The 10 Best Blow Dry Creams Give Me Heat Protection, Silky Strands, and Va-Va-Voom Volume
They're basically a hero product.
If you think the most important part of a blowout is the actual heat, you aren't far off. That's definitely a big part of it—and why I'm committed to finding the best hot tools on the market for you to play with—but I've figured out that the product you use between shower time and Dyson Airwrap time can actually make or break your look. The product in question? A blow dry cream.
"A blow dry cream is the secret to the best, smoothest, shiniest blow dry of your life. It’s a product you apply to your towel-dried hair after washing," explains Taylor Murphy, hairstylist and beauty expert at Made and Taylored. "I’d argue it’s the most important product you can use on your hair if you are planning to blow it dry." Perfect for anyone who regularly uses a hair dryer, a blow dry cream provides heat protection and frizz control. If you have finer hair (like moi!), you can also count on the right product to add a little volume.
Ahead, discover the blow dry creams I reach for when I decide to up the ante on my get ready process. If I'm reaching for a hair dryer, it's guaranteed I'm reaching for one of these formulas, too.
My Favorite Blow-Dry Creams
As Murphy explains, "Blow dry creams are great for anyone who regularly heat styles their hair and wants a smoother, healthier-looking finish." Whether you're in the market for heat protection, frizz-fighting benefits, a little volume, or all of the above (the correct answer is all of the above!), these formulas come highly recommended.
As someone with limp strands, "full" is a hair term that's music to my ears. Living Proof didn't have to do much more to sell me on this blow dry cream, but the brand kept the good news coming by offering a lightweight formula with heat protection that's shown to deliver 30 percent thicker-looking hair. A touch of hydrolyzed cornstarch is also on hand to provide some light oil absorption, so your style lasts longer.
Using an Innersense product always makes me feel like I'm having a smoothie with my besties at Urth Caffe (it's those affirmations in the names, obviously)—but that's not the only reason I love the brand. This clear cream is almost gel-like in consistency and formulated with honey and aloe to lift your roots and boost volume. Once I'm done playing with my blow dryer brush, I have the shiniest strands in all the land.
Expert-Approved
If you're ever wondering what specific styling products to pick up, it never hurts to ask your hairstylist. They know your hair—its wants, needs, and desires—almost as well as you do. Or simply look to the expert approvals I've gathered here—they won't steer you wrong.
Murphy's current favorite blow dry cream is Briogeo's Farewell Frizz. "It provides heat protection up to 450 degrees but also gives the perfect amount of hold so your blow dry lasts all day," she says. "Make sure to apply a dime-size amount into your palm and work the product into your hands first before raking it through your hair. Apply the product from mid-lengths to ends, avoiding the root area to prevent losing volume or making your roots look greasy. Pro tip: a little goes a long way. Start small to avoid heaviness!"
Of course, the blowout tool company has a great blow dry cream. The technology here is as brilliant as you'd expect—just look at the hero ingredient: chitosan. "With the chitosan, what we were finding is it coats the hair strand by strand and creates its own structure around those so they can still move freely, still have that bounce, have that natural movement, and really enhance that style rather than take away from it," Dyson's Senior Design Manager and Product Leader, Robyn Coutts, previously told Marie Claire.
Frizz-Fighting
While any blow dry cream will probably help tone down frizz, there are some that do an especially good job. They're made for the task. "If your hair is not properly prepped before a blow dry, it’s very common to get a frizzy mess because your hair is lacking hydration," explains Murphy. "A blow dry cream will help reduce that frizz by adding moisture, smoothing the cuticle, and providing a bit of structure during the drying process. This all results in softer, shinier, bouncier looking hair."
Here's another blow dry cream that I would happily put under my all-time favorites list. Like all Virtue's products, this frizz-fighting formula contains Alpha Keratin 60ku, a healing protein that's virtually identical to the very same keratin that makes up 90 percent of hair. It helps repair damage every time I use it and makes my hair look and feel so very smooth, even when I forgo the round brush in favor of an I-have-to-get-out-the-door-quickly blow dry.
I think this is the chicest blow dry cream on the market. That black bottle and the name (Netsu is the Japanese word for heat) really sell it. But it works wonders, too. Billed as "a styling primer that provides long-lasting shape memory and workable hold," this lightweight cream will protect hair from heat up to 450 degrees while delivering the sleekest finish.
Spray-On Options
Not a cream person? No biggie. There are plenty of spray-on blow dry cream options on the market that provide all the same benefits without having to get your hands all sticky.
Being able to mist on hair repair, heat protection, a faster blow-dry time, and a healthier-looking blowout sounds like wishful thinking. But it's just the Olaplex way. Humidity-resistant and heat protective to 450 degrees, you won't find stiff or sticky strands after spraying this baby on and going in with your dryer—just soft, bouncy, happy hair.
Another product name I'd love my hair to be described as: "Brooklyn bombshell." Amika's colorful addition to the blow dry product lineup also protects hair from heat up to 450 degrees, plumps up strands, and adds weightless volume and body with zero buildup. Enjoy that crunch-free finish, and of course, the smell. So amika.
Drugstore Faves
If you only have a few dollars to drop on a blow dry cream, that is more than okay. What matters most is that you're using one. Per usual, there are tons of great drugstore finds out there—here are a couple of the best.
Ringing up just under $20, Nexxus's MVP Styler Multitasking Cream boasts "7-in-1 styling power" and can be used for your air dry, blow dry, or post-blow dry styling needs. No matter how you utilize it, it'll help you smooth, illuminate, moisturize, protect, sculpt, nourish, and define your precious hair with 450 degree heat protection and up to 48 hours of frizz control.
This stuff works like a charm, and that price can't be beat. Another "use it when you need it" cream, All Eyes on Me is formulated with nourishing argan oil, squalane, and sunflower extract to keep your strands happy and healthy, no matter what styling adventures are in store. Use it to prep for a shiny, bouncy blowout and feel secure knowing your hair is perfectly (and affordably) protected.
Why Trust Marie Claire
For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.
Meet the Expert
A salon owner with over a decade behind the chair, Taylor has built a loyal audience by blending professional hairstyling expertise with a fashion-forward point of view and honest beauty commentary. As the founder of Made and Taylored Salon, she is known for breaking down viral hair trends, debunking misinformation circulating online, and helping audiences understand what actually leads to healthy hair.
