11 Best Hairsprays: Guide and Reviews

1. L’Oreal Paris Advanced Hairstyle Lock It Bold Control Hairspray

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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There are two hairsprays from L’Oreal Paris in this guide. This shows how reliable this brand is when it comes to hairsprays.

The two hairsprays are different from each other in terms of their purpose. One is a finishing hairspray and the other is a shaping hairspray but both are quite excellent. Which one you choose depends entirely on how you plan on using your hairspray.

The one we’re reviewing here i.e. the Advanced Hairstyle Lock It Bold Control Hairspray, is the finishing hairspray. This means that it dries off very quickly and is best suited to holding a style in place rather than creating a style.

The hold this hairspray offers is quite impressive too. It can hold your hairstyle in place for up to 48 hours. However, to get the maximum hold, you’ll need to layer the spray on your hair. This means spraying the hairspray, waiting for it to dry, and then respraying it. As it is, this hairspray will not make your hair crunchy or give you a helmet head but if you prefer your hair like that layering will do the trick.

On the other hand, if you want a movable, brushable finish, we suggest being very careful about how much of this hairspray you put in your hair. Whether you apply a lot of this hairspray or very little, you should expect your hair to become a bit sticky. The finish will be matte but you may not want to touch your hair a lot after application.

You can also use this hairspray for volume by applying it more at the roots than the ends. Like most hairsprays, this one counters humidity too which makes it useful against frizzy hair. If you want to nullify frizz and flyaway hair, you need to avoid the roots and apply this spray at the ends.

If it wasn’t for this hairspray’s scent, it would’ve dominated the market outright. Its scent is very divisive. The smell is very sweet and strong. Some people even compare it to fruity cotton candy. While very overwhelming and cloyingly sweet, the scent still dissipates as soon as the hairspray dries in your hair.

If you don’t want a very strong hold and are looking for something more lightweight, you can try other variants of this hairspray. These include the Weather Control and the Fine Control. Apart from this, gel versions of this hairspray are also available.

The best part about this hairspray is that it is incredibly cheap. You can buy it and try it without worrying about wasting a lot of money.

Who’s it for: If you want a matte finishing hairspray and don’t mind the cotton candy smell, get this L’Oreal Paris product.

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2. TRESemmé TRES Two Hair Spray

Editor’s Rating: 4.75/5.0

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TRESemmé’s TRES Two Hair Spray is what you get when you take the best hairsprays of the last century and allow them to mature and evolve into the best they can be. The result is a hairspray that offers the kind of hold that its ancestors would be proud of but without the hassle of the extremely crunchy, impenetrable helmet head.

In fact, we think that this is as far as you can go when it comes to holding down a hairstyle without freezing it entirely. In simple words, this is a finishing hairspray that will hold down your hair while keeping it flexible and soft. It won’t even make your hair sticky. The company says that it uses specific locking polymers within a water-free formula to achieve this effect.

Further, as it tidies up stray hair strands well, you can expect all frizz and flyaway hair to disappear too. This means that your hair gets humidity resistance through this hairspray as well. However, whatever you do, don’t put too much of it in your hair. When used in large quantities, it turns into the traditional spray creating very crunchy and stiff hair.

In terms of smell, this hairspray will add a floral and fruity scent to your hair. This scent is overtly feminine, which means that some of you may not appreciate it as much as others. If you’re looking for something neutral, this isn’t the hairspray for you but if you like sweet scents, you need this product in your hair.

The best part is that buying this hairspray will barely make a dent in your budget. It is incredibly cheap. If you buy the six-bottle pack then this hairspray’s price becomes nearly negligible. A single bottle contains 11 ounces of this product.

Who’s it for: If you want to save a lot of money and like floral or fruity scents, you won’t find a hairspray better than this one from TRESemmé.

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3. Nexxus Comb Thru Finishing Hair Spray

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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The name of this product hints at the kind of hairspray it is i.e. a shaping hairspray that can be sprayed on while you’re styling your hair instead of after it. Even after you’re done with styling your hair, your hair will remain movable, flexible, and touchable even to the extent that you can brush it and change the hairstyle.

Apart from giving your hair a flexible finishwith a medium hold, this product will also add volume and bounce because it is quite lightweight for a hairspray. Nexxus says that this hairspray can deliver this kind of a finish because they’ve used their proprietary Fluid-Fix Technology in this product.

The only problem is that the finish is also a little sticky. The stickiness can be a problem if you’re one of those people who like to play with their hair at regular intervals. However, every time you mess with your hair, you will also get a very nice scent wafting at you.

This hairspray has a distinctly floral scent, making it most suited to women. The smell is a mix of jasmine and rose. The traditional smell can backfire as it reminds many people of old ladies, especially since it is quite strong too.

This hairspray, like most Nexxus products, is very affordable and will not affect your bank balance in any significant way.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking for a pocket-friendly shaping hairspray and like the smell of flowers, get this hairspray from Nexxus.

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4. L’Oreal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray (Best Budget)

Editor’s Rating: 4.75/5.0

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This hairspray is famous. In fact, it has been famous for decades. It was initially launched in Europe where it became famous enough to be a favorite of celebrity stylists. Its popularity rose to such an extent that many stylists would carry it personally to the US because it wasn’t available here.

However, that was a long time ago. The L’Oreal Paris Elnett Satin has been in the States for quite some time now and is still regarded as one of the best shaping hairsprays in the world.

This old school hairspray is best used if you want a very flexible, light hold but need help during the styling process. In fact, this hairspray would be perfect if you think you’ll need to change your hairstyle at some point in the day. The reason for this is that it brushes out very easily. Therefore, you simply brush your hair to lose the product before applying it again to rework your hair into a different style.

Delivered through an ultra-fine mist that gets through to every hair strand, this hairspray is able to control frizz and flyaway hair while resisting humidity and keeping the style in place.

While this hairspray doesn’t have many flaws, the strength of its hold is one area where it isn’t comparable to many of its competitors. However, since it is available in multiple variants, this is a problem easily remedied. The variants you can get are Strong Hold, Extra Strong Hold, Precious Oil, Color Treated Hair, and Voluminous Style.

The variant we’re reviewing here is Unscented. This means that it has no added fragrance and instead has a very faint hairspray smell that goes away quickly after application. This is an added bonus because it makes it suitable for people who are very sensitive to strong scents.

Apart from variations in the formula, variants are also available in bottle or package sizes. You can get this hairspray in travel bottles of 2.2 ounces, in small bottles containing seven ounces of the product, and larger bottles with 11-ounce capacities. You can even get a double-pack of the largest bottles.

You might want to go for the larger options too because this isn’t the cheapest hairspray in the market. In fact, the popularity and elite nature of this hairspray means that it deserves to be in more expensive segments. It only barely qualifies for the budget market and that too because of the larger bottles.

Who’s it for: If you want a shaping hairspray that has proven itself over decades to expert stylists, get the L’Oreal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray.

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5. Free & Clear Firm Hold Hairspray

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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Some people are extremely sensitive. They can be sensitive to smells, chemicals, or even naturally-occurring substances. These kinds of people face a lot of difficulty when it comes to finding skin and haircare products that don’t cause them to erupt into rashes or sneezes.

This is particularly the case with hairsprays because the product is supposed to coat the hair and stay in the scalp to be effective. A brand that caters exclusively to sensitive people is Free & Clear. Their products are categorically designed to not include substances that can irritate people.

In the hairspray category, they offer the simple Firm Hold Hairspray that can be used as either a styling hairspray or a finishing hairspray. It doesn’t provide a crunchy hold but it will keep a hairstyle in place through most scenarios.

More importantly, the hold is natural looking and long lasting. However, it is, at the same time, also sticky which means that you’ll need to stop touching or brushing your hair after applying this hairspray.

In terms of scents, this hairspray is completely free of any smell. It doesn’t have added fragrances and doesn’t even have the basic smell that most hairsprays tend to have. Further, it doesn’t contain any ingredients that contain gluten, making it perfect for people suffering from the celiac disease.

This hairspray will also appeal to people who are environmentally conscious. It boasts of a non-aerosol pump dispenser which means that it doesn’t contain the type of hydrocarbons that can damage the environment.

However, the fact that this hairspray is ecofriendly comes with a downside. The non-aerosol pump dispenser doesn’t work as well as aerosol dispensers. It releases the product in squirts which can make it very difficult to ensure even application in the hair.

This problem with the pump can make the sticky finish more of a problem as the product will end up accumulating in individual spots. The only way to avoid these problems is to apply this hairspray in smaller amounts and making sure that it spreads as much as possible.

Who’s it for: If you’re very susceptible to allergic reactions but still like to style your hair, go for this Free & Clear hairspray.

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6. Sebastian Professional Shaper Hairspray (Best Value)

Editor’s Rating: 4.75/5.0

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Styling professionals and expert hairstylists will know this professional brand well. Sebastian Professional is another name that is a favorite in the industry. In fact, the brand even claims to be the first in the world to have developed the hairspray can that can be used upside down.

They say they launched it in a show held in Los Angeles. In case you didn’t know, the discovery of the can that can be used upside down changed the hairstyling industry, especially at the expert level.

The company offers a wide variety of hairsprays but the one we’re reviewing here is called the Shaper (55 percent) Hairspray. The other variants under the same brand are the Shaper (80 percent), the Re-Shaper, the Shaper Fierce, the Shaper Plus (55 percent), the Shaper Plus (80 percent), and the Shaper Zero Gravity.

They also offer two combo packs. The first one combines the Re-Shaper with a Mousse and the other one has the Re-Shaper along with the Shaper Zero Gravity.

The Shaper (55 percent) is ideal if you want to use something while styling your hair but still end up with a medium hold on your hairstyle. This hairspray will leave your style firm but your hair flexible,all the while protecting it from humidity too. The hairspray is lightweight and will not even make your hair sticky. Further, it will make your hair shine.

The scent of this hairspray is very basic. It smells of spirits and the smell itself doesn’t linger, fading quickly into nothing. Unless your sensitivity to smells is in the extreme, this hairspray shouldn’t bother you at all.

What will bother you greatly is the nozzle on this product. The nozzle tends to get clogged very easily after every use. While it cleans off very easily too, it can be quite annoying to do it so regularly. To unclog the nozzle, you’ll have to put it under warm water.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking for a medium hold hairspray that will leave your hair soft and shiny, get this one from Sebastian Professional.

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7. Kenra Volume Spray 25

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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This is another brand that has been around since the time hairsprays first became available. It is nearly 100 years old. Like most professional brands, this one also offers multiple hairsprays to suit varying needs and requirements.

First, it offers two variants that differ in terms of how much Volatile Organic Compounds or VOC they contain. The VOC content matters for two reasons. The first and obvious one is that a hairspray that has more VOCs will offer better hold.

The other reason is environmental. VOCs are considered to be harmful for the environment. As a result, certain states in the US and countries abroad don’t permit high VOC hair products. Depending on where you live, you may or may not be able to order the higher VOC variant of this hairspray. The available options are 55 percent VOC and 80 percent VOC.

The company says that the 55 percent VOC variation, the one we’re reviewing here, will hold hair in place for up to 120 hours and help your hair resist winds up to 25 mph. You can imagine how strong the 80 percent variant will be.

Apart from VOC variation, the company also offers different sized bottles and packs. The travel bottle contains 1.5 ounces of the product while the standard one has a capacity of 10 ounces. Both are available individually and in double packs. The biggest bottle contains 16 ounces of the hairspray and can only be purchased individually.

The hairspray, itself, is very effective and useful. It will not give you a helmet head but will still add volume to your hair. Additionally, it will add some texture and shine to your hair. This hairspray will also help your hair resist humidity for up to 20 hours. It will deliver these benefits without making your hair sticky but it will leave a slight residue in your hair.

The smell of this hairspray is similar to what most professional-grade hairsprays smell like. However, the scent isn’t strong and doesn’t linger. It is still possible that some of you won’t like it, though.

The biggest problem with this hairspray is the nozzle on the bottle. It is prone to getting blocked and can be difficult to unclog too. It needs to be held upside down or kept in hot water to be unclogged.

Who’s it for: If you’re willing to put up with clogged nozzles for the sake of volume, shine, and hold, get the Kenra Volume hairspray.

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8. SexyHair Big Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray

Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

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Sexy Hair has made its name in the hairspray market. The Big Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray is one of its most popular products. The red colored bottle this hairspray comes in has become iconic, especially since many celebrity stylists seem to use it.

This is the shaping hairspray from the company, which means that it provides a medium hold to styled hair. Apart from this, it also makes the hair shiny and adds body. Further, the company says that the use of this hairspray can give up to 72 hours of humidity resistance.

The hairspray dries fairly fast and the hair feels manageable. However, this is only in appearance. You can’t really touch and mess with your hair because it is very sticky to touch. What’s worse is that the moment you touch or brush your hair, you’ll start noticing flakes. This is the biggest problem with this hairspray.

The smell of this hairspray can also be considered to be a problem by some people. It smells like hairsprays normally do except for the musky note. The musky note in the scent of this hairspray is what puts people off but many people like it too. Another flaw is the strength of the smell. It is strong enough to overpower the entire room you’ll be in.

Who’s it for: If you like musky scents and don’t like to touch your hair after styling it, go for the Sexy Hair Spray & Play hairspray.

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9. Pureology Style + Protect Lock It Down Hairspray

Editor’s Rating: 4.75/5.0

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Pureology is the master of color protection. The brand has been built to exclusively cater to people who color their hair. They’ve been so successful in capturing the market that most people who color their hair prefer Pureology products, regardless of whether they need shampoos, conditioners, masks, or hairsprays.

The Style + Protect Lock It Down Hairspray from Pureology is excellent at both things that it claims to do i.e. style the hair and protect it. It contains the company’s proprietary AntiFade Complex which can be found in all its products.

This is a finishing hairspray which means that you can only apply it once you’re done styling your hair. If you have colored hair, we hope you’ve already invested in a reliable heat protectant that can protect your hair while you’re styling it. If you have, then you can be sure that this hairspray will protect your style and color for the rest of the day.

The “Lock It Down” part of this hairspray’s name is appropriate too because this product offers an incredibly strong hold without weighing your hair down or turning it into a bike helmet. This means that your hair remains soft while retaining the shape and style you’ve given it.

The formula of this spray also incorporates olive oil. Olive oil does two things. The first is that it moisturizes hair and the other is that it coats the hair to protect it. A side benefit of this coating property of olive oil is that it gives the hair a dazzling shine as is evident with this hairspray.

Smell is a big problem with hairsprays. Many people don’t like the natural hairspray smell because it tends to be very artificial. This isn’t the case with this hairspray. Instead of synthetic, this hairspray smells natural, clean, and fresh. The best part is that the smell doesn’t linger and dissipates quickly.

The specialist nature of this hairspray means that it is priced expensively. The only saving grace is that it comes in a big bottle with 11-ounce capacity. The large bottle makes this expenditure slightly less cringe-worthy. However, if you don’t want to commit to a big bottle without trying the product first, you can always go for the smaller 2.1-ounce bottle.

Who’s it for: If you have colored hair and would like to style it too, then you need this hairspray from Pureology.

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10. Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray Medium (Top Pick)

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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Argan oil is one of the most beneficial naturally occurring substances on the planet when it comes to hair. It not only moisturizes the hair but also nourishes it from the inside out while improving its appearance by making it shinier. However, argan oil can be heavy if not used in the right way.

The people at Moroccanoil are masters of their craft when it comes to getting the most out of argan oil. All their products are based on argan oil and very famous for delivering excellence. In the hairspray space, their offering is the Luminous Hairspray.

This hairspray comes in three different variants depending on the strength of their hold. The one we’re reviewing here is called the “Medium” but it offers a texturizing or soft hold. The variant that offers a medium hold is called “Strong”, while the one with the strongest hold is dubbed “Extra Strong”.

According to the company the Extra Strong variant is good for special event hairstyles because it locks things down, the Strong Variant is great for casual updos because it offers a firm hold but with movability.

The Medium variant, according to the company, is best for everyday styles and prolonging blowout effects. We think the Medium variant is more like a texturizing hairspray where it will give the hair a lot of volume, body, and bounce. The hairspray is very lightweight and produces an effect where the hair stays in place without losing its flexibility and softness.

Resultantly, the hairspray brushes out easily when you wish to move your hair into a different style. As is the case with argan oil, the hair gains a natural shine with all signs of frizz and flyaway hair disappearing as well. The best part, though, is that this hairspray does all this without leaving any residue in the hair and making it flaky or sticky.

Its argan oil content is also responsible for its scent which is a distinct and exotic mix of spiciness, sweetness, and flowers. The smell, however, is incredibly strong and overbearing. If you like the smell, you’ll love how strong it is but if you don’t then it may end up bothering you.

We suggest smelling argan oil and seeing where you stand on the smell before buying this hairspray, especially since it is so expensive. It doesn’t even matter which size bottle you get.

While the 10-ounce bottle will turn out to be cheaper, the 2.3-ounce bottle will require less of an investment from you. The bigger bottle, by the way, can create long term problems because its nozzle gets clogged well before the product finishes, leading to wastage. You’ll have to work very hard to open up the holes and even then, it might not work.

Who’s it for: If you have dry, lackluster hair that you like to put into different hairstyles, get the Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray.

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11. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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Oribe can be best described as a luxury brand with products developed purely with opulence in mind. However, this doesn’t mean that they have spurious features. Instead, it means that their products excel at a level that most competitors cannot. Unfortunately, this also means that their products are priced to a level much higher than most competitors.

Take this Dry Texturizing Spray for example. It is a brilliant texturizing hairspray but is so pricey that most people would think that it is not worth a purchase. While the price of this hairspray puts it beyond the reach of most people, it also gives it status and certain exclusivity.

If you ignore the financial side of things completely, then this hairspray is a must-have simply because it is superb at what it is supposed to do. In fact, it is so good that it has won awards. The most prominent of these is the Glamour Best in Beauty in 2019.

Like most texturizing hairsprays, this product is supposed to give a natural texture to your hair while adding bounce, volume, and body to it. It is supposed to do all that without making your hair crunchy or hard and this hairspray does it well.

However, it should also be doing that without making your hair sticky but this product fails in that regard. It makes the hair sticky to a point that you won’t like how it feels. At the same time, the stickiness will hold your hair in place and remove frizz and flyaway hair. Even so, the hold is very light and soft.

This hairspray also has a secret power. It can be used as a dry shampoo. It contains zeolite crystals along with patented polymers designed to absorb oil and grease everywhere in your scalp. To use it for this purpose, you just need to spread it evenly in your hair, allow it to rest, and then brush the hair thoroughly.

This hairspray will also strengthen your hair and make it healthier because it contains a series of naturally occurring ingredients that offer many different types of nutrients.

For instance, like all Oribe hair products, this one also contains their Signature Complex comprising extracts from edelweiss flower, lychee, and watermelon. This complex is very effective at de-aging hair by preventing protein loss from occurring. It also protects the hair from harmful external influences.

This complex is helped ably by sunflower seed extract which makes the hair shine while giving it further protection. Another ingredient that adds shine to the hair is ginger root extract. This ingredient also softens the hair while helping nutrient absorption by improving circulation in the scalp.

This hairspray also contains ingredients that provide nutrients topically to the hair follicles. The formula features provitamin B5 and relies on it to thicken and add volume to the hair. Other than this, the formula incorporates extracts from kiwi, passion flower, and mango to hydrate and moisturize the hair.

Further, the formula also makes use of silicones to keep the moisture from escaping. While silicones are common in hair products of all types, many people don’t approve of them.

The reason for this is that silicones can dry the hair while creating an imbalance in sebum production in the scalp. However, this only happens when the hair is exposed to them too frequently for prolonged periods.

The smell of this hairspray is the same as all Oribe hair products. In fact, one of the biggest reasons why people buy Oribe products is their scent. The signature Oribe scent is exceptional, subtle, and very difficult to describe in words. Suffice it to say that there aren’t many people who say that they don’t like the Oribe signature scent.

You can get this hairspray in two different bottle sizes. The bigger one contains 8.5 ounces of the product while the smaller one is more like a travel bottle with only 2.2-ounce capacity.

Both bottles have their uses. The larger bottle makes this hairspray slightly less expensive while the smaller bottle is a great for traveling needs. The smaller bottle is also useful if you want to try this hairspray before committing to a larger quantity.

Who’s it for: If you want to pamper your hair with a premium class hairspray and don’t mind spending a lot of money for it, get the Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray.

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