Hair greatness is notoriously fickle. And once you find the exact combination of products (and the person) that can actually take you there, you better hold on to them for dear life. For us, the picks below are just the tip of the iceberg—the tools, sprays, serums, shampoos and then some that are crucial to ensuring we actually get out of the house with a hope of looking halfway decent.
Emily Ramshaw
Senior Editor
I have no patience for dealing with my hair. I shampoo and condition it in the shower—that’s it, that’s all. I don’t use a blow dryer, or even a brush, and for a long time, I didn’t even use conditioner. But the latter has recently changed (in part because I’m back to growing my hair long, long, long), and a quality volumizing conditioner has become very important to me. And on the topic of volumizing, my hair (which is straight, flat and fine) does much better with a bit of texturizing spray—I go through one of these Oribe bottles every few weeks, no joke. And during summer, mostly because I can’t have a blanket of brown, heat-absorbing, neck-sweat causing hair on my back; I keep it all in a topknot in a scrunchie like this. Okay, so mine might be from CVS and not Missoni, but the effect is totally the same, right?
Noah Lehava
Senior Editor
I'm a minimalist. No, not in the ordinary (and useful) sense like having no tshotshkes in my apartment (so. many. tshotshkes.) or a super-edited closet, or, if you ask my colleagues, having a tidy desk, but with my hair products. I use the absolute bare minimum, often skipping out on conditioner, towel drying, brushing out, and walking out the door. When I do feel extra fancy, I'll touch up my natural waves with a few twists around a curling wand and spray with (IMO) the ultimate hairspray, Elnett. Like I said, I don't use product, and that's because I like it looking more soft than crunchy. Elnett does just that—and once I comb through it my with fingers it's like I woke up with natural beach waves :information_desk_person:. Finish off with a spritz of Byredo Bal d'Afrique hair perfume and I'm good to go.
Meagan Wilson
Senior Editor & Social Media Manager
Really? I have to talk about my hair now? Okay, fine. Because that's exactly how I'd sum it up: it's fine. Just okay, on a good day. After spending the better part of my adolescence and early 20s as a bleach blonde, I went back to brunette a few years ago, and am now proceeding to grow out my natural shade, a move admittedly driven by equal parts laziness and indecision. I've accepted that it'll never be my thing and my chosen beauty vice of choice is skin care, anyway. On the other hand, it doesn't really present enough challenge to warrant much dedication: I can get away with a quick wash and light blowdry. As of late, I've been super obsessed with R+Co's Atlantis conditioner: it silkifies hair to the point where even your otherwise immune-to-noticing-change boyfriend will comment, like mine did. Barneys also tells me that the ingredients are sourced from destinations as far flung as Japan, Portugal and Malaysia, so, like, fancy. The other thing I'm into is the Tangle Teezer, whose hype is very real—take it from one whose pain tolerance is approximately zero. Finally, Batiste's OG dry shampoo is one of the few beauty items I hoard and will leave with no less than three cans if I can get my hands on it.
Alicia Cesaro
Editorial Assistant
My naturally wavy hair is one that stays that way 365 so beach waves are a mainstay. Because of this I forgave the hair dryer in lieu of air dying, some spray and a few turns of the curling wand a long time ago. Since beach spray is a constant in my arsenal I'm actually embarrassed to admit I haven't tried Oribe's, but mid-summer is for #goals, right? And despite the low maintenance routine my hair is still absurdly dry so I only wash it once a week (whatever works, guys) and rely on Klorane's dry shampoo to get me through. To keep hydration levels up and frizzies down, I mask and deep condition whenever I can. Hair minimalists meet Living Proof's Night Cap, an overnight treatment that addresses all.the.hair.issues—while you're sleeping. Thank me later :ok_woman:.