We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. Eva NYC's Lazy Jane Air Dry Shampoo gives you a tousled, textured look without any heat tools or frizz. The formula is powered by hemp seed oil and sea lavender — Omega-3-, Omega-6-, and antioxidant-rich ingredients which lock in moisture and soften your tresses.
I have been using this (along with Eva NYC's Lazy Jane Conditioner and Salt-Free Wave Spray) and they've been a game changer!! Most days, my hair can't decide if it wants to be straight, wavy, or even slightly curly and since I work from home, I don't bother blow-drying, straightening, or curling it myself — I just let it do its thing. This trio of products gives me body, enhances my hair's texture, prevents frizz, and just makes it much more manageable!
Promising review: "Smells AMAZING! It's definitely given my hair the body I was looking for. It feels clean and light with my thin hair. It gives it the volume it needs and I think it's my fave shampoo so far." —Linzy B.
2. Bumble and Bumble's Don't Blow It Air Dry Styler was made with fine hair in mind, so if other formulas have let you down with their weightiness, give this baby a go! The hydrating cream offers UV protection and enhances your natural texture with lightweight polymers that leave your coif nice and airy.
Promising review: "This is a staple in my straight hair routine — I've used it for years and have stopped blow-drying entirely. Requires almost no product (lasts a year); just make sure to scrunch it in from the bottom. I brush with a vented Denman while it dries. I have a bit of a cowlick on my crown that I struggled with for years — I can actually use the weight of my wet hair while it dries to control it. If they ever discontinued it, I would literally die. Recently added their primer and my hair is baby soft!" —histerica
3. Elizavecca's Collagen Coating Hair Protein Treatment works just like a hair mask to repair your locks in five minutes flat. The Ceramide 3- and collagen-packed formula repairs all types of hair whether you've got over-processed tresses or 4c hair that's susceptible to dryness. Reviewers even say the $8 product is comparable to Olaplex No. 3!
Promising review: "I bought this based on a review in a BuzzFeed article. I have long, thick, curly hair and use this maybe once a week. I get a ton of compliments every time and I absolutely love the way my hair feels afterwards. So amazingly soft. I use it in the shower and usually wash my hair and then towel dry it. I put a small amount in my hair, mostly on the roots. Let it sit while I shave my legs and then rinse it out and comb through with a wide tooth comb. I allow my hair to air dry and bam, amazing hair. This will forever be part of my hair routine now." —m. damocles
Get it from Amazon for $7.70.
Read our review of Elizavecca CER-100 Collagen Coating Hair Protein Treatment to learn more about why one BuzzFeeder calls it, "the miracle product I've been searching for."
4. Curlsmith's Weightless Air Dry Cream has been dubbed a "holy grail" product by reviewers managing postpartum hair loss, uncontrollable frizz, mixed curl patterns, and dehydrated manes. If you're looking for a protein-free styling product, give it a go, bb!
Promising reviews: "My hair has become increasingly curly as I've aged (don't ask!) and I've tried many curl products. Some work, others, not so much. But I do love this leave-in curl cream, as it accentuates my 2c/3a curls, which is exactly what I want! It's easy to use in the shower, doesn't require a huge amount of product and never feels crunchy, oily, or flaky." —Aura
"I misplaced this product for two days and had to revert back to my old stuff, I then realized just how much of a game changer this is! I will NEVER use anything else. I don't even need gel. This defines and hydrates my hair like nothing else could! My curls are healthy, shiny, bouncy, defined, and best of all…NO FRIZZ. Worth the price. Get it, get it, get it!" —Mary
5. OGX's Locking + Coconut Curls Air Dry Cream is an A+ scrunch-and-go option if you're looking to create a low-lift routine. Click through just some of the 7,000+ 5-star reviews and you'll also find that users were able to cut out super-expensive products in favor of this $8 miracle worker!
Promising review: "I found this product mentioned in an article about air-drying waves and curls. I am always looking for a great 'stay-at-home' styling product and with the excellent price point, I thought I would give it a shot. WOW! This styling cream is fantastic! My waves were soft and springy and my hair was super shiny. I am SO in love with it, that it may well replace some VERY expensive products from the salon. As an aside, it doesn’t add any volume, of course, but if you need volume, I found that it plays well with a texturizing spray." —Nilene Thompson-Finn
Get it from Amazon for $8.39.
6. JVN's Complete Hydrating Air Dry Hair Cream lets your natural texture shine. The soft, buildable cream enhances waves and curls, protects your hair from UV damage, and softens your locks with a mix of squalane, chia seed extract, and moringa seed oil. In the words of JVN himself, "Can you believe?"
Promising review: "I have thick, dry, and frizzy hair. When I air dry it without any product, it gets super puffy, the texture feels a little rough and looks pretty much dead. When I read that it smoothes frizz and softens the hair while giving it shine, I was ecstatic!! It did not disappoint! I applied a good amount because I have a lot of hair and it's very long. It has a good scent that's not too overpowering and a cream-like texture. It definitely tamed the frizz and gave some life to my hair. The moringa oil in this gave my hair some shine. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone with the same issues as myself. My hair — once fully dried — looked very nice and semi styled!" —yessystruth
7. Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Soft Waves Spray bills itself as "summer hair in a bottle" and reviewers are apt to agree. Dead Sea salt, sea kelp, and aloe combine to create perfectly tousled waves that'll have you taking a selfie or two. And did I mention it's only $7?!
Promising review: "I've been trying to not use the straightener on my hair so I've been braiding it at night when it's wet to try and give it that beach waves type of look. It was alright looking, but then I discovered this stuff. It not only made my hair look way better without giving it that caked-in hair product look, but it also smells AMAZING." —Danielle
Get it from Ulta for $6.99 or get a pack of three from Amazon for $14.37.
8. Verb's Ghost Oil has reviewers raving. Comb through the 5,000+ 5-star reviews and you'll find plenty of people saying that 2–3 drops of this applied from roots to ends gives them body, fullness, and a polished look without any heat tools or extra effort because the latter is what we're all really trying to avoid...
Here's BuzzFeeder Elizabeth Lilly's stamp of approval:
"I got turned onto this stuff after some colleagues put it in stories and after trying just about every hair oil out there, I can assure that this is the good stuff. It's great for finishing off your look after heat styling (like with a curling iron or straightener) or helping your hair calm down post-blow-drying. Or, as this story suggest, it's great for putting in your hair before air drying. I always keep a bottle in my medicine cabinet!"
Promising review: "Verb is absolutely KILLING the game. Omg I am actually so happy with this purchase. I’m Filipino, and we typically have thick, coarse hair. Unfortunately I have an ungodly amount of frizz that I was looking to get rid of. This definitely does the job!!!!" —Avavalentinn
9. Neutrogena's Anti-Residue Shampoo comes in clutch if you often turn to dry shampoos and oils to extend the life of your 'do. One wash with this will eliminate styling product build up and get you back to a place where you can effortlessly air dry.
Promising review: "OK, never understood what they hype was all about! However...I was going to get a treatment done on my dry and lifeless hair, and needed to use clarifying shampoo. I decided to purchase this one based on reviews. I used it, and did NOT apply conditioner. I waited for my hair to air dry and OMG. I was completely loving my hair. It looked amazing! I loved it so much, I delayed my hair treatment for a week. My hair was soft, sexy, and looked very, very, VERY healthy. I told all the girls at work, because I never want this item discontinued. Every time I love something, it gets discontinued!!!! So everybody please buy this, it works, and is a great price. I think it's not meant for everyday use? However, it removes all the residue and crap from years of styling." —Friday Shopper
Get it from Amazon for $30.12.
10. Bread Beauty Supply's Hair Mask Creamy Deep Conditioner works on all hair types, but was really developed with curly and textured hair in mind! Australian Kakadu plum + starflower oil join forces to create a superrrr hydrating, but super lightweight formula.
And more from BuzzFeed shopping editor Kayla Boyd who is pictured above! "Bread Beauty Supply is an Australia-based, woman-owned business that was founded by Maeva Heim in 2020. This product works best for hair types 3a–4c. I recently started using Bread products and I really love how lightweight and easy they are to use. Since I have mixed textured hair that's been frequently dyed, it tends to get very dry. After using this deep conditioner my hair felt so much better and softer. In addition to that, the smell is A-MA-ZING. Definitely one of my new favorite wash day products."
Promising review: "Amazing product! Fantastic! I appreciate the fact that it's bigger than the shampoo, since I have a tendency to go through conditioner quite quickly, and I think this maximizes my use because 1) the size and 2) it's so effective that you don't need to use a lot of it. The texture is marshmallow-y and it smells amazing. (Froot Loops?) It isn't offensively strong either, and lingers pleasantly." —Irina G.
Get it from Bread Beauty Supply for $28.
11. BestLan's Hair Finishing Stick is just the trick if you went to bed with wet hair and now you have next-level flyaways. Apply the product with its mascara-like wand and you can tame any baby hairs that just won't cooperate.
If you have textured hair, this 24-hour edge tamer might work better! (But reminder: no one has to lay their edges — it's a personal choice!).
Promising review: "I’m in love with this product! I have a super curly hair that loves to frizz and now I can let it air dry and put it in a bun with no more flyaways. Thank god! It really isn’t crunchy at all and surprisingly it’s not greasy at all which is perfect for me with the curly hair! You won’t be sad you bought this!" —Karissa Chavez
Get it from Amazon for $6.99.
12. Kristin Ess's One Signature Hair Water with Castor Oil revives your day-old 'do with "Zip-Up Technology" — a proprietary complex that literally *zips up* splits ends and smoothes damaged cuticles so you can get up and go even if you have a raging case of bed head.
Promising review: "This stuff does everything. It detangles. It refreshes your 'do (especially if you have waves or curls). It makes a nice setting spray for rolling or curling your hair. It is a nice finishing touch after dry shampoo to give your hair a healthy bounce and make it smell nice. It's also good to use with a blow dryer to really set your curls in place. I love this product's versatility. This has helped tremendously with doing my 4-year-old's hair, (oh, there's ANOTHER good point!!) on top of everything else. I'm excited to see what other Kristin Ess products are just as stellar!! Pop it in your cart, you will not regret it." —Ulta Reviewer
Get it from Ulta for $11.
13. Living Proof's Perfect hair Day (PhD) In-Shower Styler couldn't be simpler to use and if that's not a selling point, idk what is. Run it through your locks after your regular ol' shampoo and conditioner (and give it a lil' rinse) and it'll leave your hair shiny, soft, and full of body-ody-ody.
Promising review: "This is my holy grail hair product. I have fine 2C hair and a lot of it. A little of this makes my hair look, smell and feel amazing. If I twist it a little while it’s air drying, my hair looks like I spent a bunch of time curling it. I’m surprised how this product allows so little effort to yield such a great result." —MeISFS
14. Ouai's Air Dry Foam detangles hair and creates instant waves with a lightweight, noncrunchy, kale-based formula. That way, you can save yourself hours of braiding and/or wrapping your head up in those heatless overnight curlers and just skip right to the results.
Promising review: "This is amazing! I’ve been searching my entire life for a product that will make my fine (but thick) barely 2a hair have curls, beachy waves, or at least some body. I’ve tried every sea salt and wave spray and this foam is the ONLY thing that’s ever done anything for my hair. And it is so good! So much body and so wavy! I almost have curls! And they stay until my next wash — even if it’s a few days!" —sarahlibb
15. Odele's Air Dry Styler works on all types of hair but reviewers with curls applaud its ability to gently condition and separate ringlets for bouncy, defined styles. At just $12, it also only costs as much as two lattes so what's the harm in trying it out??
Promising review: "This is the product I've been searching for! I have fine hair with loose curls that tend to form ringlets at the ends. I used to have to use multiple products and a diffuser to get the result I wanted, but now I just use this and am left with defined and bouncy curls that rarely frizz or droop. I love that I can also use it to touch up my hair when it's dry by mixing a bit with some leave-in conditioner. I'm not a fan of the scent, it's a bit too grassy for me, but it fades quickly and doesn't linger. It's truly been a game changer and totally simplified my routine. I hope they start offering it in the bulk size! It works better than any other product I've tried at any price point." —Lolajean
16. And Kitsch's Microfiber Hair Towel absorbs water five times faster than a regular towel so even if you shower in the morning and aren't about to blow dry your hair, you can still leave the house with a dry mane.
Kitsch is a woman-owned accessory brand that was founded in 2010. They also sell cute scrunchies, cloth face masks, satin pillowcases, and more.
Here's more from BuzzFeeder Elizabeth Lilly:
"I own this beaut in this pattern, a polka dot print, and a tropical leafy print. I swore by the Turbie Twist for awhile (which is closer to an actual towel) but this microfiber fabric is far gentler on hair. Plus it feels lighter on my head/neck, which is great news for someone like me taking lunchtime showers while working from home and putting off blow drying my hair for as long as possible. It has elastic along the edges that helps it wrap around my head comfortably, and a stretchy loop at the front that I can twist back and put on a large button at the back of my head. Suffice it to say, it's super user-friendly. I can easily throw it in the wash with the rest of my towels and hang it up on a bathroom door hook to let it dry between uses. I wish I bought three of these years ago."
Our colleague Kayla Boyd (pictured here!) also owns and loves this towel:
"I love this hair towel! It’s so easy to use and my hair dries so much faster than normal air drying. I haven’t touched my blow-dryer since I got this. My only recommendation is to wring out as much excess water from your hair as possible before putting the hair towel on, there’s only so much water it can handle. Other than that it’s cute, easy to use and super soft I highly recommend this!" —kathryn
Get it from Amazon for $17.99+ (available in 10 colors).
When someone says heat tools are the only way to have a good hair day:
