10 Great Hair Creams That Provide a Soft, Natural-Looking Hold (2024)

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.

Testing Notes: We love to use this leave in-treatment on wet hair straight out of the shower. It works best if you squeeze a generous amount into the palm of your hand and gently cover the length and ends of your hair before running your hands through your scalp. You don't want to start at the scalp because you might apply too much product there, which could weigh down your hair and cause it get oily quickly.

Read more: Best Hair Conditioners for Men

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. "American Crew Forming Cream is versatile and works well with various hair types and lengths," says Andrew Zumbo, American Crew Ambassador and New York-based stylist. "It provides flexibility, allowing you to reshape your hair throughout the day if needed. It’s also a perfect balance of hold, texture, and flexibility, allowing you to achieve your desired hairstyle while maintaining a natural and well-groomed look."

Read more: Best Dry Shampoo for Men

Testing Notes: Zumbo suggests applying a dime-sized amount of the hair cream into your palms and warming it up a little. You want it to be smooth against your hands to begin working it into the roots and distribute it evenly throughout your hair. It's always better to start with a small amount and add more if necessary, as using too much product can weigh your hair down. Be sure to focus on the areas where you want the most hold and control. Once you have achieved the desired style, let your hair air dry or use a blow dryer on a cool setting to lock your look in place.

Testing Notes: We were surprised with how versatile this hair cream was to use. We found that it was great to use on straight hair that normally lays flat. This hair cream adds just the right amount moisture and body. We also like to apply it to the ends of dry hair on day two if you don't feel like washing your hair. It gives you that clean, polished look without leaving behind any stickiness or residue.

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. "Complete Air Dry Cream is such a special product as it enhances all hair textures and will define your hair like a curl cream," says Jonathan Van Ness, hairstylist and founder of JVN. "Its light-weight formula is easy-to-use, perfect for someone with a shorter hair style, and will give the most beautiful shine and touchable hold with the staying power of chia and lineseed extracts and our hero hemisqualane ingredients."

Testing Notes: According to Van Ness, this product can be applied on damp hair and worked through to style and provide definition, reducing frizz and giving lasting hold all day. We can't get enough of the fresh, clean smell that doesn't overpower the nose. It's definitely not a gel, so don't expect a strong hold, but it does tame frizz all day long. We've been huge fans of this hair cream since it launched in 2021 and it's still one of our most-used styling products.

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. "Crème for Style has a rich formula with a bouncy, medium hold and plenty of anti-frizz ingredients," says Adam Livermore, Global Artist for Oribe. "It’s great for wavy, curly or highly textured hair that has some length— a style that has intention, but isn’t too strict. I love it in my curly hair! I work it through while it’s wet, then air dry it. It leaves my hair without frizz or crunch. It’s perfect.”

Testing Notes: When we first tried this cream, we were instantly hooked. Why? Because it's easily adapts to different hair concerns. If you have one side of your hair that's more flat than the other, this cream adds volume and control wherever you need it most. And for the hefty price tag, we were happy to find that a little goes a long way, so you'll definitely get your money's worth from one tube. We've been using a single tube for well over a year now and we're not even close to finishing it.

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.

Testing Notes: This cream is slightly sticky on your fingers, but it works to your advantage. We prefer to place it on the ends of the hair to get that perfectly textured look that doesn't look too messy. We found that it can make your hair quite stiff, so be sure to use it as the very last step in your hair care routine as you're about to walk out the door. You can be sure that whatever style you wear will stay in place all day long.

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.

Testing Notes: We like that this cream provides a lightweight hold that doesn't make your strands feel crunchy. Apply a generous amount to damp hair to add moisture, which gives your hair a very lived-in look and feel. Be careful not to use too much, or you'll look greasy. It goes on easily, leaves your hair pliable, and you can easily run your fingers in your hair without worrying about the product flaking off onto your shoulders.

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.

Testing Notes: We found that this product works best when it's the only styling product you use in your hair. It doesn't play well when mixed with a leave-in conditioner or hair pomade, which might lead to flaking. Considering the flexible, high memory hold, this shouldn't be a problem. Apply it on damp hair and style as desired. For an even stronger hold, we suggest blow drying your hair in place.

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.

Testing Notes: A cream pomade sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but this hair cream manages to pull off exactly that. We love how its creamy yet waxy, which gives you a touchable hold and texture without that hard cast or greasy residue like some gels leave. We suggest taking a pea-sized amount into the palm of your hands and warming it up to enhance the creamy richness of this product before applying it to the ends your hair for a textured finish.

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.

Testing Notes: We were impressed with the thickness and richness of this luxuriously scented hair cream. All you need is a pea-sized amount to instantly smooth frizz and control fly-aways, while creating a barrier around the cuticle to shield against humidity. We like to use this cream on any hair texture: straight, wavy and curly. It makes your hair more manageable and gives it a smoother feel and finish.