For soft, touchable texture that never feels sticky.
Finding the best products for wavy hair is a delicate balancing act between definition and hydration. You want smooth waves that stay in place without crunch or stickiness, and boosted moisture that doesn’t turn your scalp into an oil slick. Whether you wear your waves natural, beachy, or uniform, finding a product that achieves all of that is always easier said than done. The solution: a little bit of strategy—and a detailed analysis of the hair care and styling aisles.
This year we’ve discovered the best shampoo and conditioner for wavy hair, masks that enhance without weighing down, and genius hot tools that will make you feel as if you’ve just had a professional salon appointment. This year’s Glamour Beauty Award–winning products for wavy hair are delivering all that and more. Below, the top picks our editors and panel of experts swear by for soft, touchable waves for days.
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Best Drugstore Shampoo & Conditioner for Moisture: Maui Moisture Strength & Length + Caster & Neem Oil Shampoo and Conditioner
What’s not to love about this shampoo and conditioner? I appreciated the tropical (yet subtle) scent, and how it left my hair super-shiny and incredibly soft to the touch. Plus, I was both surprised and impressed that the nourishing formula didn’t weight down my waves or mess with their pattern whatsoever. —Deanna Pai, beauty contributor
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Best Pro Shampoo & Conditioner for Moisture: Verb Hydrate + Replenish Shampoo & Conditioner Duo
I have fine hair that needs to be thoroughly washed—but not stripped! And deeply conditioned—but not weighed down! Each strand becomes a tightrope walk. This duo is great on fine hair—not heavy at all, the way a lot of hydrating products can be. The argan-oil-based formula gives my hair a soft finish, leaving it floaty and bounceable, and I love that it’s formulated for dyed hair. It has a nice, light scent, and it’s a great amount of product, especially for the cost. —Jenny Singer, staff writer
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Best Drugstore Shampoo & Conditioner for Waves: Dove Endless Waves Shampoo and Conditioner
Some days I don’t have time to blow out my hair, so I’ll just let it go wavy. That means I want a shampoo and conditioner that can do most of the work for me by creating defined waves and providing plenty of hydration. Endless Waves does that, plus it smells really good. —Jessica Radloff, West Coast editor
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Best Pro Shampoo & Conditioner for Waves: Oribe Hair Alchemy Resilience Shampoo and Conditioner
My hair is very fine but also super dense, so I need a shampoo and conditioner that will cleanse my strands but not weigh them down. Oribe’s Hair Alchemy Resilience does both, giving me a thorough cleanse that leaves my strands shiny, bouncy, and hydrated. I love Oribe’s signature Côte d’Azur scent, with notes of bergamot, butterfly jasmine, and sandalwood that lingers after each wash but isn’t overpowering. —Ariana Yaptangco, senior beauty editor
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Best Drugstore Shampoo & Conditioner for Frizz: Aveeno Plant Protein Blend Shampoo and Conditioner
I tend to have a dry scalp in the winter, so I was grateful for the colloidal oatmeal extract in this shampoo and conditioner duo (it’s a staple among Aveeno’s skin-care products, FYI). Just as important? It built to a light lather, left my hair feeling soft and smooth, and adequately nixed frizz and flyaways until my next wash. —D.P.
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Best Pro Shampoo & Conditioner for Frizz: Refuge Hair Repair + Protect Shampoo Concentrate and Conditioning Balm
As someone with very fine, wavy-curly hair, I’m skeptical of shampoo and always need a very hydrating conditioner that won’t weigh my hair down. This duo does the job! The shampoo is gentle and clarifying, and the conditioner has this thick, balm-like texture that locks in moisture thanks to ingredients like coconut, jojoba and vitamin E. After I rinse it out, my hair feels soft, smooth, and voluminous. —Erin Reimel, beauty contributor
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Best Drugstore Hair Mask: Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Waves Deep Conditioner
For someone like me, with hair that’s prone to frizz, this deep conditioner hits the nail on the head. It smells absolutely delicious and leaves my hair feeling moisturized and refreshed. —Allie Folino, art director
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Best Pro Hair Mask: Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
A must-have for dry hair, this ultra-concentrated mask is infused with patented Olaplex Bond Building technology. I found it not only boosted shine considerably but made my hair noticeably bouncier, more hydrated, and remarkably silky. The best part is that, unlike most other hair masks I’ve tried, the aftereffect is lightweight, not heavy. —Perrie Samotin, digital director
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Best Leave-In Treatment: Ceremonia Guava Leave-In Conditioner
I grew up with straight hair, but somehow over time, my hair decided to live its best life and reveal its true wavy nature. I’ve been struggling to figure out how to style it and lately have been loving leave-in treatments to tame frizz and define my waves. My hair is dry, probably from being color-treated and heat styled for so many years, so it needs all the conditioning it can get. The Ceremonia leave-in conditioner helps to give that extra boost of hydration to my hair, and it just smells incredible, like fresh guavas. —Joyce Park, MD, dermatologist
Best Drugstore Dry Shampoo: Colab Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo
Developed using a very fine starch, this dry shampoo delivers on its promise to absorb excess oil, while maintaining my hair’s volume and texture. It’s vegan and cruelty free, and features notes of bergamot and rose to help mask odors. Plus, the can is massive and will last, basically, forever. —P.S.
Save when you shop for the best products for wavy hair with these Target promo codes.
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Best Pro Dry Shampoo: Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo
The first words out of my mouth when I opened the packaging were, “OMG, there’s a brush!” And now I will always wonder why no one thought of this sooner, because Crown Affair just revolutionized the game. I can easily manage just how much dry shampoo I want to use, but most importantly, the ingredients make this the most natural, soft hair refresher when your strands start to get greasy. Thanks to Japanese Persimmon powder, my hair smells really clean, looks like it was just blown-out, and leaves no chalky residue. —J.R.
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Best Drugstore Scalp Treatment: The Inkey List Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Scrub
I’ve seen positive results from using a gentle 7% glycolic acid on my face, so I was perfectly happy to apply the same percentage to my scalp. I find that I get a lot of buildup on my scalp that doesn’t always wash away even with intensive shampooing. I like that this scrub also uses castor beads as a physical exfoliant—castor beads are biodegradable, unlike their microplastic predecessors, which have since been banned. This is very easy to use, which was my worry with a scalp product. The nozzle applicator makes it possible to distribute the product easily. My scalp felt clean and less greasy. I was worried about it having harsh affects, but I haven’t had any problem. Inkey List products are so carefully formulated, affordable, and nonirritating, and this was no exception! —J.S.
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Best Pro Scalp Treatment: Sachajuan Scalp Scrub
I am very picky about my scalp scrubs—there is nothing worse than stepping out of the shower with an itchier scalp than you went in with. But this sugar scrub leaves my head feeling refreshed, hydrated, and dandruff-free. —E.R.
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Best Hair Oil: Augustinus Bader The Hair Oil
AB’s hair oil is powered by TFC8, or Trigger Factor Complex, but most of us don’t know what that means or don’t have the time to do a deep dive on it. So let me break it down: It’s patented technology with over 30 years of research, and the ingredient list includes baobab, argan, and pomegranate oils plus vitamin E. In other words, I feel like I’m massaging gold flecks into my hair to make it silky, soft, and immune from heat and environmental factors. My only concern is having a second bottle on hand because there’s a reason this stuff seems to always be sold out. —J.R.
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Best Drugstore Volumizer/Texturizer: Kim Kimbel Celebrity Series Movie Set Mousse
This mousse’s texture is so light and airy, I was surprised to see how much volume it gave me after my first use. It not only adds body to my blowouts (something desperately need for my fine hair), it helps keep my curls bouncy and frizz-free when I wear my natural texture. —E.R.
Save when you shop for the best products for wavy hair with these Walmart promo codes.
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Best Pro Volumizer/Texturizer: Living Proof Full Dry Volume and Texturizing Spray
The plight of a fine-haired person is difficult indeed! No group is more in need of products to provide volume and thickness, and no group can suffer more from overly heavy products. This product has some kind of science-y blow-dryer-in-a-bottle power. It’s similar to a hairspray but not so sticky and more hellbent on providing texture. The product has some serious heft but not in a way that prevents any kind of visual problem. It’s a great boost for day-two or -three hair, both because of the volume and the lovely scent. I love that it also has heat-protecting qualities. It works well with blown-out hair and especially with curled hair. —J.S.
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Best Drugstore Hair Shine Booster: Batiste Touch of Gloss Shine Mist
Blame filter culture, blame hot tools, but I want my hair to sparkle. It’s not enough for it to be smooth and soft and frizzless. I want it to be aggressively shiny! A little bit of this Batiste Mist gets me there. I use it as I’m spritzing on perfume or dusting on powder. It gives just a mild shimmer, a natural glint so it doesn’t look like I have anything heavy weighing down my hair. It’s a delightful finishing touch, and I know the bottle will last me forever. —J.S.
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Best Pro Hair Shine Booster: Goop Goopglow Restore + Shine Hair Serum
What’s unique about this product is that it’s a shine serum but you use it like a mask. Meaning, you apply it to dry hair before washing, then rinse. Made with cuticle-sealing vitamin C, omega-rich sea buckthorn oil, and shine-boosting plumeria monoi oil, it helped with frizz, detangled, and boosted shine for my thick hair. Hey, if it's good enough for Gwyneth.... —P.S.
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Best Drugstore Hair Gloss: Göt2b Metallics Permanent Hair Color
This hair dye gave great color and faded nicely. It’s hard to say metallic, but you could see they were as close to metallic as I’ve ever seen in any sort of a permanent or semi-permanent or demi-permanent dye. If you’re someone who’s actually serious about using color and having something that’s going to last, this product is going to help with the overall hair health. —Lauro Polko, celebrity hairstylist
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Best Pro Hair Gloss: Hally Hair Color Cloud
My daughter and I used this dye in the shower for fun. The color faded after a couple of washes—I liked it because it was really temporary. I think it’s better for somebody who doesn’t want to commit to doing a permanent dye. It’s going to give you a more pastel result that’s definitely more trendy. —L.P.
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Best Drugstore Wave Enhancer: Naturelab. Tokyo Perfect Texture Wave Cream
Curl creams can prove a little too heavy for my waves, but this lightweight wave cream was just right. I scrunched it into my hair and let my hair air-dry; after a few hours, my waves had volume but were still soft to the touch (no crunch here). Plus, the scent? A dream. —D.P.
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Best Pro Wave Enhancer: Bumble & Bumble Bb.Curl Light Defining Cream
Typically, the the term cream has me running for the hills when it comes to hair products. My hair is so fine, it tends to get weighed down and look flat if I use products that are too heavy. This lotion hydrates my waves to give them some bounce and keeps them feeling silky and looking shiny, never greasy. —E.R.
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Best Hair Dryer: Drybar Reserve Ultralight Anti-Frizz Blow-Dryer
If you can’t go into a spa-like space and get a glass of Champagne and a blowout from a pro, this is a good next option. I find Dry Bar products so cute and cheerful, and this dryer definitely counts. As a very weak person, I appreciate that it’s exceptionally light! I have fine hair and usually wait to get out the tool until my hair is partially dry, so this was a pretty fast blow-dry, and I found it gave me a lot of volume and smoothness. It’s also been very popular with my houseguests! A little piece of Drybar, in my bathroom. —J.S.
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Best Curling Iron: Hot Tools Pro Artist 24K Gold One Three Barrel Waver
I absolutely love this waver for second- and third-day hair. If I wake up with sections that need a little boost, I just give them a refresh with this tool. It’s like a crimper, but it gives you soft waves without the creasing. And it revives waves in seconds. —E.R.
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Best Blow-Dry Brush: Revlon Volumizer Plus
I will always be singing the gospel of the Revlon Volumizer blow-dry brushes. There are so many great blow-dry brushes on the market, but I appreciate that this one is so affordable and available everywhere. I’ve traveled with mine and used it week in and week out and never had it break down. I like to use it on hair that’s about 85% dry for the least possible damage and maximum volume. If you, like me, have despaired of giving yourself a quick and beautiful salon-like blowout at home, this is such a great place to start. —J.S.
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Best Flatiron: Lunata Beauty Belisa by Lunata Cordless Flat Iron
Multitasking is my love language, and as someone who’s constantly on the go (with frizzy, unruly hair when untamed), it’s like the cordless Lunata cordless flatiron was made for me. Whether you want to move with ease from the bathroom to your vanity, spruce your hair up on a road trip, or kill time while on a flight, Lunata has you covered! At full charge, the flatiron lasts 40 minutes and hits up to 420 degrees, creating silky, shiny hair in one to two passes. I like to start with a heat protectant, then wait for my hair to be completely dry before using a comb to make sure my strands are smooth before using the flatiron, going with the grain of my hair for frizz-free, shiny strands. —Lara Eurdolian, founder, Pretty Connected blog