oil, which is universally loved by our pros because it contains vitamin E and scalp-soothing aloe vera.

One Amazon reviewer boldly declared the very lightweight serum as a "life-changing" hair product. To quote their enthusiastic 5-star review: "I put a small amount of this anti-frizz serum in my hair after I get out of the shower, and like magic, my hair has no more frizz! I only wish I had known about this years ago."

While all of the products on our list smell great, Amazon reviewers can't stop raving about its warm, earthy scent.

BEST FOR TEXTURED HAIR

Discipline Anti Frizz Smoothing Spray
Kérastase

 

Pros

Compatible with wavy, curly, and coily hair
Hair feels soft to the touch
Great to combat humidity

Cons

Slightly pricey

Key Specs

• Rating: 4.2-star average from nearly 80 Sephora reviews
• Standout ingredient: Morpho-keratine
• Size: 5.1 fl. oz.

Hurtado loves this spray anti-frizz serum because it's super lightweight, adds shine, and is excellent for chemically treated hair or those with dry, frizzy, wavy, curly, or coarse brittle strands.

"This product is such a lifesaver for those dreaded humid days. I use this on my clients looking for a soft, manageable style that'll last — and I apply it while the hair is still damp," says Hurtado. Its secret is the combination of castor oil and morpho-keratine, a proprietary tech that also restores hair's flexibility and eliminates frizz.

One Sephora reviewer says this is the only product that has saved their hair from the notoriously brutal Florida humidity, while another adds it detangles their 3C curly hair. "I use it every other day on my wet hair, and it's made my life so much easier when having to brush my hair. It smells amazing and really does work how it was intended to, and it doesn't even feel like I put anything into my hair," says their 5-star Sephora review.

BEST FOR THICK HAIR

Essence Absolue Overnight Nourishing Treatment
shu uemura
 

Pros

Fast-absorbing
Paraben-, formaldehyde-, and mineral oil-free

Cons

Pricey

Key Specs

• Rating: 4.6-star average from more than 300 Sephora reviewers
• Standout ingredient: Red camellia oil
• Size: 3.3 fl. oz.

We get it: $69 is a splurge for an anti-frizz hair serum, but Hurtado argues it is 100% worth the high price tag.

Beyond the enticing warm and spicy aroma, this deeply-hydrating serum contains red camellia oil to enhance shine and nourish dry hair. Given its thicker consistency, Hurtado says it's ideal for straight to curly hair textures and for medium to thick hair densities.

"This ant-frizz serum adds hydration and moisture overnight, which makes your hair less frizzy and soft. Plus, it's great if you're in a rush in the mornings and don't have much time to spend on your hair. For an extra boost of deep hydration, you can also use a silk scarf or a hair bonnet," she says.

One Sephora reviewer likes to detangle their wet hair after shampooing, apply a dime-sized pump to their strands, and go to bed. “I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary, but when I ran my fingers down my hair the next morning, I was surprised by how soft it felt. Much to my relief, my usual morning frizz was also gone,” says their 5-star review.

BEST FOR COLOR-TREATED HAIR

Smooth Perfection Smoothing Serum
Pureology

Pros

Works with all textures and medium to thick hair
Vegan formula is sulfate-free

Cons

Strong scent

Key Specs

• Rating: 4.7-star average from more than 50 Sephora reviews
• Standout ingredient: Shea butter
• Size: 5.1 fl. oz.

Hurtado adores everything about this anti-frizz serum, most notably that its gentle and safe formula won’t strip color-treated hair. In fact, she says it enhances your color while adding shine. “You can apply it while your hair is damp or dry, and a little goes a long way,” she says of this sweetly scented anti-frizz serum.

Sephora reviewers also consider this their OG anti-frizz serum because it combines nourishing camellia and softening shea butter with xylose, a noteworthy heat protectant.

One reviewer used this serum for 2 months and called it a “must buy for any girl,” while another Sephora reviewer who recently got curtain bangs says it’s essential for styling their new fringe. “This stuff keeps all the baby hairs nice and flat. Plus, my hair feels super soft after my hair is dry,” says their 5-star review.

BEST FOR NORMAL HAIR

Lime Clove Serum
To112
 

Pros

Gives your hair some shine
Lightweight
Unique fragrance

Cons

Not conditioning enough for thick or coily hair

Key Specs

• Rating: 4.9-star average from 7 reviews on To112
• Standout ingredient: Jojoba oil
• Size: 4.5 fl. oz.

Naturally, Pache suggests an anti-frizz serum he helped create, but we’re impressed that it’s lightweight and contains some of our favorite ingredients: argan, jojoba, and tamanu oils. “Jojoba oil is a great partner to those oils because the molecule is slightly larger, so it tackles larger holes in the cuticle to help smooth down the hair shaft surface,” explains Pache.

We also appreciate its unique fragrance profile of citrus top notes, citronella java middle notes, and base notes of clove spice.

“This serum is my favorite styling product. I use it after blow drying my hair, giving it shine without looking greasy or weighing down my hair. It smells amazing and keeps my dry ends feeling soft and healthy looking,” says one 5-star review.