90% of Anti-Frizz Products Weigh Down My Fine Strands—This Hair Milk Is the Only Exception

As a beauty director with over 10 years in the industry, can I give you a bit of hair advice? No formula will give you the results you crave if you haven't figured out your hair type first.

I speak from experience. At first glance, you might not think my hair is thin, but I actually have high porosity hair with very fine individual strands. This means my hair cuticle opens easily, which not only allows water to absorb more readily, but also makes my hair lose moisture quickly. The result is a frizzy, tangled mess. But if I style my hair like other wavy-haired girls on the internet, it looks greasy and lifeless.

At this stage in the game, I know what works for my natural 2C hair texture. Mousse and gel are great for lightweight volume and lift; oils help break up crunchiness (when used sparingly) and work as a deep conditioning treatment; and hair creams and milks are a no-go. But when Davines asked me to test the new reformulation of its Essential Haircare regimen, I was intrigued.

The brand re-introduced its Essential Haircare collection with new, enhanced formulas that include Regenerative Organic Certified active ingredients like apple pulp and lupin extract, and bio-circular packaging made from natural, renewable resources that can be easily recycled. I appreciate it when a brand makes strides to improve on something that's already great and reduces its environmental impact, so I decided to test the products out.

Best for Fine, Frizzy Hair: LOVE Smoothing Lightweight Milk

A common misconception is that fine strands equal thin hair, which isn't the case! You can have a head full of fine strands that give you the overall appearance of thickness. The key is testing your hair type to understand how to get the results you want.

To test if you have fine hair, hold an individual strand between your fingers and roll it like you would a piece of thread. If you can barely feel the strand, you likely have fine hair. If the strand is coarse or obvious to the touch, you have thick hair. For anything in between, your hair is a combination of fine and coarse.

As I mentioned above, I don't normally recommend smoothing milks for fine hair as they tend to weigh the strands down. In fact, I purposefully tested the LOVE Smoothing Lightweight Milk on a wash day in case it made my strands look greasy—but I was pleasantly surprised.

The product's spray nozzle makes it easy to spritz directly onto your hair, but I suggest spraying it on your palms and rubbing them together to evenly disperse the product first. I only applied it to the ends, where my hair is the most damaged, and I was impressed by how much softer and silkier they felt. The product calmed my frizz without making my strands look greasy, and the flip I added to the end of my bob remained intact—no product weigh down!

I'm giving it bonus points for the lovely smell (almost like fresh laundry!), the heat protection (up to 446°F), and the apple pulp extract formula that kept my hair smooth, healthy, and moisturized.

Best for Brittle, Coarse, or Processed Hair: NOUNOU Oil

I'm all for using an oil on fine hair as a leave-in treatment for added moisture, but this product is really best for anyone with coarse hair or curls ranging from 3A-4C.

In this new formulation, the oil uses lupin seed extract derived from Italy, and contains proteins, polysaccharides, and fatty acids. These ingredients help repair, strengthen, lock in moisture, and improve resilience, while also providing heat protection up to 446°F.

For damaged hair of all types, use this as a leave-in treatment focusing on the scalp and ends every 2-3 washes. Lower porosity hair types—which have closed, healthy cuticles that resist moisture absorption and take longer to get wet or dry—may be able to use this oil more often, but test a dime-sized amount on the ends first.

Best for Long Hair With Split Ends: MELU Serum

If you have long, high-porosity hair, you're likely no stranger to split ends. The more the cuticle opens up, the more prone it is to damage and tangling. This can make growing your locks out a bit of a nightmare, but as someone who has managed to keep her hair healthy while wearing it long, there's hope! You just need to focus on minimizing heat damage and using a product that targets breakage, like the MELU Serum.

The Italy-sourced black chickpea extract contains polysaccharides to create a protective film on the ends, sealing the cuticle and making the hair appear instantly healthier on the outside. It also contains antioxidants to strengthen the hair from the inside out.

With nine curated ranges for every hair type, from curls to blondes, there’s something designed to support every unique hair need. Elevate your routine with the Essential Haircare collection at Davines salons, us.davines.com and Sephora.com.