Besties, Your Hair Deserves Every One Of These Nourishing, Top-Tier Hair Care Products

Do not sleep on Sienna Naturals. The brand pleasantly surprised testers in a number of hair care categories, but the praise for the H.A.P.I. Shampoo ($18, Sienna Naturals), from the smell to the packaging, was impossible to ignore. “Sienna Naturals has one of the cutest bottles, but the shampoo itself is spectacular — it's smooth, rich, and smells amazing,” notes one tester. “Having curly hair is not easy, but Sienna Naturals makes it feel like it is. My hair not only smelled good, but felt smooth, moisturized, and clean.”

Considering our testers and I blew through our Pantene Hydrating Glow Conditioners ($6.99, Target) and instantly wanted more, I’d say this formula is the real deal. Part of the brand’s new Nutrient Blends collection, the Hydrating Glow Conditioner is the rain your dry, damaged hair needs, delivering the silky, smooth feeling you love without weighing your hair down.

When will a Briogeo hair mask not slap? The world may never know. Following in the footsteps of its bestselling Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask and the Be Gentle, Be Kind Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Superfood Mask, the brand has developed yet another winner: the Scalp Revival Charcoal + Tea Tree Cooling Hydration Scalp Mask ($32, Sephora). Using charcoal to draw out any impurities clogging your scalp and replacing them with a refreshing dose of hyaluronic acid, the formula quickly banishes any signs of dryness, itchiness, or flaking. Naturally, our testers loved it, and I’m sure you will, too.

The category was lightweight moisture, yet noticeable shine, and Cantu Beauty understood the assignment loud and clear. Emerging as the winner for our testers (and trust, the competition was steep), the brand’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Finishing Spray ($5.97, Walmart) is a triple threat, working as a leave-in conditioner, curl cream, and hair oil all in one. A prime pick for wavy, curly, and coily hair types alike, the spray delivers a measured dose of hydration to keep hair healthy, reviving shine and definition in the process.

You’ve probably seen Odele start filling the drugstore hair aisles, and if you’ve yet to try this brand, consider this your sign. The plant-based, nutrient-rich Dry Shampoo ($11.99, Target) comes in an easily dispensable powder form as opposed to an aerosol-based spray that can clog hair follicles or even make hair appear wetter. The powder quickly absorbs excess oil and boosts hair’s texture and volume to breathe new life into your second- or third-day (or fourth- or fifth-day) hair. Take it from one tester, who found a lot to love: “I found that [with the Odele Dry Shampoo] my hair looked cleaner longer than the other products I tried,” they said. “And I love that it's not super scented. It has a light, fresh scent, but it's not at all overwhelming — exactly what I look for in a dry shampoo.”

Blonde besties, this one’s for you. As a platinum blonde devotee for years, I feel like I’ve spent more time searching for solid blonde toning treatments than I have treating my hair to begin with, and few have compared to L’Oréal Paris’ EverPure Anti-Brass Purple Mask ($12.99, L’Oréal Paris). After leaving it in my hair for just a few minutes, the deep violet pigment neutralized any visible traces of yellow, and the compact packaging made it so that I didn’t have another huge bottle taking up space in my shower.

If your curls or coils have felt drier, frizzier, or less defined than usual, Urban Hydration’s Jamaican Castor Oil Curl Cream ($9.99, Bed, Bath & Beyond) might become your new go-to. The supremely affordable product uses a blend of moisturizing oils and butters to help curls feel smooth and flexible, while still holding their curl pattern. Post-application, Jamaican castor oil and avocado oil keep curls feeling strong, soft, and less prone to breakage.

What we’re not going to do is apply any heat to our hair without protecting it first. The Nexxus Prep & Protect Leave-in Spray ($9.99, Target) uses the brand’s proprietary PROTEIN LOCK system to form a barrier around the hair strand and protect its natural lipids. While this protects your hair from heat, the hyaluronic acid in the formula ensures your hair retains moisture over time. IRL, this spray left our testers’ hair “smelling so good and feeling so soft.”

If you’ve relied on your blow dryer or straightener for soft, frizz-free hair, R+Co’s Air Dry Creme ($29, R+Co) might change your tune — it did with our testers. Infused with hydrating watermelon extract, mango butter, and cold-sealing polymer, a dollop of this formula provides you with the same smoothness and shine of a fresh blowout, but with absolutely none of the potential heat damage.

No, you’re not losing it: scalp products have multiplied exponentially, but for good reason. Most often, a healthy scalp will lead to healthy hair. Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Scalp Scrub ($8.74, Walmart) has proven to be a top-tier option for our testers when it comes to texture, smell, and feel. Even better, it’s both affordable and produces near-instant results. This gentle scrub works well to rid your scalp of any buildup clogging your hair follicles while coating your head with a surge of hydration. The result: a bouncy, voluminous head of hair that’s not weighed down by excess oils.