Heat Protectants for Natural Hair

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  • 17 Best Heat Protectants For Natural Hair
  • Why Are Heat Protectants Important For Natural Hair?
  • What Kind of Heat Protectants Are Good For 4C Hair?

17 Best Heat Protectants For Natural Hair

1. HSI PROFESSIONAL Argan Oil Thermal Protector

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The HSI PROFESSIONAL Argal Oil Thermal Protector can be used on natural hair of any type. It contains the antioxidant-rich argan oil and shine-boosting vitamins A, B, C, and D that nourish the hair while creating a barrier between the hair strands and the styling device. This spray protects your hair from heat exposure up to 450°F.

It forms a weightless mist that is super-light and non-greasy and speeds up the drying time. The product can also be used as a leave-in serum for a smooth, glossy, frizz-free finish. This heat protectant can be used to reinvigorate, replenish, and repair damaged hair. It works on hair extensions as well.

Pros

  • Cruelty-free
  • Sulfate-free
  • Phosphate-free
  • Paraben-free
  • Color-safe

Cons

2. Kenra Platinum Blow-Dry Spray

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The Kenra Platinum Blow-Dry Spray provides intense thermal protection up to 428°F. It protects your hair from humidity and reduces damage and breakage. This spray decreases the blow drying time by 50%. It has a lightweight formula that smoothens, detangles, and softens your hair. This heat protectant minimizes frizz and resists humidity to make your hairstyle last longer.

Pros

  • Mineral-oil free
  • Unscented
  • Humidity-resistant
  • Nice fragrance

Cons

3. artnaturals Argan Oil Thermal Shield

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The artnaturals Argan Oil Thermal Shield provides heat protection up to 450°F and shields the hair from sun exposure and humidity. When sprayed on the hair, it forms a weightless mist that also works great as a leave-in conditioner. The thermal shield hydrates and nourishes your hair strands while protecting them from damage and dryness.

The argan oil in this product helps repair, restore, and grow hair, while the protein, natural herbal extracts, and vitamin E provide intense nourishment to your strands. This product also speeds up the drying time. It is suitable for all hair types, is perfect for curling and straightening, and can be used on fine or damaged hair.

Pros

  • Boosts shine
  • Paraben-free
  • Cruelty-free
  • Phthalate-free
  • Can be used as a leave-in conditioner

Cons

4. GIOVANNI 2chic Ultra Sleek Flat Iron Styling Mist

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This hairspray by GIOVANNI is an intensely moisturizing styling mist that protects your hair from the searing heat of styling tools. It smoothens your hair strands, controls frizz, and hydrates your tresses.

This product contains Moroccan argan oil, an excellent source of vitamin E and omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids, and Brazilian Phyto-Keratin, a type of protein derived from Brazilian cocoa. The blend of vitamins and botanical oils provide intense nutrition to your hair and make it soft, silky, and shiny without stripping its color.

Pros

  • 100% color-safe
  • No artificial dyes
  • Cruelty-free
  • Recyclable packaging
  • Sulfate- free
  • Paraben-free
  • No harsh chemicals
  • Vegan

Cons

5. Arvazallia Heat Protectant Plus

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The Arvazallia Heat Protectant Plus protects your hair from the damage caused by curling irons, hair dryers, flat irons, and other heat styling tools. It uses an advanced Two Layer Protection Technology that penetrates your hair follicles and repairs hair damage. It also prevents split ends and breakage.

This hair spray contains argan oil that conditions and smoothens your hair’s texture and anti-frizz and detangling agents that help control frizz and make your hair more manageable. In addition to natural hair, you can also use it to style permed hair, extensions, and wigs. It also decreases the drying time and imparts an amazing fragrance to the hair.

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Nice fragrance
  • Safe for chemical treated hair
  • No residue

Cons

6. Beyond The Zone Turn Up The Heat

The BTZ Turn Up The Heat protection spray protects the hair from intense heat and seals the cuticles for a silky smooth appearance. It makes styling your hair effortless as the hair gets very slick and manageable. This heat protection spray forms a lightweight mist that does not weigh the hair down and controls frizz. It is great for those who heat style their hair regularly.

Pros

  • Cruelty-free
  • Dairy-free
  • A little goes a long way
  • Lightweight
  • Great fragrance

Cons

7. Design Essentials Silk Essentials For Relaxed & Natural Hair

This non-greasy, lightweight serum by Design Essentials provides intense heat protection from styling tools, especially against permanent curl elongation, often associated with thermal straightening. It locks the moisture into the hair strands, seals the cuticles, and adds a radiant shine to your hair.

This serum is formulated with 17 amino acids that repair damaged hair and smoothen the hair strands while eliminating static, improving manageability, and imparting a highly glossy finish. It can be used on all hair types and textures without weighing down the strands. This heat protectant serum contains silk proteins and minerals that make the hair healthy and shiny. It is suitable for color-treated hair.

Pros

  • Paraben-free
  • Sulfate-free
  • Lightweight
  • Color-safe
  • Imparts a glossy finish

Cons

8. JuniorLabs Straight Silk

The Junior Labs Straight Silk Spray protects your hair from heat up to 450°F and gives you silky straight hair in half the time required to style it. It revitalizes the hair, imparts shine, prevents frizz, and eliminates kink. It is great for dyed hair as it offers color-safe protection. It detangles the hair easily and allows you to seamlessly blend hair extensions with your existing natural hair.

This product contains Moroccan argan oil, which has antioxidants, beneficial fatty acids, and vitamin E – all of which are intensely conditioning for the hair. The formula is non-greasy and does not weigh the hair down or result in product buildup. It does not contain alcohol or any other chemicals known to damage hair.

Pros

  • Minimal ingredient formula
  • Alcohol-free
  • Sulfate-free
  • Phthalate-free
  • Phosphate- free
  • Paraben-free
  • Fragrance-free
  • No synthetic colors
  • No artificial preservatives
  • Cruelty-free
  • Vegan
  • Non-GMO

Cons

None

9. MIZANI Thermastrength Heat Protecting Serum

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This intensely nourishing, lightweight serum by MIZANI protects the hair from thermal damage. It contains shea butter and anti-breakage ceramides that improve tensile strength, prevent breakage, and protect the hair during heat styling. This serum adds shine and body to the hair and makes it more manageable. It has a cream gel-like consistency, which makes it easy for you to use it under other hair products.

Pros

  • Sulfate-free
  • Dairy-free
  • Nice fragrance

Cons

10. Alfaparf Milano Style Stories Thermal Protector

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This thermo-active shield serum by Alfaparf Milano protects the hair fibers from the heat damage caused by styling tools. It is a dry spray that does not need you to wet your hair before styling with irons, straighteners, tongs, or wands. This lightweight spray is suitable for all types of hair. It helps reduce the electrostatic effect, which prevents damage to a great extent and enhances the definition of smooth or wavy hair.

Bonus – this product contains Moringa Oleifera, which protects the hair from free radicals when exposed to heat. It also has photo-protective properties that repair the damage caused by free radicals. This spray is also suitable for processed and color-treated hair.

Pros

  • Sulfate-free
  • Paraffin-free
  • Paraben-free
  • Cruelty-free
  • Great fragrance

Cons

None

11. MIZANI Thermasmooth Sleek Guard Smoothing Cream

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This leave-in thermal protecting cream by MIZANI protects curly hair from heat styling damage. It makes the hair manageable and sleek, so heat styling tools glide easily over it. If you have brittle, fragile hair, this conditioning cream will work wonders for you. It protects against split ends and hair breakage and is designed to increase smoothness and shine. This product contains coconut oil that prevents frizz even in high humid conditions.

Pros

  • Non-greasy
  • Great fragrance
  • Makes the hair soft

Cons

12. Fantasia Hair Polisher

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The Fantasia Heat Protector Spray protects your hair from heat damage caused due to straighteners, blow dryers, flat irons, and other hot hair styling tools. Aloe and vitamin E make the hair smooth, frizz-free, and glossy even in humid conditions. This spray maintains the moisture balance of your hair. It also contains protective sunscreen that protects your hair during sun exposure.

Pros

  • Sulfate-free
  • Great fragrance
  • Little product required

Cons

13. Thermafuse f450 Hot Armor Blow-Dry Defense

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This heat protectant by Thermafuse protects the hair strands from thermal styling up to 450°F, such as dryers and flat irons set to high temperatures. It contains cactus and blue lotus flower extracts, olive oil, cyclopentasiloxane, aminopropyl phenyl trimethicone, certified organic essential oil, and other ingredients that nourish the hair and seal the cuticles while locking in vital moisture.

This heat protectant spray also creates a barrier between the hair and environmental conditions like humidity that creates frizz. The pH-balanced formula also blocks UVA and UVB and prevents your hair color from fading. This product makes brushing, combing, and detangling very easy as the hair gets silky and manageable. The amino acids and other ingredients in this spray repair hair damage and add reflective shine and luster to your hair. This spray also reduces your drying time.

Pros

  • Paraben-free
  • Vegan
  • Great fragrance

Cons

14. Flawless by Gabrielle Union – Shine Enhancing Heat Protection Spray

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The Flawless Shine Enhancing Heat Protection Spray protects the hair against thermal damage up to 428°F from heat styling tools. It contains natural ingredients like rice oil complex, acai palm oil, passion fruit seed oil, lilac leaf extract, Brazilian Bacuri butter, and coconut oil that deeply nourish your hair and protect it. This product is suitable for all types of hair, including color-treated hair.

Pros

  • Sulfate-free
  • Paraben-free
  • Silicone-free

Cons

15. Afro Sheen ‘Fro Out Blow-Out Spray

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The Afro Sheen Fro Out Blow-Out Spray provides heat protection to kinky hair and controls frizz. Its non-greasy formula adds shine to textured hair. This hair spray contains coconut oil, which conditions, hydrates, and repairs your natural hair. It also contains Keratin Complex that smoothens your hair strands and tames frizz and castor oil that hydrates and moisturizes dry hair.

Pros

  • Sulfate-free
  • Mineral oil-free
  • Petrolatum-free
  • Phthalate-free
  • Paraben-free

Cons

16. VERNON FRANÇOIS Lightweight Styling Serum

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This hydrating oil-based hair serum by VERNON FRANÇOIS is a boon for dry, damaged, and frizzy hair. It protects against thermal styling by locking in moisture. It also defines your hair texture, whether wavy, kinky, curly, coily, or straight.

This spray contains argan oil, which hydrates and conditions hair and creates a heat protection barrier. Baobab seed oil helps the hair strands retain moisture and makes them appear thicker and fuller. Jojoba seed oil strengthens the hair and minimizes breakage, while mongongo oil protects hair during sun exposure.

Pros

  • Vegan
  • Sulfate-free
  • Paraben-free
  • Cruelty-free

Cons

None

17. Yavea Hair Sleek Silk Serum

The Yavea Hair Sleek Silk Serum protects the hair from thermal damage from hair styling tools. It locks in moisture in the hair strands and prevents breakage and shedding. This serum contains silk proteins that form a protective barrier over your hair strands to prevent damage and add luminous shine to your mane. It is suitable for all hair types, is certified organic, and works great for natural, relaxed, and color-treated hair.

Why Are Heat Protectants Important For Natural Hair?

A heat protectant is essential for maintaining the hair’s vitality, health, and beauty. The heat from styling tools weakens the hair proteins, destroys the natural oils in the hair that hold it together, and can dry out the hair strands by boiling off the internal moisture. This leads to split ends and breakage. Good heat protectants prevent all these as they contain ingredients, such as oil, dimethicone, glycerin, or silicones, which form a barrier over the hair shafts and protect them from heat damage. They make your hair healthy-looking, shiny, soft, and manageable.

4C hair, which is super curly, needs extra care if you use heat styling products. As it needs higher temperatures to change its texture, you need to apply a good heat protectant that will protect the hair strands and maintain its health and shine. Here’s what you need to keep in mind.

What Kind of Heat Protectants Are Good For 4C Hair?

Look for the following factors:

  1. High Heat Protection: Make sure the heat protectant you invest in is designed to provide protection even at very high temperatures. Unlike straight hair, 4C hair needs high heat to get styled, especially if you are straightening it. To build a barrier between your hair and the high heat from heat styling tools, you should be aware of the temperature. Generally, a good heat protectant can protect your hair from heat up to 425°F. Some products can also offer heat protection up to 450°F. Choose one according to your daily styling needs. If you use flat iron a lot, go for the ones that provide higher protection.
  2. Serum Or Spray: You can opt for serums, sprays, or even creams to use as a heat protectant. Generally, thicker textures will better condition your hair and help you to style it easily. Serums and creams perform better when it comes to styling kinky curly hair. However, sprays are lighter and easy to use.
  3. Lightweight Formula: If your hair is a tight Afro 4c hair, you need to focus on keeping your hair full and bouncy throughout the day. If the heat protectant you opt for is greasy, it will make your hair look limp. Get a product that does not weigh your hair down. In general, a watery spray is the most lightweight type.
  4. Anti-Frizz And Anti-Breakage: Ensure the heat protectant contains ingredients thatnourish your tresses and add shine while eliminating the frizz. Look for ingredients like argan oil, silk proteins, and other detangling and defrizzing agents.

That was our list of the 17 best hair protectants for natural hair. Never compromise the health of your hair, no matter how much styling means to you. Invest in a good quality heat protectant – and you can have the best of both worlds. Have a great hair day!

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