Best Heat Protectant for Curly Hair Care – 10 Great Choices!

By Jacqueline Samaroo

Heat styling, whether you blow-dry regularly, flat iron every now and then, or just go for a once-a-year silk press, can be a big help when it comes to caring for and styling curly hair. But, it can also lead to irreparable heat damage – which is why many naturalistas have sworn off using heat on their textured hair.

You can take advantage of the benefits of heat styling, however, if you ensure you are using the best heat protectant for curly hair care. We have ten awesome choices lined up for you that are not just popular but really do work to keep your strands safe while you heat style your tresses. What’s more, most of our suggestions do double or even triple duty as other types of styling products for natural, curly hair!

Here’s a quick look at the ten heat protectants for curly hair we have lined up for you!

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Mielle Organics Mongongo Oil Style Setting Spray
Mizani Thermastrength Heat Protecting Serum
Carol’s Daughter Monoi (Repair + Protect) Multi-Styling Milk
Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil
Pantene Heat Protectant Spray with Jojoba Oil for Curly Hair
African Pride Black Castor Miracle Anti-Humidity Heat Protectant Spray
OUAI Hair Oil
Cantu Thermal Shield Heat Protectant with Shea Butter
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Heat Styling Spray

Be sure to check out OUAI, Design Essentials, and lots more black-owned hair care brands in our ongoing series!

And, even if you are using the very best heat protectant for curly hair, here are some important points to keep in mind.

10 of the best heat protectants for curly hair

1. Design Essentials Natural Agave & Lavender Thermal Protectant Crème

The brilliant shine it leaves on your curls may be the first thing you notice with this heat protectant for dry hair. You’ll also love the reassurance it gives that your style will stand up to humidity, looking as coiffed as when you first did it. The agave and lavender formula works very well for hair that is medium to coarse-textured.

2. Mielle Organics Mongongo Oil Style Setting Spray

Mongongo oil is the star ingredient in this setting spray heat protectant for natural hair. Mongongo nuts are rich in vitamin E, magnesium, and hair-healthy fats. They nourish your hair and scalp while you style your hair. Use with a low heat setting or go heatless and enjoy the fabulous results.

Related articles:

Curly Haircare: Vitamin E for Hair Growth – 6 Wonderful Benefits
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3. Mizani Thermastrength Heat Protecting Serum

Very curly to tightly coiled hair gets the heat protection it needs from this nourishing serum. It’s a popular choice for the best heat protectant for curly hair because of how well it coats each strand. Also good to know: it smells awesome and a little goes a loooong way!

4. Carol’s Daughter Monoi (Repair + Protect) Multi-Styling Milk

Tahitian gardenias and coconut oil are the basic ingredients in monoi oil and you get the benefits of both in this multi-styling milk. It’s a leave-in conditioner with heat protectant power that also helps to moisturize and strengthen hair that is already damaged.

5. Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil

This heat protectant for natural hair, chemically-processed hair, and color-treated hair is specially formulated to repair and strengthen damaged strands. Each metered drop of this vegan, lightweight, concentrated oil add shine to your hair while making your strands softer yet stronger.

6. Pantene Heat Protectant Spray with Jojoba Oil for Curly Hair

Jojoba oil takes center stage in this contender for the best heat protectant spray for hair of all types. We feature a 2-pack here since we think you’ll love it enough to want to ensure you have more on hand. Use on dry, wet, or damp hair for great results.

7. African Pride Black Castor Miracle Anti-Humidity Heat Protectant Spray

Stop frizz-inducing humidity in its tracks with this heat protectant spray for curly hair. It’s made with black castor oil and a keratin protein complex. Together they help to nourish your strands and smooth them to make them more resistant to frizzing.

8. OUAI Hair Oil

One squirt of this lightweight oil is all you need to shield your hair from damage while heat styling. It’s a great choice if you are looking for a heat protectant for fine hair as it won’t weigh down your curls, coils, or kinks. It hydrates, softens, and strengthens as it protects.

9. Cantu Thermal Shield Heat Protectant with Shea Butter

You can use this as a heat protectant for natural hair but it works especially well on chemically processed and color-treated textured hair. Great for shielding damp hair from heat damage while you style your hair. The shea butter in its formula helps to moisture hair and repair damage.

10. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Heat Styling Spray

This styling spray is made with Living Proof’s patented Healthy Hair Molecule. It does everything you would expect a contender for the best heat protectant spray for curly hair to do. Along with heat protection, it also smooths, adds shine, and makes hair touchably soft.

What do you think is the best heat protectant for curly hair? We want to know!

CurlyNikki Says:

One of my FAVORITE heat protectants of all times is ApHogee’s Leave-in Conditioner. It’s light-weight (like an actual liquid, lol), but packed with goodies like hydrolized keratin (for strength) and panthenol (for volume), and actually leaves my hair frizz-free, fortified, and nourished. Here’s a quick look at the ingredients-

Water (Aqua, Eau), Amodimethicone, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Phytantriol, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, PPG-2 Methyl Ether, Polyquaternium-11, Trideceth-12, Cetrimonium Chloride, Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Trimethylsiloxyamodimethicone, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Linoleic Acid, Aminomethyl Propanol, C11-15 Pareth-7, Collagen Amino Acids, C12-16 Pareth-9, Glycerin, Linolenic Acid, Citric Acid, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylparaben, Fragrance (Parfum).

And the description from the label-

“Apply to wet or dry hair without rinsing. This deep penetrating, leave-in conditioner enriches hair using ApHogee’s exclusive Pro-Phytamine complex, which smoothes hair and increases manageability. It helps all hair types support styles better and protects against thermal damage. Balanced pH seals the cuticle to detangle and enhance color and highlights. This leave-in conditioner is recommended prior to using heat styling tools or dryers. It also protects hair color.”

I use it on clean, damp (not dripping wet) hair, pouring it into my hands and applying to my hair using the praying hands method—focusing on my crown (prone to frizz) and my ends (most delicate as they are the oldest part of the hair). I then twist as usual or sometimes blow-dry (tension blow dry) and then twist using a product like Carol’s Daughter Hair Honey. I’ve used this product to flat iron my hair once and the results were salon worthy. It’s truly a weightless product, and with the amodimethicone (the silicone that often gets a bad rap), it locks in moisture from my conditioner and keeps atmospheric moisture out. Which means that even in humid-ass Florida, I have *some* protection and my smooth styles last longer! If you try it, let me know in the comments below!

Article originally published on March 28, 2022- updated for content, grammar, and clarity.

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#blowoutblow dryersCurly Hair TipsHair Tipsheat protectantsheat stylingnatural hairNatural Hair tips

Best Heat Protectant for Curly Hair Care – 10 Great Choices! - Curly Nikki (2024)