Best Hair Sprays

Hair spray was one of the first products marketed after the invention of aerosol spray cans in the 1940s. Over the years, hair treatment has developed into an exact science. The hair products are designed not only with aesthetics in mind. They also take into consideration people's health and hair type—whether the hair is straight, wavy, or curly. They also have to consider hair volume: whether hair is fine, medium, or coarse. Hair spray also is used to maintain a hair style in different weather conditions. Here is a guide to some of the best hair sprays on the market.  

• Anti-Frizz: There is a line of hair sprays that are designed to prevent hair from becoming frizzy—turning into an unmanageable mass of curls. This way, your hair retains its form even when its humid or raining.

• Curl Spray: This spray is used together with rollers or curling tongs on straight hair to maintain a curly effect.

• Hold Hair: There are hair sprays that are formulated for flexible, medium and maximum hold.

• Shaper spray: These are sprays that are designed to let hair move naturally, moving it and lifting it, instead of stiffening it into a particular form.

• Shine: This type of spray is for giving the hair a gloss, as well as holding it in place.

• Volumising/Root-Lifting Spray: These are products designed to make thin hair appear to have more body. It makes the hair look lifted and plumped. But using too much of it will make the hair look dry and crunchy.

• Natural Oil Spray: This is more of a hair treatment, to moisturize hair and keep it healthy with natural oils. It is also used to protect it from heat and sun. People prefer this also because some have reactions to additives in hair spray, such as parabens. They also might find the artificial scents of chemical hair sprays too pungent.

• Protects hair: There are hair sprays that are intended to protect hair from heat and sun. But if you apply a hot iron to the hair, that can also dry the hair out. So a hair spray that adds oils and moisturizes will be a big help.

• Shaping hair: There are hair treatments for straightening curly hair, or helping you curl straight hair.

• Stiffness: Some women complain that they don't want stiff hair—they want to be able to comb or brush their hair after the application. So look for hair spray that has a “soft hold”, maintaining the shape, while not feeling stiff.

• Preventing flyaways: Flyaway hair is due to dryness and static electricity buildup that is so common on dry, cold winter days. The static buildup makes the hairs repel each other, ruining any hair style you might have had. But instead of applying the hair spray to your hair, apply it onto a fine-tooth comb and brush it onto the roots of your hair. (Hair spray that contains alcohol will only tend to dry the hair out more, making the problem worse.) 

• Color-safe hair spray: If you have dyed your hair, check to see that the hair spray is color-safe.

• Not just for hair styling: People with thin hair need to treat the hair, because it tends to get damaged by the elements or from dyeing. That will make the hair break or fray. So look for a hair spray that is intended to add volume, or build up thin hair.

• Matching the hair type: Make sure that the hair spray is intended for your type of hair. Some hold sprays advertise being good for “all types” of hair.

Kenra— is a beauty products company that was founded in 1929, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They have three basic lines of products: Kenra (shampoos, conditioners, sprays), Kenra Platinum (hair treatments), and Kenra Color.

Oribe— is a beauty products company founded by the Cuban-American actor and hairstylist Oribe Canales, in tandem with beauty industry veterans Daniel Kaner and Tev Finger. They have a line of beauty salons, along with their line of products. They have created an entire line of shampoos, conditioners, creams, sprays, mousses and fragrances, developed by beauty experts.

MoroccanOil-- is a beauty and health care products company, founded in 2006 by Carmen Tal and her husband, Ofer. The name MoroccanOil comes from one of the ingredients of their products, argan oil, produced by the kernels of the argan tree that is native to Morocco. (Ms. Tal was exposed to the success of the oil as a hair treatment—hence her inspiration to start a line of such products.) They run a line of products for hair and skin treatment, fragrances, and lotions.

Sebastian—was founded by Geri Cusenza and John Sebastian at the beginning of the 1970's in Los Angeles, California. They started to manufacture hair styling equipment, and gradually expanded to hair treatments for stylists and consumers.