The Best Hair Tools That (Actually) Tame Frizzy Hair

Many of us, myself included, consider hair to be our “crowning glory” because it’s one of the very first things people see. We wash, condition, treat, style, and lather-rinse-repeat to keep it looking its best, but frizz happens to the best of us, and the right tools (and hair habits) can keep it at bay.

We all want smooth and shiny hair that’s healthy (and doesn’t look like we just stuck a fork in an electrical outlet), and it’s easier to achieve than you might think.

Best Anti-Frizz Tools At A Glance

Compare	Styling Type	Price
Ella Bella 6-in-1	Multi	$199
Ella Bella Infrared Straightener	Straight/Smooth	$99
Revlon Shine Boost	Drying/Diffusing	Under $30
Shark FlexStyle	Multi	$299+
Dyson Airwrap	Multi	$749

While these tools are the very best at what they do, creating salon-worthy results while fighting frizz and maximizing shine, it’s important to understand exactly what causes frizz in the first place.

After all, healthy hair habits will create the best canvas to work with.

What Causes Frizzy Hair (And Tips To Avoid It)

We’re gonna get just a little science-y here, since I want you to understand what’s actually happening on the surface of each hair strand when you start to notice frizz.

Every strand of hair has an outermost layer called the cuticle. You can think of it as its “skin” in a way; on a microscopic level, the hair cuticle kind of looks like fish scales. When your hair is healthy, these scales lay flat against one another, so the surface of the strand is completely smooth and reflective (strong and shiny).

If your hair is damaged from styling, product use, chemical processes, lack of moisture from over-washing, environmental factors, health issues, or even rough towel-drying, those “fish scales” lift up and they’re no longer smooth against one another. When that happens, the cuticle swells to absorb moisture from the air, but it also makes the strand’s surface rougher and duller, so your hair isn’t so shiny anymore on its own, and it’s much more prone to tangling.

Anti-frizz hair tools will only take you so far when it comes to “fixing” frizz; the best hair routine starts with looking at the bigger picture and adjusting your habits to improve your hair’s health.

You’ll want to consider:

• Your cleansing habits. Daily hair-washing can strip your hair of its natural moisture, so try to extend the time between washings to 2 or 3 days (or longer, if your scalp isn’t oily). But ingredients like sulfates and parabens can dry out hair, making it more prone to frizz, too.
• Your drying habits. Towels are fine for drying your body, but they can rough up the hair cuticle. Choose softer materials, like an old t-shirt, instead.
• Hair hydration. Conditioner is a given (it does what it says it does, conditioning the surface of your hair), but you’ll want to consider using deep moisture treatments or leave-in conditioners, too. And while silicones are common in hair conditioners, I personally avoid them because they can lead to dulling product buildup, and they mask problems more than actually fixing them.
• Heat protection. If you blow-dry or style with hot tools, leave-in conditioners or styling products that offer protection against heat will help to minimize damage, especially if you use those tools daily.
• Anti-frizz styling tools. If you style your hair regularly, you’ll want to seek hot tools that use things like:
  • Ionic technology, which releases negative ions that neutralize the positive charge in hair (static electricity), smoothing the cuticle.
  • Infrared technology, which heats the hair from the inside out, preserving more of your hair’s natural moisture.
  • Plasma technology, which releases positive and negative ions to completely rebalance the electrical charge in hair, sealing the cuticle.
• Reducing chemical treatments: I know… I know. I’m guilty of coloring and highlighting and perming (although not together!), but reducing the frequency of harsh chemical treatments can help your hair to stay healthier over time.

It’s a lot to think about, I know. My hair is inching toward my waist, and my basic routine includes:

• Washing (single wash only, even after an oil treatment)
• Conditioning (I comb it through with a wide-tooth comb in the shower)
• Hair wrapped post-shower in a t-shirt rather than a towel
• Leave-in spray conditioner (I love Hask) before drying
• Styling with frizz-fighting tools (more on those in just a minute)
• Cold-pressed argan oil on the lower third of the total length after styling
• A weekly hair mask (Texture ID Deep Moisture Masque)
• Bi-weekly rosemary oil (scalp to ends) to promote growth and moisture

Clearly, I take my hair care seriously. And if you love your hair, you should too.

The Best Frizz-Fighting Hair Tools To Try Right Now

Depending on how you prefer to style your hair, we’ll take a closer look at my top recommendations for anti-frizz hair tools.

Ella Bella 6-in-1

Multi-stylers let you expand your hot tool collection while also minimizing the total number of tools you need to store, and the 6-in-1 from Ella Bella is my top recommendation because of the amount of flexibility it offers at a price point under $200.

(For reference, quality multi-stylers like this generally start at $250 on the low end and run upwards of $750 or more.)

The Ella Bella 6-in-1 is an airstyler that includes a hair dryer attachment, smoothing paddle brush, large oval volumizing brush, smaller round brush, and two 32mm (1.25”) air-curling barrels (left and right). So whether you wear your hair straight and sleek, want a bangin’ blowout, or prefer to rock bouncy curls with a ton of volume, this multi-styler can provide it all.

The 6-in-1 has three heat settings and two air speeds so you can customize everything based on your hair’s texture and the styling attachment you’re using. The only thing I really wish this multi-styler had is a separate cool shot button; you can manually switch the temperature to cool things down, of course, but that’s a little more fiddlesome compared to having a standalone cool shot button.

The airflow on the Ella Bella 6-in-1 is really strong, even on low, and that’s what I prefer to use when drying, using the paddle brush, the volumizing brush, or the round brush. When it comes to the air curlers, however, I found that the autowrapping is a lot more effective when the air is on high. (My hair is long and it’s fairly heavy.)

For the best and most frizz-free results with the Ella Bella 6-in-1, you’ll want to start with freshly washed hair, which you’ll dry about 90% of the way with the hair dryer attachment. (I highly suggest using a leave-in conditioner spray with heat protectant beforehand.) From there, you’ll use the paddle brush to detangle, smooth, and dry it the rest of the way, which only takes a minute or two. This gives you a fresh and sleek canvas for whatever additional styling you do next, whether with the volumizing brush at the root, the round brush, or the autowrap curlers.

The powerful airflow and intelligent temperature control makes styling a quick process, which not only gets you on your way faster but minimizes heat damage to your hair for a frizz-free and shiny-as-hell finish.

Ella Bella 6-in-1 Pros

• Includes all the tools you need for blowouts, volumized straight styles, or loose curls
• Styles quickly, minimizing damage and reducing frizz
• Price point below $200
• Provides a hard-shell case for storage and travel

Ella Bella 6-in-1 Cons:

• Does not have a cool shot button
• Does not include a diffuser or concentrator for the dryer

Ella Bella Infrared Straightener

When sleek and straight hair is your goal, the Infrared Hair Straightener from Ella Bella is my absolute favorite tool for getting the job done.

With titanium plates that are an inch and a half wide, this flat iron gently heats your hair from the inside first, which not only styles your strands quickly, but it protects the hair cuticle much more effectively compared to other straighteners.

I get the best results after using the detangling and smoothing paddle brush with my Ella Bella 6-in-1, which creates a nice “blank” hair canvas to work with. Most areas of my hair can be straightened in a single pass (further reducing damage) and it’s unbelievably shiny when I’m finished.

The Infrared Hair Straightener from Ella Bella has a temperature range from 250ºF to 450ºF, so you can adjust it however you need for your hair texture.

Beyond the infrared technology, though, it just has a really smart design, featuring thumb-grips on either side that provide better control while you’re using it, and a swivel cord that will never tangle during use. It has a lock button for easy storage and an auto shut-off in case you ever accidentally leave it turned on.

Additionally, it includes a silicone mat that protects your counter’s surface and doubles as a storage bag for travel, along with a heat-resistant glove to protect your hand while styling.

Ella Bella Infrared Straightener Pros:

• Uses infrared technology for gentle heat styling
• Smooths the hair cuticle and adds shine
• Adjustable temperature control

Ella Bella Infrared Straightener Cons:

• Somewhat high price point for a single styling tool

Revlon 1875w Shine Boost Dryer

This hair dryer has been my ride-or-die whenever my hair has been permed because the diffuser on this thing is just… *chef’s kiss* as far as I’m concerned.

Yes, it’s a much more budget-friendly hair dryer compared to the other styling tools in this list, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. (And if you’re broke, you can likely still afford this because it’s under $30.)

While the Revlon Shine Boost features ionic technology that reduces static electricity and frizz, it’s got a separate ion generator that you can turn on manually to release 30% more negative ions for even greater frizz reduction.

With two speed settings, three heat settings, and a cool shot button, this hair dryer’s diffuser is huge, so if you’ve got curly hair, you can preserve your curl pattern easily during drying, and then finish with that cool shot to lock the shape in with plenty of shine.

The Revlon Shine Boost also comes with a concentrator attachment for when you need to dry smaller sections of hair quickly, too.

If you only need a quality hair dryer, and especially if you’re a curly girl, this is a must-have. Truly.

Revlon Shine Boost Pros:

• Uses ionic technology, but also has an ion generator to boost the effect
• Includes a big diffuser attachment and a concentrator attachment
• Three heat settings plus a cool shot
• Two speed settings
• GREAT price point (less than $30)

Revlon Shine Boost Cons:

• Is a bit on the bulky side
• Is not a multi-styling tool

Shark FlexStyle

The Shark FlexStyle has several iterations to choose from (including build-your-own models), but I have the Indigo Rush, which is a 5-in-1 system that includes a hair dryer, concentrator, volumizing brush, and two 1.25” airwrap curling barrels (left and right).

Style-wise and in terms of efficacy, this is pretty similar to the Ella Bella, only at a higher price point. To be honest, I don’t see much of a difference in the final results between the two, barring the fact that my Shark does not include a small round brush attachment.

When it comes to smooth and frizz-free results, the Shark FlexStyle is on par with the Ella Bella there, as well. While I like that the dryer on the Shark is not a separate attachment (the end rotates and folds down to create the dryer), the unit is a bit heavier to wield compared to the 6-in-1 from Ella Bella, and this is most noticeable when using the large volumizing brush. 

The one thing that the Shark has (that the Ella Bella does not) is the cool shot button, which is especially useful when you’re setting curls. But is that alone worth the much higher price point? That’s for you (and your budget) to decide.

Shark FlexStyle Pros:

• Hair dryer is not a separate attachment
• Curling wands are clearly marked with an “L” or “R” to denote side/direction
• Has a cool shot button for setting your style
• Offers various models with attachment sets, including build-your-own versions that allow you to manually select the exact ones you want

Shark FlexStyle Cons:

• Tools vary based on the model
• Provides only a bag for storage, rather than a case
• Higher price point compared to the top recommendation in this list

Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler

If your budget allows, the Dyson Airwrap is one of the OG multi-styling tools that does it all, no matter how you prefer to style your hair.

(That said, if your budget doesn’t allow, you can look for refurbished models at Dyson and save a ton… I got my Dyson Airwrap for less than half price, and it still came with a one-year warranty!)

The latest iteration of the Dyson Airwrap includes a dryer, airsmooth (straightener) attachment, anti-snag loop brush, round brush, a 1.6” curling barrel, and a 1.2” curling barrel.

The curling barrels are the one thing that the Dyson does a little better compared to the Ella Bella and the Shark. Both of those include two same-sized barrels (one for the left and right side), but the Dyson includes two barrels with a nearly half-inch difference in size, so you can alternate curl sizes however you like.

And the barrels do not have a designated direction; that can be switched on the barrel itself, which eliminates the need for a “right” or “left” side at all.

Is the Dyson Airwrap effective? Oh yes. 

Is the Dyson Airwrap worth a price point that’s more than three times the Ella Bella, or more than double the cost of the Shark?

That’s debatable. 

I definitely think the Dyson is a great multi-styler when you want sleek and frizz-free locks, but if your budget’s not a fan, you’ll do just as well with the Ella Bella 6-in-1.

Dyson Airwrap Pros:

• Provides different multi-styler sets based on your preferences (Straight + Wavy, or Curly + Coily)
• Powerful air pressure styles quickly to reduce damage and frizz
• With the MyDyson app, you can answer some questions and get a personal styling sequence to follow

Dyson Airwrap Cons:

• Hefty price point and the most expensive tool on this list

Closing Thoughts

Frizzy hair isn’t something you’re just “stuck with” if you’re using hair tools designed to minimize frizz and you’re also taking good care of your hair. Even the best anti-frizz styling tools will only get you so far, though. 

Smooth and sleek hair starts (quite literally) at the root, so wash and dry with care, use heat protectant as needed, treat yourself to a hair masque for deep hydration every once in a while, and if you can, limit the frequency of chemical processes like bleaching, coloring, or perming.

With proper hair care and the right tools in hand, frizz doesn’t stand a chance.