5 Best Heat Protection Products

Heat protection products are your hair's first line of defense against styling damage. Also commonly referred to as heat protectants, thermal protection and a host of other names that scream "Put me on before your hair gets fried!" As heat styling continues to grow in popularity, so does the range of products devoted to repairing its damage.

There are a number of product lines designed for heat-treated hair, offering everything from shampoos to restorative masks and capsules. With the exceptions of heat-activated styling aids and heat protection products, these are often standard dry/damaged hair products. They focus more on repairing existing issues than protecting against future heat damage.

This review focuses solely on sprays and serums designed to protect your hair against heat. As you're about to see, these products aren't necessarily expensive - you might be spending more on shampoo than some of these choices! But this is the product that will make all the difference in how your hair looks after heat styling, so now you have no excuse for neglecting it.

Best Heat Protection Products

#5 CHI 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protection Spray - $11.99 Folica.com

CHI is arguably the most recognizable brand name in professional styling tools. They are what I like to consider an "entry level" professional straightening iron, with the gold standard currently belonging to GHD. They make quality products, just not the absolute best. After reading lots of reviews on how unbelievably soft this left people's hair, I decided to give it a shot. The reviewers may have been new to straightening their hair - Iron Guard does leave it soft, but not amazingly so. If cheaper options with similar results weren't available, I'd buy this again. I had no poor results, just happened to like other things better.

#4 John Frieda Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat Protective Styling Spray - $6.99, Folica.com

I've had bouts with frizz over the years, and John Frieda has always helped me through it. I've had good results with every Frizz-Ease product I've tried, and this is no exception. This is a pretty basic heat protectant, and got me through a pinch when I ran out of my favorite product (listed at #1). The only remarkable drawback to me was the way this spray smelled, but I only went through one bottle of it so I may have had a bad batch. It had a faint medicine odor, not an awful smell but mildly unpleasant. Despite this issue, this spray still gave me great results - especially for the price.

#3 Nexxus Heat Protexx Heat Protection Styling Spray - $15.99, Folica.com

I have a feeling that if I'd had more opportunity to test this spray, it'd be at #2. I used this while on vacation, thanks to FAA restrictions on liquids carried on flights (and therefore having to leave my spray at the airport). For the week or so I got to use it, I liked the results. I did notice some extra softness while using this, perhaps because it's alcohol-free. I've avoided buying it simply because of the price - more than double what I pay for my usual heat protector spray. Where I was vacationing when I got to use this is also less humid than where I live, so I've rationalized my cheapskate ways by second-guessing the "extra" softness. Perhaps when I'm out of my stash of the products below I'll give this spray another try.

#2 Ozon Yummy Hair Cherry Bomb - $12.99, BeautyChoice.com

A serum I actually like! I have naturally straight hair, which tends to be slightly oily. For both of those reasons, I have had terrible luck with heat protection serums. Cherry Bomb is the exception. This doesn't make my hair greasy at all and gives a pleasant shine boost. This also smells phenomenal. As you might have gathered from the name, this is meant to smell like cherries. I won't say it smells exactly like fresh fruit - but it smells like cherry candy. Fun Dip, to be precise. The price is a little high on this one too, but I've found that I need so little at a time that a bottle lasts and lasts. I've used this at least once a week for the past 4 months and am less than halfway through a 2 oz. bottle.

#1 TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray - $4.75, Drugstore.com

I love this spray. This is among my "holy grail" of beauty products - the life-saving stuff I'd bring with me to the desert island. Even if that desert island didn't have electricity, I'd bring this anyway. It smells great - not overpowering, vaguely perfume-y, but mostly a clean scent not unlike the smell of freshly shampooed hair. It also works beautifully. I've never had frizzy or crunchy results, and this pairs well with other TRESemme products I use occasionally.

The price is also a huge bonus. At only around $5 for an 8oz. bottle, this is a steal. I'm all for beauty on a budget, which this product does to a T. The Nexxus spray offered similar results, but I'm not about to pay 3 times as much for essentially the same product. If another heat protection product comes along to change my mind, I'll be sure to post a comparison. In my travels on makeup and beauty message boards around the web, I've seen this product come up again and again. It seems I'm not the only one who'd bring it on a three-hour tour.

I hope this review has helped you find a heat protection product you can stick with. Are any of these your favorites? Leave a comment below!