10 Best Heat Protectants for Natural Hair 2020 [Buying Guide]

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Heather
Patton

Jennifer
Trimbee

Samantha
Dewitt

How to Choose the Best Natural Hair Heat Protectant

Choosing to go natural doesn’t mean you have to forego heat styling altogether, and the best heat protectants for natural hair can help you keep your hair healthy and well protected. All of the products we reviewed help to prevent dryness, breakage, or damage on days you want to use straighteners, blow dryers, or curlers. Before we dive into the product reviews, here are some things to consider when choosing the best heat protectant for your hair and styling needs.

Package Size: We’ll let you know the size of each product, so you can choose the right size for your needs and your budget! Whether you want a travel-friendly option, or you want to stock up, we have plenty to choose from!

Paraben-Free: Parabens are a common ingredient found in beauty and hair products that acts as a preservative. However, some believe parabens are linked to cancer, so if you want to avoid them, we found several paraben-free options for you to try!

Argan Oil: Argan oil is all-natural oil that’s great for all kinds of hair textures and types! It repairs damage from dryness, perms, and coloring. It is also non-irritating, so it’s good for sensitive skin and for reducing inflammation on your scalp!

Natural: If you are working on “cleaning up” your beauty routine, we found some great natural heat protectant for natural hair! They are free of parabens, sulfates, silicones, and other chemicals you may be trying to avoid in your heat protectant!

Type: The heat protectants we reviewed come in either a spray or cream. Sprays are great for an all-over and quick application. Creams are good for thick and curly hair because you can feel exactly where it is penetrating your hair!

Max Heat: Not all of the heat protectants we reviewed have a maximum heat, but many did – so we let you know! This allows you to find a heat protectant that works with your heat tools without burning or discoloring your hair!

Top 10 Products

Now that you know about the amazing things heat protectants offer, let’s find the best heat protectant for natural hair to add to your beauty routine! We found great options at every budget, from professional-grade products to organic options if you want to keep things all natural! If you’re short on time, no worries! We started with our Top Pick and Budget Pick, so you can start there and come back when you have more time to read the rest.

PHYTOKÉRATINE Thermal Protectant Spray

Let’s start with our Top Pick, which is a heat protectant spray from the luxury brand Phytokératine that works on all types of hair! This topped our list because it works well on any type of hair, from natural black hair to fine, bleached, or chemically processed hair. It uses hyaluronic acid to help your hair retain moisture, and other natural ingredients like botanical keratin and ceramides to strengthen and protect hair from heat damage. The spray is easy to apply, and works quickly to detangle your hair and prep it for blow-drying, straightening, curling, and more! The heat-activated product helps to prevent split ends and dryness while you apply heat, and it also keeps your hair soft and smooth all day long. We think this is the best heat protectant for relaxed hair, transitioning hair, and natural hair because you can use it at all stages of your journey to natural hair to keep it looking and feeling healthy!

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Arvazallia Heat Protectant Plus

Even if you’re a beauty guru on a budget, you can still get a great heat protectant product without spending a fortune – like this one from Arvazallia! This is a professional grade heat protectant that works on all kinds of hair, including wigs and extensions, to increase moisture, prevent heat damage, and much more! We like that this inexpensive spray can be used for a variety of purposes – not just as a heat protectant! It works well to detangle, reduce frizz, and maintain wigs and extensions. Instead of buying a bunch of products to handle each individual hair problem, you can save a lot more money by getting one spray that does it all! We also like that this spray contains Argan oil to lock in moisture and add shine. Oh, and it smells amazing too! If you’re looking for a multi-use product to keep your hair shiny and protected without busting your beauty budget, this is a great option!

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Briogeo Rosarco Heat Protectant

If you’re looking for a heat protectant for blow drying natural hair, this all-natural heat protectant cream from Briogeo will help you get a great blowout at home! This cream uses rosehip oil, Argan oil, and coconut oil to detangle and moisturize your hair, preparing it for heat tools that run up to 425° F. It works well with all types of hair, including natural black hair, bleached or dyed hair, chemically relaxed hair, and dry hair! We also like this product because it’s vegan-friendly, all natural, and cruelty-free. You can feel good knowing that the product you’re using isn’t full of unfamiliar chemicals and that it was made using ethically sound processes. Since this product works well at high heats, it’s great for blow-drying, curling, heat straightening, and any other heat tools you want to use! We think this is a great product for people with natural hair who also want to “clean up” their beauty cabinet!

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HSI PROFESSIONAL Heat Protector

When looking for the best heat protectant for flat ironing natural hair, we found this professional quality heat protector spray from HSI Professional that gives you salon quality results at home. We like this for flat ironing natural hair because it works up to 450° F, so you can feel confident that it will protect your hair even at the highest ironing or blow drying settings. The lightweight formula won’t weigh your hair down, so it’s great for thin or fine hair as well! It also does a lot more than just protecting you from hot tools – it also works well as a leave-in conditioner, detangling spray, and shine booster between blowouts! We even like that you can use it on natural hair extensions! This product is great because it’s color-safe, free of sulfates and parabens, and is never tested on animals. You can get a salon-quality style without worrying about harmful chemicals, breakage, or altering your beautiful hair color!

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ArtNaturals Thermal Hair Protector

Another great protectant for ironing natural hair is this Argan Oil spray from ArtNaturals! This spray is made of all-natural ingredients, including Argan oil, rosemary, ginseng, and more to moisturize your hair and ready it for heat styling tools. They are also free of parabens, sulfates, and other chemicals that can do more damage than good if used every day. Oh, and it’s also vegan-friendly, ethically sourced, and always cruelty-free! In addition to being good for the environment and you, it’s also just a really good product! It works hard to protect and restore dry, damaged hair, and it leaves your hair feeling smooth and looking shiny! You can also use this as a leave-in conditioner or detangler on days when you don’t want to use heat tools to style your hair! This company is dedicated to creating safe, effective hair products that are affordable and easy to use, and we think you’ll enjoy using them every day!

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CHI Iron Guard Thermal Protection

If you’re looking for a heat protectant that’s lightweight and works well with all kinds of heat tools, pick up this thermal protection spray from CHI! We like their Iron Guard Thermal Protection spray because it’s incredibly lightweight and won’t create excess buildup, which keeps your hair from feeling weighed down. It’s also really easy to use – just spray it on a small section of dry hair, and then apply heat! The spray works hard to prevent heat damage while adding shine and helping your style stay in place. You can use your professional-grade tools at their hottest settings without worry! We also like that this heat protectant works with any type of hot tools you want to use. It works well with your blow dryer, curler, straightening iron, and hot rollers! You can also use this on any texture or type of hair, so it’s also good for using while transitioning from relaxed or permed hair to natural texture!

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Design Essentials Thermal Protectant

For dry or coarse hair, a thermal protectant cream is a great way to keep your hair moisturized and protected, especially if you need a lot of heat! You can use the Thermal Protectant from Design Essentials with your favorite hair care products, or use it with their 4-step system for smooth, silky blowouts. This product works up to 420° F, which is great if you need to use some serious heat to tame coarse, kinky, or dry hair. This protectant also helps your style last for a long time, so you won’t have to rewash and set as often. It’s also made to protect hair from humidity, which can cause your style to revert back to curly. We think this is the best heat protectant for natural black hair because it’s nourishing and works with even the highest heat settings to give your hair a sleek, shiny texture, no matter what condition your natural hair is to begin with!

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Macadamia Professional Thermal Protectant

Another great product that works with high-heat straightening irons and curlers is this Thermal Protectant from Macadamia Professional! It uses a blend of macadamia and Argan oils to provide extra shine and smoothness to your hair as you style. We like that it’s packed full of healthy Omega fatty acids and natural ingredients that penetrate the hair follicle to protect it from heat, add shine, and prevent damage and splitting from too high of heat. You can use it with heat tools up to 450° F, so you can get the results you’re after – even if you have extremely curly hair! It works on all textures of hair, though we think it’s the best heat protectant for naturally curly hair because you can use it with professional-grade straightening irons and curlers safely. Macadamia Professional also has a line of hair products like shampoos, conditioners, leave-in treatments, and masks you can use to prep your hair before using the thermal protectant.

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TRESemmé Expert Heat Protection

Getting effective heat protection doesn’t mean spending a lot of money, and thanks to TRESemmé, you can get a salon-level style without the salon price! This inexpensive heat protection spray works up to 450° F to keep your hair healthy, even if you’re using some serious heat. It uses keratin and marula oil to help straighten or curl your hair safely while adding extra shine and a soft texture. We like that this spray does a lot more than heat protection – it’s also great for taming flyaways, smoothing frizz, detangling, and doing touch-ups between washings! This is a great product for all hair types, from naturally straight, fine hair to coarse, dry, or extra curly natural hair! You can also use it if you have bleached, dyed, or chemically relaxed hair, so it’s great for all phases of your transition to natural hair, too! This is a great multi-use product that creates beautiful hair for beauty gurus on any budget!

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Beyond The Zone Heat Protection

Our final review is this heat protection spray from Beyond The Zone that’s great for using with your favorite straightening iron! It works well on all types of hair, and you can use it with either damp or dry hair. This means it you can use it on days you wash your hair, or use it for touch-ups on days when you don’t want to wash! This hair oil spray works by sealing the hair follicle, which protects it from dryness or breakage due to heat styling. The slick consistency of it also gives your hair plenty of slip, so you can slide your hair through a straightening iron or curling iron quickly. No more crimp lines from your hair getting stuck in your hot tools! This is great to use if you have dry or processed hair to give it healthy texture and shine. Even heavily bleached hair looks healthy! It leaves your hair feeling lightweight, bouncy, and soft!

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About the Author

Samantha Dewitt

Expert Researcher and Writer

Samantha Dewitt is a lead researcher and writer for GeekWrapped, writing under a pen name. She gets excited about pet, baby, and science products and has over 12 years of experience.

Best Heat Protectants for Natural Hair

Top 10 Buying Guide

Our Recommendations

PHYTOKÉRATINE Thermal Protectant Spray

Arvazallia Heat Protectant Plus

How to Choose the Best Natural Hair Heat Protectant

Top 10 Products

PHYTOKÉRATINE Thermal Protectant Spray

Arvazallia Heat Protectant Plus

Briogeo Rosarco Heat Protectant

HSI PROFESSIONAL Heat Protector

ArtNaturals Thermal Hair Protector

CHI Iron Guard Thermal Protection

Design Essentials Thermal Protectant

Macadamia Professional Thermal Protectant

TRESemmé Expert Heat Protection

Beyond The Zone Heat Protection

About the Author

TOP PICK

PHYTOKÉRATINE Thermal Protectant Spray