Shortlist:
Moroccanoil Intense Smoothing Serum
Cécred Moisture Sealing Lotion
Best shine product
Get your hair into peak shiny condition with L’Oréal Paris’ glossing treatment. Loaded with glycolic acid, the winning formula deeply hydrates and strengthens strands for a salon-worthy swish at home. Apply to wet hair and leave it to work for five minutes before rinsing off. It’s softer, sleeker hair, bottled.
Shortlist:
TreSemmé Lamellar Shine Finishing Oil
Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Finishing Mist
Schwarzkopf Professional Osis+ Sparkler Shine Spray
Best volumiser
Covet voluminous hair? Turn your head to this foaming formula from Color Wow. The next best thing to a professional blowdry, this styling staple boosts body and volume with just a few pumps to create the illusion of thicker, fuller hair in an instant. We’re hooked!
Shortlist:
Hair By Sam McKnight Cool Girl Superlift Volumising Spray
Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray
John Frieda ProFiller+ Thickening Spray
Best texturiser
For hair that looks done but undone, look no further. This barely there texturising mist from hair maestro Sam McKnight is the only product you need to create that slightly dishevelled, tousled texture, which looks effortlessly cool. For best results, tip your head upside down, spritz it in and mess it up.
Shortlist:
Andrew Fitzsimons Après Sexe Texture Spray
Best blow-dry product
Color Wow’s Dream Coat Supernatural Spray has secured yet another award, winning the best blowdry product category. Seriously good stuff, the unrivalled formula creates a humidity-resistant surface on the hair for a frizz-free finish and glass-like shine. Apply to damp hair before blow-drying with tension to activate the treatment.
Shortlist:
Amika Brooklyn Bombshell Blowout Spray
L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Super Blowdry Cream
Oribe Royal Blowout Heat Styling Spray
Best hair oil
A good hair oil should repair damage and restore shine – which is exactly what the Olaplex No7 Bonding Oil does. Powered by the brand’s patented bond-building technology, the lightweight formula moisturises strands from the inside out, protects hair from high heat and smooths out any unwanted frizz. Tick, tick, tick!
Shortlist:
Kérastase Elixir Ultime L’Huile Originale Refillable
Moroccanoil Treatment Original
Best curl cream
Not only does this Curl Crème have major #shelfie appeal, but it also really works. Combining linseed and chia seed extracts with coconut and babassu oils, the hydrating formula softens strands and enhances natural wave patterns without weighing hair down. The result? Bouncier, more defined curls.
Shortlist:
Cantu Shea Butter Coconut Curling Cream
Best hair gel
Not all hair gel is created equal and this one from Aveda is a cut above the rest. Ideal for 3C-4C hair types, the non-crunchy formula – which is infused with a plant-based peptide – strengthens and protects coils and tight curls from humidity, while delivering long-lasting hold and definition.
Shortlist:
Schwarzkopf Got2b Ultra Glued Edge Styling Gel
L’Oréal Professionnel Tecni.Art Fix Max Shaping Gel
Eco Style Olive Oil Styling Gel
Best edge control
This invisible gel formula from Schwarzkopf (Maya Jama is a fan) expertly shapes and lays edges without any crunch. What’s more, it doubles up as brilliant brow gel – brushing hairs into place for a feathered, laminated look that stays put all day long. At £5.50, it’s a no-brainer.
