JVN Hair Complete Air Dry Moisturizer

In my pre-pandemic life, I styled my hair every day. If you think I’m exaggerating, I’m not.

As I learned to live with and, dare I say – like – my chubby cheeks, I spent decades trying to hide them with curling irons, flat irons and hours spent under a hair dryer.

However, the enforced lockdown, lack of social calendar, and general melancholy the pandemic has brought prompted me to finally put the hot tools down and give my (probably fried) hair a break.

Months of freedom and a busy schedule later, I still try to keep my use of heat tools to a minimum and air-dry my hair as much as possible. Therefore, being the air-drying (read: lazy) queen that I am, I was thrilled to try JVN’s Complete Hydrating Air Dry Hair Cream Viral Cream.

$32 at Sephora

The details

The brainchild of “Queer Eye”‘For Jonathan Van Ness, JVN’s Complete Hydrating Air Dry Hair Cream is a styling cream specially designed for air-dried hair.

Its anti-frizz formula is said to define curls, waves, and straight hair without leaving it crunchy or feeling heavy.

The air-dry cream protects strands against UV damage and contains squalane, chia seed extract and moringa seed oil to improve health, softness, shine and the shine of the hair.

First impressions

My first thought was, honestly, how fancy the packaging is. The product comes in a beige recyclable aluminum tube and is the perfect match for the aesthetic of an upscale salon or curated Instagram feed.

As for what’s inside, a regular tube gives you 5 oz (147 ml) of product. Five ounces might not seem like a lot, but a little is enough, so despite its $32 price tag, one tube would likely last you months, even with daily use.

One of the reasons I’m a fan of JVN is their fragrances. The brand’s Nurture Moisturizing Shampoo is one of the smelliest shampoos I’ve ever used (seriously), and the air-dry cream is just as delicious.

On Sephora, the fragrance’s description reads, “Sparkling grapefruit and tangerine combine with notes of white florals, sweet violet, and sweet honey.” This results in a light, fresh smell that will have you complimenting your co-workers (I can vouch for that!).

My hair texture, like my personality, is multifaceted (I’m Gemini). The top of my hair dries surprisingly straight, while the bottom half loves its curls. Also, my hair is super thick (thanks, Mom and Dad), so that extra effort is always needed no matter what hairstyle I choose.

After the shower, I applied a dollop of cream to wet hair, scrunched it with my hands to mimic the effects of a diffuser, and went on with my morning. Occasionally, I scrunched my hair, trying to inhale a full curl.

According to the timestamps on my phone, the process took about two hours for my hair to go from just showering to completely drying (again, thick strands).

Aside from the smell, I liked how my curls felt healthy and frizz-free after the product. While some air-dry products seem crunchy and still, the air-dry cream kept my hair moving and soft. However, as expected, the top half of my hair was stubborn and didn’t curl like its bottom neighbor. For a super-honest review, I FaceTimed my six-year-old niece who, when asked if she liked my hair, said, and I quote, “it looks like princess hair.” “A victory, I would say.

Overall, I like JVN’s air dry cream and have used it many times since. However, I think the product is definitely best suited for those with wavy, curly, or frizzy hair, as it didn’t do much for my straight sections.

what others say

JVN Air Dry Cream has nearly 1,000 reviews on Sephora Canada and an average rating of 4.2 stars.

It’s “my favorite wave cream,” writes one shopper. The user, who says he’s “tried a ton” of products, writes that JVN’s air dry cream “defines my waves without feeling too heavy.”

“Best of all, my waves last until day two, which is a miracle for me,” they wrote.

$32 at Sephora

It’s a “must-try!” echoes another reviewer. “I tend not to air dry because my roots frizz without diffusing. However, this cream solved that problem,” they say. “I was able to air dry without frizz!”

JVN’s air dry cream creates the “perfect beach waves,” writes a third Sephora shopper.

While 84% of reviewers would recommend the product, some say it’s “nice” but “not groundbreaking.”

It’s “not greasy at all” and applies “smoothly”, however, “the effects didn’t last long”, according to one user.

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