This year, the Marie Claire Hair Awards are bigger and better than ever. Cue the game-changers and innovations that make every day a good hair day
Meet the winners of the inaugural Marie Claire Hair Awards. Our pick of the trailblazers, time-savers and savvy steals will treat your tresses with love and ensure your hair looks fabulous, whatever the weather.
Back for its second year – and bigger and better than ever – the 2018 Marie Claire Hair Awards winners present the best of the latest haircare innovations, as well as those tried and tested products that we find ourselves going back to time and time again.
From the ultimate hydration hits, to the hottest hair accessory and power tools (plus, everything in between) think of our Hair Awards as your bible to the best hair products on the market and an intro to the pro stylist, colourist and salon we would choose for our own hair shoots.
Check out the Hair Awards feature in the January 2018 issue of Marie Claire UK, on sale now.
Marie Claire Hair Awards: Wash & Care winners
Best Volumising Shampoo
OGX Strength & Body + Bamboo Fiber–full Shampoo, £6.99
Bamboo fibres and soy proteins fatten up limp locks, so even the finest hair achieves goddess status.
Highly commended: Sachajuan Ocean Mist Volume Shampoo, £20
Best Volumising Conditioner
Show Beauty Lux Volume Conditioner, £30
The ingredients list may sound like a fancy canapé, but the caviar and white truffle promote hydration while adding serious oomph to witchy strands.
Best Product for Afro Hair
Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Shampoo, £12.99
The best way to lift away dirt and oil without creating a candyfloss texture.
Highly commended: Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Shampoo, £22
Best Hydrating Shampoo
Garnier Ultimate Blends Coconut Water & Aloe Vera Shampoo for Dry Hair, £4.49
This moisturises without weighing hair down and the tropical scent instantly transports us to sunnier climes.
Highly commended: Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Conditioning Shampoo, £4.99
Best Hydrating Conditioner
OGX Nourishing + Coconut Milk Conditioner, £6.99
Coconut milk and egg-white proteins quench thirsty hair and give brittle locks more bounce than a beach ball.
Highly commended: Garnier Ultimate Blends Coconut Water Dry Hair Conditioner, £4.99
Best Colour Shampoo
Charles Worthington Colour Enhancer Ultra Violet Shampoo, £7.99
A salon-strength shampoo that banishes brassiness for the most natural-looking blonde this side of Scandinavia.
Highly commended: OGX Fade-Defying + Orchid Oil Shampoo, £6.99
Best Colour Conditioner
Schwarzkopf Professional Blondme Tone Enhancing Spray Conditioner, £14
Keep icy hues vibrant and replenish strands with this leave-in conditioner.
Highly commended: John Frieda Sheer Blonde Brilliantly Brighter Ultra Illuminating Conditioner, £6.99
Best Scalp Treatment
Head & Shoulders Nourishing Care Shampoo, £4.99
It may not be the sexiest product, but it is essential. After one wash, flakes are fewer and calm is restored to the scalp.
Highly commended: Philip Kingsley Tricho 7 Step 2 Volumizing Hair & Scalp Treatment, £5
Best Shampoo for Damaged Hair
Windle & Moodie Ultra Nourishing Treatment Shampoo, £23
Give frazzled tresses some TLC with this blend of Tahitian monoi, baobab and babassu oils.
Highly commended: Herbal Essences Bio-renew Argan Oil Of Morocco Shampoo, £6
Best Conditioner for Damaged Hair
Pantene Pro-V 3 Minute Miracle Repair & Protect Conditioner, £2.99
Somewhere between a daily conditioner and a nourishing mask, this renders even heat-damaged hair softer in three minutes flat.
Highly commended: KMS Moistrepair Revival Creme, £17.50
Best Intensive Hair Mask
Olaplex No 3 Hair Perfector, £32
In the salon, Olaplex has revolutionised colour by rebuilding the bonds in your hair that get damaged during colouring. At home, this mask turbo charges the effects for intense strength and shine.
Highly commended: Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor, £4.99
Best Shampoo for Curly Hair
Vernon FranÇois Curl~ Command Shampoo, £20
Want curls that look smooth and defined? Cue this nourishing blend of mongongo, coconut and baobab oils.
Highly commended: Davines Love Curl Shampoo, £15.45
Best Conditioner for Curly Hair
Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Conditioner, £8.99
Aloe vera juice and coconut oil are blended with papaya butter and frangipani for soft, springy curls.
Highly commended: Umberto Giannini Curl Care Enhancing Conditioner, £6
Best Smoothing Shampoo
Herbal Essences Bio: Renew Golden Moringa Oil Shampoo, £6
Infused with the ground-breaking antioxidant histidine, alongside nourishing aloe and sea kelp, this gives an amazing mirror-like gleam.
Highly commended: Tresemmé Keratin Smooth Shampoo, £5.49
Best Smoothing Conditioner
Tresemmé Keratin Smooth Conditioner, £5.49
This keratin and marula oil formula banishes frizz, detangles, boosts shine, adds softness and tames flyaways for 72 hours.
Highly commended: Evo Mane Tamer Smoothing Conditioner, £24.95
Best Natural Haircare Range
Pureology Clean Volume Range, from £16.50
The aloe water and soy protein in this shampoo, conditioner, mist and mousse lift limp roots to new heights. Plus, they’re sulphate- and silicone-free.
Highly commended: Rahua Voluminous Range, from £28
Marie Claire Hair Awards: Tools & Accessories winners
Best Hair Dryer
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, £299
This has a motor that is the size of a 2p coin, yet it’s eight times more powerful than your average hairdryer, meaning it’s lighter, quieter and more efficient than anything else on the market.
Highly commended: Remington PROluxe AC Dryer, £59.99
Best Hair Supplement
Viviscal Maximum Strength Hair Growth Supplements, £49.99
If you want to kick-start lazy hair growth, nothing beats Viviscal’s marine complex, which contains proteins from deep-sea fish.
Highly commended: Hairburst Healthy Hair Vitamins, £24.99
Best Hair Accessory
Invisibobble Slim, £5.95
You already know the spiral shape prevents snags and kinks, but this new slimmer bobble makes an evening updo look even more chic.
Best Curling Tong
ghd Curve Soft Curl Tong, £120
Trust us, this is the best tong for producing big, bouncy waves – fast. It also takes the guesswork out of the ideal temperature – 185°C, FYI – for perfectly defined curls.
Highly commended: T3 Whirl Trio Interchangeable Styling Wand, £199
Best Straightener
ghd Platinum Styler, £165
A styler that creates an effortlessly smooth, poker-straight finish at the flick of a wrist already had us at hello. But then we saw just how shiny the ceramic plates left our hair and we were sold.
Highly commended: Cloud Nine The Original Iron, £139
Best Hairbrush
Tangle Teezer Thick & Curly Hairbrush, £11
Spoiler alert: the ultimate detangling brush has now been adapted for thick, curly hair. Long teeth banish knots, while short teeth smooth the hair cuticle to prevent breakage. Genius.
Highly commended: The Wet Brush Detangler, £11.99
Best Hair Extensions
Beauty Works Jen Atkin Invisi-Clip-In, £249.99
Jen Atkin is the stylist everyone from Jessica Alba to Kim K has on speed-dial. Unsurprisingly, her next-to-natural clip-in extensions made us rethink fake hair.
Highly commended: Racoon International Ltd Luxe Link, £63
Marie Claire Hair Awards: Styling winners
Best Heat-Protection Product
Mark Hill Styling Heat Protection Spray, £6.49
Goodbye, frazzled strands. Hello, healthy-looking hair. This protects and gives your look staying power.
Highly commended: Schwarzkopf Professional OSIS+ Session Label Miracle 15, £15.95
Best Curl Enhancer
Curlsmith Curl Defining Styling Soufflé, £20.57
Unruly curls will benefit from its lightweight hold, and the natural goodness of Irish moss for elasticity and babassu oil for moisture.
Highly commended: Trevor Sorbie Tame & Define Firm Hold Curl Cream, £6.99
Best Split-End Treatment
Aveda Damage Remedy Split End Repair, £25
At one time, the only way to get rid of split ends was with a pair of scissors. Now, Aveda’s nangai oil seals frayed ends together for smoothness from root to tip until your next wash.
Highly commended: Rita Hazan Triple Threat Split End Remedy, £24
Best Hairspray
Toni & Guy Extreme Style Creation Hairspray, £8.25
Look no further than this born-and-bred London brand if you need gravity-defying hold, but still want to glide a brush through your hair afterwards.
Best Shine Product
KMS Hairstay Anti-Humidity Seal, £20.50
Like a sophisticated trench coat for your hair, this weightless polymer blend locks out humidity and fuzz for up to 72 hours.
Highly commended: Garnier Olia Super Shine After Colour Hair Oil, £4.99
Best Texturiser
Kevin.Murphy Bedroom.Hair, £22
Forget old-school hairsprays that would freeze strands into a bouffant. This is the best example of a new-gen version that leaves locks touchable and lived in.
Highly commended: Aveda Texture Tonic, £21
Best Dry Shampoo
Batiste Dry Shampoo Original, £2.99
Nothing refreshes a blow-dry like this cult classic. Rice starch absorbs oil and bulks up flat roots. Best of all, you can’t tell it’s there when you touch your hair.
Highly commended: Soap & Glory The Rushower Dry Shampoo, £4
Best Volumiser
John Frieda Luxurious Volume Core Restore Advanced Protein Volumiser, £9.99
Some bulking products coat fine hair in a sticky film. This one strengthens strands from within with a protein complex.
Highly commended: Sachajuan Volume Powder, £22
Best Hair Oil
Liz Earle Botanical Shine Nourishing Hair Oil, £18.50
Melon seed, coconut and radish-seed oils restore lustre without giving you the type of greasy hair you could fry an egg on.
Highly commended: Davines Ol Oil, £33.40
Best Blow-Dry Product
Kérastase L’incroyable Blowdry, £21.90
Special waxes in this lotion protect against damage and can be reactivated with heat if you’re going from desk to date night and want a fresh style.
Highly commended: Batiste Speed It Up Blow Dry Accelerator, £4.49
Best Straightening Product
Glamoriser Straight & Smooth Speed Brush, £79.99
Combining the simplicity of a brush with the sleek styling of a straightener, it’s our ‘get ready quick’ trick.
Marie Claire Hair Awards: Colour winners
Best DIY Colour Product
Clairol Color Crave Hair Makeup, £7.99
This temporary hair paint comes in six gorgeous metallic shades and washes out in just one shampoo. Perfect if your boss doesn’t want you to commit to permanent mermaid hair. Highly commended: Schwarzkopf Color Expert Supreme-Care with Omegaplex, £6.79
Best Creative Colour
L’Oréal Professionnel #colourfulhair, £15
Colour junkies, rejoice: dial up your hair with an eye-popping palette of bright shades, including magenta and purple, or dial it down with a hidden pop of pastel.
Marie Claire Hair Awards: Best of the rest
Best Men’s Grooming Product
Knight & Wilson Style Freedom Sculpting Paste, £7.99
This creates texture, but is flexible enough for him to reshape his style after applying it.
Highly commended: Murdock London Beard Moisturiser, £24
Best New Product
Hair By Sam McKnight Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist, £25
Sam McKnight’s mist was everywhere backstage at Fashion Week. It’s the go-to texturiser for effortlessly sexy ‘done, undone’ hair from the man behind Kate Moss’s famous tousled tresses.
Highly commended: Color Wow Dream Coat, £22
Best Hair Colourist
Jack Howard at Paul Edmonds, London
From balayage to bleach, Jack Howard is your man. What sets him apart is his passion for colour innovation – and his scrupulous technique, whether you want something subtle or dramatic.
Best Hairstylist
Jason Collier at Matthew Curtis Salon, Rosewood hotel
Whether you’re looking for a new style or just a trim, Jason Collier intuitively knows what will transform your locks from ‘blah’ to hot. What we love most is that we always leave with a style that can be recreated at home.
Best Hair Salon: London
Paul Edmonds, Knightsbridge
Everything from the plush decor to the attentive staff has ensured this is one of London’s buzziest salons. And with regulars like Margot Robbie and Christina Hendricks, it’s safe to say Paul Edmonds and his team can be relied upon to transform your tresses.
Best Hair Salon: Nationwide
Barbara Daley Hair & Beauty, Liverpool
You voted this your favourite regional salon – and with good reason. Sleek, smart and with a roster of talented cutters and colourists who are regulars at London Fashion Week, it’s remarkably friendly.