Salon-level hairstyles are easier to create at home than you might think—especially with a little help from the best blowout creams. These conditioning pre-stylers can elevate your at-home styling sesh while delivering bounce, shine, and body, and some formulas even act as heat protectants, too. Using a leave-in product can also strengthen strands and deliver long-lasting moisture, leaving your hair healthier in the long run.
In short? Blowout cream is just as important as the blow-dryer you use or your drying technique, and you’ll want to take a look at the top products responsible for a shiny and voluminous ’do. Between your hair type and styling preferences, there’s a lot to consider before choosing a formula that works best for you. Lucky for you, we’ve gathered all of our favorite blow-dry creams below, with real reviews to back them.
A little goes a long way with this thickening blow-dry cream, meaning a bottle will last you a lifetime (or at least, a few months). We loved how fluffy and soft it left our hair, and found it performed especially well on fine hair—even injecting volume into the flattest of ’dos. You’ll only need about a dime’s worth of product to achieve your luscious look, and we recommend working the cream into damp hair, prior to styling.
For the ultimate smooth style, snag a set that includes two powerful blowout tools. This duo combines the best of both worlds with a satin-finish conditioning treatment and a mini turbo dryer, giving you a convenient way to moisturize your hair and protect it from thermal heat styling. Designed for both travel and at-home use, you can easily toss this product pair into your carry-on, or store it in your bathroom.
Tame frizz with this rich leave-in treatment, which ensures your hair is hydrated and smooth by infusing your strands with plenty of moisture and nutrition. Not only can you kiss goodbye to flyaways, but you can protect your hair from heat damage—up to 450°F. Talk about some serious damage control! “This makes my hair feel so soft and shiny and it smells amazing,” one reviewer writes. “I’ve always bought high-end products for my hair, and this is the first that actually tames my flyaways without feeling greasy!”
For a salon-worthy blowout, turn to this bonding formula. Its three-step professional system guarantees bouncy, healthy hair by creating new hair bonds, reconnecting existing bonds, and preventing damage before it begins. With a science-backed formula, this hair protector will deeply penetrate your strands to increase elasticity, strength, suppleness, and of course, compliments. If you consistently color your hair or use hot tools, consider trying this out.
Hair can get coarse or frizzy because of over-styling, but some hair is just naturally textured. With the help of this repairing styling cream, however, you can wrangle any flyaways that come your way. No matter how you like to style your hair, applying a small squeeze of this product to clean, damp hair will soothe strands and possibly even reduce how long you’ll have to blow-dry. “My drying time was reduced by about 30%,” writes one reviewer, who described her hair as 2C/3C curls. “There is a definite reduction in flyaways, and I noticed a slight change to my hair texture (for the better).” As for how long your ’do will last, other reviewers mention getting up to three days’ worth of looks in.
For those with oily hair, putting in product can sound counterproductive, but this blow-dry cream translates grease into healthy shine. Just using a little bit of this lightweight formula left us with a voluminous blowout that didn’t fall flat after the first day. It prevented our hair from getting oily while leaving behind a nice texture that lasted about two days. Though it doesn’t have an extreme amount of hold, we’re not complaining—it’s the ideal styling cream for frequent hair washers.
For the ultimate sleek and smooth style, reach for this blow-dry cream infused with argan oil. There’s a reason why “perfect” is in its name: After using just a pea-size amount of this luxurious formula, we found our hair to be incredibly glossy, and the nearly lacquered look had us truly feeling ourselves all the way until our next shower. There’s no greasy feeling and no flyaways, and it’ll take you months to use up the whole bottle.
With an irresistible blend of rosehip, argan, and coconut, this multitasking styling cream delivers a smooth, frizz-free finish by sealing the hair cuticle and protecting it from heat damage. Its moisturizing blend of nourishing oils helps lock in hydration while defending against frizz-inducing humidity—so your blowout lasts longer with minimal effort. “Prior to using this, I would never be able to let my hair air-dry without having to use heat on it,” writes one reviewer. “Now, with a little dollop of this, I can let my hair air-dry and it looks fabulous!”
Push aside any trauma from your ex’s all-in-one product preferences and opt for this five-in-one styling treatment, which does it all so you don’t have to. Powered by LIVING PROOF’s award-winning, patented molecules, OFPMA and PBAE, this formula helps balance all the benefits you need for beautiful, healthy hair. Before styling, add a touch of this treatment to your strands for added smoothness, volume, strength, conditioning, and protection from heat styling.
Straight, curly, or wavy? Whatever your hair type is, this styling cream adds a little luxury to every hair-wash day. With a gel-like consistency, this formula eliminates frizz to smooth your blowout and give your strands a healthy-looking luster. It also leaves behind a light citrusy smell users can’t stop raving about: “This styling cream is a game-changer,” one reviewer writes. “My hair dries faster and smoother. Smells wonderful also!” Hair that’s fragrant and flyaway-free? Sign us up!