The Best-Smelling Hair Products of All Time
Count down with us to find out which iconic hair smell we voted No. 1
Our favorite hair products are always the ones that smell the best. As in, the hair masks and volumizers we reach for every single time just to catch another whiff.
But there’s more to the best-smelling hair products than just that momentary high – we love them for the memories we associate with them, too. Opening up a bottle of the flowery shampoo you used every day of middle school catapults you directly back to Friday nights at the movies and Saturday afternoons at the DQ. Delicious hair smells and nostalgia go together like updos at the school dance.
So, in honor of history’s many iconic hair smells, we decided to round up a list of our favorites. From the shampoos we loved as kids to the texture sprays that earn us compliments every time we use them, this is our definitive ranking of hair care’s all-time best scents. Did your fave make the cut?
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No. 15: Aussie Mega Hairspray
Aussie’s Mega Hairspray is still available, but we associate it with the ‘80s, when teenage girls everywhere used it to execute their sky-high dos. Its distinctive grape Kool-Aid scent represents side ponytails and slow dances to “Careless Whisper.”
No. 14: Sachajuan Volume Powder
This volumizing dry shampoo’s sophisticated, powder-fresh scent earns it a spot on our list. Every time one of our editors comes in wearing this product, we’re all like, “Wait, who smells good?” The smell is a hybrid between fancy hotel bathroom and expensive European spa, and we are all about it.
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No. 13: Kérastase Elixir Ultime
Never mind that this oil singlehandedly saved my dry, color-damaged hair; it’s the heavenly smell that keeps me coming back. The scent is slightly musky, slightly fruity – hard to put your finger on. But trust me. It’s spellbinding.
No. 12: Rusk Dry Finishing Spray
Yes, this texturizing spray is brand new, but its scent is already one of our all-time favorites. It’s floral, musky and totally hypnotic. In other words, exactly what texturized sex hair should smell like.
No. 11: Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo
Aveda products all have a distinctively luxe scent, but this shampoo is decidedly the best of the bunch. It’s natural and energizing, like aromatherapy, and charms us every time we sniff it.
No. 10: Shu Uemura Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Oil
Picture the most beautiful human being you’ve ever seen. Now imagine that person as a hair product. That’s how this decadent, multi-purpose hair oil smells – floral with touches of citrus and musk, but not at all overwhelming. If it’s possible to have a crush on a fragrance, that’s what’s happening here.
No. 9: Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black Dry Shampoo
The brand’s Nirvana Black perfume – with its androgynous blend of violet, sandalwood and vanilla – is mesmerizing. And now, so is their dry shampoo. This stuff refreshes dirty hair and makes it smell like a seductive perfume – what more could you want from a hair product?
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No. 8: Kevin Murphy Shimmer.Shine Repairing Shine Mist
Our entire staff is obsessed with the smell of Kevin Murphy hair products. There’s nothing like them – herbal, sophisticated and masculine (but not too masculine). The Shimmer.Shine is a particular treasure. Its subtly sweet scent feels more like a high-end fragrance than a hair product. Plus, it hangs around all day, so people will continue to tell you that your hair smells good until you go home for the night.
No. 7: Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific Shampoo
Any child of the '70s or '80s will remember this floral gem. Our Editor-in-Chief has fond memories of receiving a bottle of it at an elementary school assembly, where all the girls learned about puberty and then got to take home a swag bag of goodies meant to usher them into womanhood. In other words, all the cool teenage girls smelled like this shampoo, and even fourth grade teachers knew it.
No. 6: L'Oréal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Shampoo
f you were a young kid (or a young parent) in the late '90s, maybe you remember this “tear-free” kid shampoo, which came in a colorful bottle shaped like fish? Yeah, the watermelon-scented one was the only thing I enjoyed about taking a bath.
No. 5: John Frieda Beach Blonde Sea Waves Sea Salt Spray
Boy, oh boy was it a happy day when John Frieda brought back his Beach Blonde line, including this cult classic. This stuff smells like a tropical '90s paradise, full of piña coladas, sunscreen and platform sandals.
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No. 4: DryBar Detox Dry Shampoo
DryBar dry shampoo smells exactly like a DryBar salon – which, if you’ve never been to one, smells like powder rooms and slumber parties and champagne brunches and all things girly and happy. My boyfriend inexplicably thinks this smells like a hamster, but he’s wrong. It’s my all-time favorite dry shampoo for the scent alone.
No. 3: Moroccanoil Treatment
The smell of Moroccanoil’s original treatment is like a beauty junkie’s own special version of catnip. It blends the musky sweetness of argan oil with natural smells like wood and tropical flowers to create a luxurious, Mediterranean scent like no other. I could huff this stuff all day long.
No. 2: Herbal Essences Smooth Collection Shampoo
The orgasming ladies in those '90s commercials certainly made us feel awkward in between watching episodes of “Friends” with our parents – but we still wanted our hair to smell like Herbal Essences and only Herbal Essences. The brand’s Smooth Collection Shampoo is still available, and we love the rosy floral scent just as much as we did when we had to ask mom to buy it for us.
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No. 1: Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray
If heaven exists and it doesn’t smell like Oribe’s texture spray, then I don’t want to go there. The product’s signature scent is legend and has spawned perfumes and candles in its image. The divine combo of watermelon, lychee and edelweiss flower extracts are what we want our hair to smell like all day, everyday.
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