Air Dry: Blow Dry & Style Products We Love

On any given day, I find myself without time to blow-dry and style my hair. Running late with burnt hair falls on the list of many things I do not need. To that end, I tested several products allow hair to air-dry, with varying results.

Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Leave-In Conditioning Cream ($4.99 at drugstores) uses a blend of apricot and avocado oil, along with vitamins B3 and B6, to tame coarse and frizzy hair. After a generous dollop of this light weight cream, my hair dried with pretty, natural waves – as opposed to stringy frizz.

Speaking of stringy frizz, Sebastian Whipped Creme ($16.99 at sleekhair.com) disappointed like no other. A fancy nozzle sprays the creme out gorgeously – it would look at home on a fancy sundae. When it applied to hair, however, it left my hair limp and slightly crunchy.


Shea butter, on the other hand, works wonders. Amikole’s Hair Butter ($11 at sheabutter.net) does the hair good as a leave-in conditioner or as a wash-out treatment. A little of this thick formula – containing rosemary, lavender, and bergamot essential oils – goes a long, long way to leaving hair glossy and soft.


Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Replenishing Hair Milk ($4.99 at drugstores) gets points for its delicious smell alone – it’s an easygoing beach vacation in a bottle. The soft lotion with both coconut milk and oil let my hair dry in long, shiny strands without any stiffness or clumping.


Loreal Professional Serie Expert Volume Expand Mousse ($17.25 at shampoonline.com) brings minerals into the game – with lovely results. Calcium crystals in this unique product give hair a boost. I reaped light, bouncy waves by applying this to damp hair.
While blow-outs look great, they take time and fry hair. Fortunately, four of the five products above save that time without sacrificing style.