Humidity Killed My Curls Every Summer, Until I Tried These Sprays

If I could spend every day of my life basking in warm, dry, 80-degree weather, I would do it in an instant. But as a born-and-raised East Coaster, the only summer I know translates to godawful hair—we’re talking huge, fluffy, frizzy, coarse, knotted curls. And while I’ve recently begun the “accepting voluminous hair into my life,” there’s nothing like summer’s humidity to whip control out of my hands and make me feel like an awkward middle schooler all over again. If that’s you too, I have good news. A new crop of anti-frizz hair sprays are hitting shelves this summer that promise to keep the effects of humidity at bay.

As with nearly everything in beauty, we’ve been burnt by this claim before. Traditional hairsprays revolve around the promise of keeping your style in place, which goes against the flow and movement that make curls so much fun. My dream is curls that are well-defined and bouncy, sexy, and soft, that still have some semblance of control. In 86 percent humidity, that’s a highly difficult ask. But new releases from Drybar, Oribe, and AG Hair all promise to be up to the task, thanks to formulas that draw on wax in a spray form. Wax itself has been around for decades, but where it was once reserved for gluey pomades and wet-look styles that require Kristen Stewart’s confidence to pull off, sprays offer the humidity-blocking hold that stylists love in pomades—but in an easy-to-use way.

I tested all the top anti-frizz contenders in the category and came away with three of the best new wax sprays. My new obsessions, ahead.

The Best Low-Hold Anti-Humidity Spray:
Drybar The Kicker Finishing Spray Wax, $26, sephora.com

I felt great about how my hair looked after dousing it in Drybar’s latest release, The Kicker. It’s a light, malleable, sweet-smelling wax spray with hold that I felt on my hair for about a minute before it absorbed like a thin layer of armor.

The early-summer weather in New York was bad—muggy, hot, and moist. It was one of those days when you step off the subway, sweat your way to the office, and then immediately feel your perspiration chill in the AC. I took my after photo (on right) after venturing outside for lunch, and all things considered, I was impressed. On my eager-to-poof curls, the thin layer of frizz was nothing compared to the undefined curl clouds I’d have seen otherwise.

The Best Medium-Hold Anti-Humidity Spray:
Oribe Flash Form Finishing Spray Wax, $42, bloomingdales.com

Like literally all Oribe products, the Flash Form spray wax smells incredible (the brand calls the scent Cote d’Azur, and I do want to go there). You can definitely feel the touted “fortifying polymer blend” and the wheat starch in the formula—to the touch, the wax did feel slightly stickier immediately after I sprayed it on. If you’re trying to build texture or looking for a wave spray, this would be the one to try, but I was relieved when the sensation eventually disappeared. Pro: It kept my curls defined and stopped the air’s moisture from penetrating.

The Best Heavy-Hold Anti-Humidity Spray:
AG Hair Dry Wax, $21, ulta.com

The “dry” moniker came through here, with AG’s option giving the heaviest hold of the three, plus a conditioning edge thanks to its coconut and seaberry oils. My hair was big to start with this day, so in a side-by-side comparison, it’s deeply impressive that I ended the day with volume that was nearly equivalent to the morning’s. Frizz did come for some of my curl definition, but given the sweat that was literally glistening on my face as I took the “after” in my sweatbox of an NYC apartment, I can’t fault the spray for that—sweat is an occupational hazard. I also need to note, the AG smells incredible. Each of the contenders smelled great, but something in the AG draws me most. It smells like your coolest camp counselor’s shampoo. I hope she’s proud of me.

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