Gone are the days when the hot, humid weather translates to godawful hair. With the right products these days, you can look like you just stepped out of the salon, 24/7. From hairspray to styling wax and even a powder, here are some anti-frizz contenders we’ve tried so you don’t have to. Read on to find out which ones deliver.
Goldwell Ultra Volume Dust Up, $26
This multi-use volumizing powder – which promises to create instant body, boost texture and add grip – really works! It gives height and volume, and has a FlexPROtec complex that contains UV filters to provide colour and heat protection. Its water-based formula means you can easily wash it out with shampoo too. The downside is that it’s a bit like hair spray: sticky. For a special event, however, it would be great. – Rebecca Bisset
KMS Conscious Style MultiBenefit hairspray, $44
I’m usually a wash-and-go kind of girl. However, now that I’m trying to grow my hair, I am making an effort to look “put-together”. Being mixed race (Danish/Filipino), I don’t have that beautiful Asian silky smooth hair, nor do I have full thick European hair! What I do have is frizzy, dry and fine hair. The struggle is real.
So I was very excited to try this spray. Apart from achieving that fullness that every girl wants, it also makes your hair super smooth. Even though I don’t blow-dry my hair every day (who has time for that?), I still use this KMS spray on almost-dry hair and it gives my hair more texture and brings out my natural waves.
I really like this product and now my daughter has gotten her hands on it. When she straightens her hair with a flat iron, it works really well because it protects her hair from heat. This product is great as it’s free from sulphates, silicones, microplastics, mineral oils, dyes and artificial colourants.
– Susan Knudsen-Pickles
Goldwell Stylesign Creative Texture Dry Boost (spray), $36; Matte Rebel (clay), $35
Whether I keep short or long hair, I never seem to be able to outgrow the baby hair! So far, styling wax and clay have worked very well in taming these tiny strands, but they tend to make my hair look heavy and weighed down.
Using these two Goldwell products, the baby strands stay down while my hair remains bouncy and light. Even if I’m dining alfresco in a strong breeze, the hair styling holds; so you can retain a glam look when you’re out.
When I need a bit of lift, I use the hairspray alone. It leaves my hair cascading down in a soft floaty manner while still giving it volume. I like using the styling clay before my workout sessions – it keeps all the smaller stray strands off my face, regardless of the amount of perspiration I work up!
I prefer the spray as it adds a light wavy bounce to my tresses, which makes me feel put-together despite little effort. However, the nozzle of the spray isn’t easy to handle – you have to press down with force and that can result in way more spray than you need. You may need to quickly wave the bottle around your crown, even with just a short spritz.
– Patricea Chow
KMS Conscious Style Styling Putty, $46
When I first saw this, I thought it would be similar to other styling putties: that is, it would make my hair stiff and be better suited to short hair. I have hair extensions and my hair is also quite dry from the constant blow-drying and straightening.
The putty has a nice texture, and a small amount goes a long way. I used this on my towel-dried hair, working midway down to the ends before blow-drying in place of my usual oil. After blow-drying and straightening, I used a small amount on my fingertips to smooth through the flyaway ends – it has a matte finish so I liked the end result a lot more than the oil-based products that I use, which sometimes give a bit of a greasy finish. It’s also sulphate-free, which is great for those with hair extensions.
This is now one of my new favourite products and I will definitely be buying it again when my supply runs out!
– Jacqui Young
Goldwell Curls & Waves, $33
This product is supposed to be suitable for all hair types and create curly or wavy styles that last. I thought this would be a good one for fighting the frizz and holding the curl together, but it didn’t work on my hair. It makes my hair seem quite stiff. I do have pretty curly hair, so maybe it’ll work better on someone who has straight hair that needs a bit of curl!
– Rebecca Bisset
This article first appeared in the December 2021 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe, so you never miss a copy!
Louisa Lim
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