I Tested 4 Popular Air-Dry Creams on a Beach Trip, and This One Was the Best

There’s something incredibly freeing about letting your hair do its thing in the summer. Between beach days, humidity and heat, spending 30 minutes with a blowdryer and hot tools can feel like a losing battle anyway. That’s where a great air-dry cream earns its place.

The best formulas don’t fight your natural texture—they enhance it, taming frizz, adding definition and leaving hair soft instead of crunchy. For my recent beach vacation to the Outer Banks, I packed four popular air-dry creams to see which one outperformed the rest on my long, somewhat-fine, color-treated hair. After a week of putting them to the test, these are my thoughts.

The Lineup:

My Love Note to Air-Dry Creams: Not Just a Summer Fling

Although I love a polished, bouncy blowout as much as the next gal, as a busy mom of two toddlers, I have been forced to embrace my natural texture (there just aren’t enough hours in the day). However, my natural texture (frizzy waves) does not air-dry nicely on its own. I have to call in the troops, aka the great air-dry creams, to lend a hand, and the difference without them is vast.

Over my 17 years as a beauty editor, I’ve tried dozens of air-dry formulas, but there’s nothing like putting a few head to head in one of the best places for a real stress test: the beach. I grabbed the top four from my beauty closet and away we went. Over the course of a week, I applied one each day after my post-beach/pre-dinner shower.

I’ve also learned that you should always apply air-dry creams on wet hair, versus waiting until your hair is nearly dry and then applying. If you don’t follow this advice, you will probably get less-than-optimal results, like hair that feels crunchy or weighed down, which I experienced myself on many occasions in the past.

The Winner—But Not By a Landslide

Let me first say that the competition was stiff. All four of these formulas have a loyal fanbase with more than 10,000 five-star reviews collectively. However, my winner was the JVN Complete Air Dry Cream. It left my strands so soft, like the kind of soft I couldn’t stop touching, and noticeably tamer with less frizz. It performs well when I use it at home, but to get the same results on a scorching, 100-degree day with high humidity and beach winds, sealed the deal for me.

Honorable mentions go to Divi and Crown Affair, which are also fabulous products, but unfortunately, the Hairstory just wasn’t the best fit for my hair. I know this product has a cult following, so maybe it’s just my hair type, but I wasn’t able to get the same type of results I did with the others. I also want to note that JVN, Divi and Crown Affair all have a beautiful scent, and Hairstory is virtually scent-free. Though scent did not play into my decision—I judged strictly on performance—the Hairstory may be a nice option if you are sensitive to fragrance.

Regardless of my personal outcome, if you are someone who’s been hesitant to embrace your natural texture, these products are a great place to start. Plus, there’s no better time than summer to pare back your beauty routine and give those coveted, effortless, “I woke up like this” vibes.