It’s no easy feat to choose the best Ouai products. When the beloved brand hit the scene in 2015, we were immediately impressed by its aesthetic and seriously effective formulas. And, it doesn’t hurt that its founder and co-owner, Jen Atkin, is a celebrity hairstylist for A-listers like Chrissy Teigen and every member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan.
But Ouai is so much more than its masterful marketing and big-name attachments. The (mainly) hair care products include some of the best shampoos and conditioners, texturizing hair sprays, leave-in conditioners, perfumes, and hand lotions. And we’ll be the first to say — this stuff works, smells good, and makes any hair type look and feel amazing. Whether fine, thick, dry, oily, or some other classification of hair without a word in the dictionary, you’re guaranteed to find something in the lineup to fall in love with.
Our Top Picks
- Best Scalp Treatment: Ouai Scalp Serum, $52
- Best for Fine Hair: Ouai Fine Hair Shampoo, $32
- Best Leave-In Treatment: Ouai Thick Hair Treatment Masque, $38
- Best Heat Protectant: Ouai Leave-In Conditioner, $30
- Best for Shine: Ouai Hair Gloss, $34
So, where to start? Well, we’re here to help. To make things easier for you, we’ve narrowed down our favorites from Ouai. Keep scrolling for the 10 best Ouai products we swear by, and soon enough, you will too.
Best Scalp Treatment: Ouai Scalp Serum
The scalp is where healthy hair begins, so it deserves every bit of TLC possible. A great place to start (and stick with) is the Ouai Scalp Serum, which provides moisture replenishment, supports less shedding and the appearance of thicker hair, and a bunch of other can’t-go-wrong benefits. The stars of the show are mushroom and ginseng, which hydrate and calm delicate scalp skin, red clover to reduce sensitivity from styling products, and peptides to create the fuller look you’ve been after. All you need is a few drops daily, morning or night, on wet or dry hair, and a quick DIY scalp massage to ensure even distribution and absorption.
Best for Fine Hair: Ouai Fine Hair Shampoo
Fine hair getting you down? Chin up, chica. Ouai makes a color-safe, volumizing, strengthening, and hydrating shampoo just for you. Keratin, biotin, and chia seed oil work together to give your hair a newfound bounciness and a notably thicker appearance. Plus, the whole thing smells like Italian lemon, Turkish rose, jasmine sambac, iris, lily, and white musk. If your gut tells you that you have fine hair, but you’re not exactly sure, Ouai offers a quiz to help you better understand your hair type and the ideal products for you. And you know what they say — knowledge is power…ful hair.
Best Heat Protectant: Ouai Leave In Conditioner
No matter your hair type, the sprayable Ouai Leave-In Conditioner will fit right into your routine (and is a Readers’ Choice Award Winner, to boot). In addition to smoothing flyaways, it detangles and makes dry ends look like new. You can even use this do-it-all detangler for heat protection before styling. It protects from temperatures up to 450°F and reduces breakage that may result from high heat. It also smells like a dream — think rich florals, bergamot, Italian lemon, rose de mai, and violet.
Best Leave In Treatment: Ouai Thick Hair Treatment Masque
The Ouai Thick Hair Treatment Masque is made to hydrate, repair damage, and add silky shine to your hair. You can thank shea butter, hydrolyzed keratin, olive, almond, and macadamia oils for the hair mask’s richness and smoothing powers. Just apply a dollop to clean, damp hair, work the product from the ends to the roots, and let it rest for five minutes before hopping back in the shower to rinse with cool water.
Best Clarifying Shampoo: Ouai Detox Shampoo
Powered by apple cider vinegar, the Ouai Detox Shampoo minimizes excess oil without leaving hair feeling stripped or brittle. The apple cider vinegar takes care of dirt, oil, hard-water damage, and product buildup, while keratin handles any care of any post-cleanse dryness or frizz. Even better? You don’t need to make any adjustments to your shampooing routine to get these tip-top results. Lather a quarter-sized dollop in your hand before applying, starting as close to your scalp as you can get, and then chill out away from the water for one to three minutes before rinsing.
Best Heat Protectant: Ouai Wave Spray
We love the Ouai Wave Spray for the many, many days we can’t make it to the beach (sad). With just a few spritzes of this user-friendly salt spray, hair becomes tousled and textured in the best way possible. And, because the formula contains glycerin, it won’t look dried out. If you have curly hair, the spray will enhance your coils, and if you have straighter or lightly wavy hair, it’ll add a nice, textured change of pace to your usual style. The spray gets bonus points because it smells Ouai better than the beach. See what we did there?
Best For Shine: Ouai Hair Gloss
The newest member of Ouai’s regal roster is the Ouai Hair Gloss, an in-shower shine treatment that treats damage, provides heat protection, and fights color fading. This product requires an intentional routine to match its intentional hyaluronic acid and rice water formula, so let’s walk through it. Start by shampooing (and conditioning, but only if you have particularly dry hair), rinse, and then separate hair into two-inch sections. Squeeze a pea-size amount of product into your hands, and apply the gloss from the middle of the sections to the end. Comb through with your fingers, and then wait five minutes before rinsing, which is when you’ll feel the silk start to set in. For the most noticeable results, use with heat. Sounds good? Looks good.
Best for Body: Ouai Scalp + Body Scrub
Calling all dry-skinned readers: this Best of Beauty-winning treatment is here to help you. The Ouai Scalp + Body Scrub is a sugar-and-coconut-oil-based exfoliator that promises to smooth and soothe your skin all over and offer relief to itchy scalps. The satisfying foaminess of this scrub combined with its unmatched versatility makes it stand out. Massage it into your scalp between shampooing and conditioning, and then onto your body in circular motions, post-shower. We suggest keeping this one within reach of your shower or tub, so you don’t forget to apply your newest favorite.
Best for Smoothing: Ouai Hair Oil
Whether you’re using heat on your hair more than you’d like to admit or are on the hunt for a smoothing boost, the Ouai Hair Oil might be your new best friend. A single pump of this liquid gold fights frizzy hair, minimizes heat damage, and slows any associated color fading on dyed hair. The product’s blend of African galanga, ama, and Asian borage oils works hard to keep the formula lightweight and silky but still mighty. It also helps bond split ends and smells like all the prettiest parts of Paris.
Best Fragrance: Ouai Melrose Place Eau de Parfum
If you’re a perfume connoisseur looking to add a new scent to your ever-expanding collection, consider Ouai Melrose Place Eau De Parfum. The velvety notes of bergamot, lychee, and cedarwood are reminiscent of browsing a luxury, Los Angeles flower shop during summertime golden hour. Use it as an everyday staple in the usual spots (wrists, behind the ears), or, after a dose of dry shampoo, give a quick spray of the perfume to your hair to instantly refresh the smell of your locks between wash days.