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Put the gel down and say goodbye to crunchy, crusty hair.
If your daily hair styling routine consists of anything beyond just splashing some water in your hair and running your fingers through it before walking out the door—and it should, at least in our view—chances are you need a good hair cream. What exactly does a hair cream do, you ask? Unlike a sea salt spray, which adds grit and texture, a hair cream adds a layer of lightweight moisture to thin, dry hair, increasing shine and movement. The best hair cream has a mild to medium hold factor, which locks your style in place without making it look too stiff.
Read more: Best Hair Products for Men
There's a hair cream for almost every hair type, whether you're looking to add definition to medium-length curls or tame flyaways on a shorter style. If you have thin hair, some hair creams can even give the appearance of thicker, fuller hair and are packed with nourishing ingredients to encourage hair growth. We are constantly on the hunt for the best grooming products, and in the process, we discovered the best hair creams for men on the market now. Below, we've rounded up our top picks for the best hair creams that work for a variety of hair types and concerns.
Kinky and curly hair loves moisture, which is why hydrating conditioners are so important for both the health and appearance of your curls. Applying this leave-in treatment can help give your hair the extra boost of moisture its thirsting for.
Short hair needs hydration, too. This moisture-rich cream gel gets rid of frizz and adds textured definition shorter styles, leaving a medium hold and medium shine finish.
Read more: Best Dry Shampoo for Men
This styling cream tames frizz and flyaways for a sleek style. Moisturizing ingredients including algae extracts and panthenol provide nourishment to dry, brittle stands while wheat proteins help to strengthen follicles, promoting growth and preventing breakage.
Styling long hair can be a pain, but this air cream makes it easy. Work it into damp or wet hair to add buildable, touchable hold for hair that feels soft and looks shiny. No crunchiness or flakes, ever.
Read more: How to Style Long Hair
We can almost guarantee that this is your stylists' favorite styling cream. A medium-hold cream with a natural finish, this lightweight styler tames frizz with rich moisturizers including green tea extract and vitamin E, along with a silicone-vitamin blend.
Read more: Best Hair Conditioners for Men
This dream cream does it all: it provides separation, light-to-medium hold, and a smooth, satin finish. Run your fingers through your hair for a tousled, textured look or use a comb for a sleek, tailored style.
Styling creams are the Swiss army knife of hair styling products, and this one from R+Co is a real winner. It's a true all purpose product that can be used on all hair types to add lightweight hold and definition to almost any style. Notes of lemon, tangerine, and eucalyptus linger long after applying this product in the hair.
Read more: Best Colognes for Men
This unique styling cream offers a high memory hold, meaning that your style looks the same late into the evening (or even the next day) and it did whenever you first styled it. It moisturizes, adds shine and creates easy separation with a flexible yet sturdy medium hold.
While pomades are great for adding hold and grit to a hairstyle, they tend to be overly drying. Baxter of California wisely took all the benefits of a pomade and combined it with the moisture-rich properties of a styling cream to create this 2-in-1 cream pomade.
Active ingredients: Glycerin, beeswax, and candelilla oil
Read more: Best Hair Pastes for Men
If you're tired of fighting frizz, this hair cream is for you. A nouishing blend of jojoba, mongongo, and shea butter hydrates, softens, and protects the hair. This multi-purpose product has become a “must-have” for hairstylists around the world as both a texturizing styling cream and a deep moisturizing treatment.
For the past two years, we consulted with Men's Health's Grooming editors and writers on the top grooming products for men. Experts including our Grooming Editor Garrett Munce and Senior Commerce Editor Christian Gollayan put a myriad of hair creams to the test and evaluated their effectiveness, scent, and hold. We also considered top-reviewed hair creams that had at least 100 five-star customer ratings on e-commerce websites that we trust.