The Best Air-Dry Products For Curly Hair Help Streamline My Wash Day Routine
Because diffusing my type 4 curls can be exhausting.
I air dry my type 4 hair about 90 percent of the time, and honestly…I have no idea why. It takes forever to actually fully dry, especially if I did a twist-out or braid-out; since it takes so long, I almost always end up sleeping on wet hair; and to top it all off, the results can be, well, mixed. “Air drying can be unpredictable for people with curly hair,” says Dereq Clark, an Atlanta-based pro hairstylist and Wella ambassador. “Frizz, uneven curl patterns, and shrinkage are all concerns and challenges. Without control, curls dry how they want, not how you really want them to.”
The keyword there being control. Because when you do it right—with the proper technique, some patience, and of course, the perfect products—you can actually get diffuser-level results on air-dried curly hair. (Or close to it, anyway.) “It’s all about moisture and control,” says Clark.
When picking out your products, keep an eye out for “humectants to hydrate, oils to seal, and something lightweight for hold,” he says. “If it doesn’t lock in moisture, it’s not doing enough and won’t help control curls as they air dry.” On the technique and patience front, Clark recommends styling the hair while it's soaking wet—and, once you’ve got all your oils and creams in place, trust the process and keep your hands out of your hair: “The more you mess with your curls while they dry, the more frizz you will create,” he notes.
Ready for your best air dry curls ever? Scroll on to discover 10 products that can help you achieve the bouncy, shiny, air-dried curls.
Lovely Leave-Ins
Your air dry routine starts right in the shower, via leave-in products designed to keep as much moisture as possible in your hair—with added benefits, of course.
This lightweight (dare I even say…weightless) leave-in contains hyaluronic acid—the Beyoncé of hydration—along with babassu and murumuru, which help lock in said hydration. It serves as a great primer for oils and styling products, and for finer hair types, it might even provide enough definition on its own.
Air drying might be easier on your strands than heat styling, but it’s still nice to cover all your bases in the fight against damage. Olaplex No.5L is like a ‘lil gym routine for your hair, working to strengthen it by rebuilding bonds and mending split ends. Plus, it contains ingredients like amino acids, panthenol, and glycerin to help increase moisture and make detangling easier.
Curly Creams
Curl creams are kind of the perfect styling in-between, in my opinion: You get more definition than you would with a standard styling or air dry cream, but more moisture (and less crunch) than most gels can provide.
This cream delivers that shiny, defined cast that I previously thought only gels could provide—but, since it is a cream, there’s none of the stiffness. It works well on my wash-and-gos, but I find it (and creams in general) especially ideal for twist-outs and braid-outs.
A lightweight, flexible formula filled with moisture-retaining hyaluronic acid and lactic acid, along with plenty of vitamins, this styling cream has many jobs—among them, heat protection, in case you do decide to pick up the diffuser. But even if you don’t, “frizz control” is right there at the top of her resume, too.
Magic Mousses
Like creams, mousses can help define your curls and coils without weighing them down. But make no mistake: Despite the lack of heft, they can still provide great shape.
Search the natural hair subreddit, and you’ll find scores of mentions of The Doux. And for good reason: The brand’s products are as hydrating and moisturizing as they are cheekily named. Mousse Def is particularly popular, beloved for how soft it leaves curls and the lack of flakes and residue.
Cécred dropped its first suite of styling products back in March, and there really isn’t a miss among them. A major selling point of The Wrap & Set Foam—which can be used for molded and protective styles alike—is its frizz control and humidity-fighting, courtesy of the brand’s StemSheild Complex. Bonus points: It smells amazing, as do all the other products in the collection.
Repairing Oils
Apply oil before you wash to help detangle, during or after the shower to lock in water's hydration, or add some to your dry hair for a little extra shine.
Clark’s oil of choice “for sealing, silky shine, and frizz control without weighing curls down,” this Wella offering provides UV protection (because even if you aren’t heat styling, the sun is still very much a thing) and has a really lovely fruity-floral fragrance.
The curl-friendly sister to the cult classic Ghost Oil, Curl Oil features a trio of oils that are very familiar to curlies—sweet almond, argan, and castor—as well as SunFlower Curl Complex, a proprietary blend that helps with detangling. I love adding a few drops to my afro when I’m way overdue for wash day; it makes it much easier to shape and zhuzh it up a bit.
Helpful Tools
When it comes to combating frizz and reducing breakage, what you put on and around your hair can be just as important as what you put in it. The right tools will help you put up a good fight.
The cardinal rule of curly and/or coily hair: Do not dry it with a regular old hair towel. The friction created by the cotton fibers basically guarantees frizz. While many of curlies opt for old t-shirts (to great results), I’m personally all about a microfiber towel. The Aquis towel in my selfie is unfortunately out of stock, but I love this DevaCurl option, too.
Celebrity hairstylist Vernon Francois recently put me on some game that I will now generously share: If you have textured hair and a lot of it, consider sectioning with hair ties instead of clips. It’ll help you create cleaner sections that are easier to work with and disperse product through.
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Meet the Expert
Dereq C. Clark is an acclaimed Atlanta-based hair artist, educator, and North American Ambassador for Wella Professionals. Known for his expertise in dimensional color, textured hair, and precision cutting, he specializes in transforming looks with techniques like "The Dereq C Tousle" and "Designer Cut"
