High-end moisturising cream (not serum) for dry frizzy hair?

[HaveYouNamechangedForThis]

Can anyone recommend a mosturising/hydrating cream for dry hair that's prone to frizziness at the ends? I would like something that is applied to dry (rather than wet) hair to make it look smooth and "piece-y". I don't get on with serums, and some of the creams and oils I've tried (including morrocanoil and the usual frizz-ease) work for around 5-10 minutes - until they dry, I guess, and then I'm left with the dried-out straw hair again!

I don't use any heat on my hair any more, I do already use a leave-in conditioner and at-home conditioning treatments and so on. The condition is improving dramatically at the roots where it's growing out healthily, but the dry/damaged ends are annoying. It's a tale of two hair types until it's grown out!

I want something ideally that will properly moisturise my hair as well as disguise it (although disguise is my first wish! )

Prepared to spend ££ and have probably exhausted all the usual supermarket/Boots stuff, so I'm looking at the higher end brands (Bumble, Percy and Reed, L'oreal professional, Aveda, Kerastase etc at a guess?), but then recommendations would be good as I don't want to make too many expensive mistakes! No Tigi though - I have never got on with any of their products, I don't know why, my hair just doesn't seem to like it.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Thank you again all for your fabulous suggestions!

grownup I think you're right about the porosity, my mid-end length is so dry (overlapping bleach highlights plus daily hair drying - neither of which I do any more hence the good new regrowth) is so porous and dry it can't hold any moisture in, that's why I apply moisture/oil products liberally and it literally dries out and my hair looks fluffy again within half an hour maximum. It doesn't stay smooth and "piece-y".

I am nervous of disrupting/spoiling the regrowth when treating the lengths too, that's why I'm reluctant to try "whole head" treatments (apart from Olaplex, as it can be used on virgin hair, and hasn't had a negative effect on the roots or lengths) and tentatively a little protein masque every now and again (Moroccanoil Restorative).

Nelson That VO5 looks interesting. Does it make (and keep) dry ends looking hydrated?

(also, I tried 6 weeks of lo-poo/curly girl method to see if it would calm my dry lengths but it made it worse, through lack of proper conditioning. I could see a lot more broken hair in the shower when I did lo-poo, and the regrowth looked less shiny and more dull - so my hair reacts well to silicones (or not so much silicones but all the stuff that goes hand in hand with silicones).

Definitely going to try some of these, there are some brilliant suggestions here, thank you all again for taking the time to post links and recommendations.

HaveYouNamechangedForThis

Yes, it works wonderfully for me. It’s like a tube of Vaseline that smells medicinal. The saying ‘less is more’ is very applicable for this stuff. The key is moderation and using it on a regular basis as a corrective & preventative measure.

Also, a very good leave-in conditioner is Sebastian Potion 9.

Nelson This thread is going to hurt my purse!

Going to order some of the VO5 and just got some Sebastian Potion 9 - never heard of it before, but the reviews all suggest it's what I'm looking for. I like the fact I can use it on damp or dry hair.

I currently use Hairburst Elixir leave-in spray on damp hair, as having tried all the Tesco/Boots offerings (Lee Stafford, Tresemme, Aussie, etc etc leave-in conditioners) upgrading to the Hairburst one has performed the best so far - it leaves my hair shiny (the good growth at least) and feeling stronger. Lee Stafford pink bottle one was a good affordable second choice from the cheaper brands though but it's "softer" and felt less hard-working, and my hair needs more oomph (not volume, more strengthening/resilience).

The Sebastian Potion 9 stuff looks like at the least if it doesn't match the Hairburst leave-in performance on damp hair, it'll help keep the flyaway frizz at bay when used on dry hair. A 50ml bottle isn't too much as a trial price either on Look Fantastic. Thanks for the recommendation, I wouldn't have found that one by myself!

HaveYouNamechangedForThis

You’re very welcome.

I will say though, Potion 9 works best when it’s applied to damp hair, at least in my experience.

It’s an unusual product in that it has the consistency of a very light non-sticky gel and it doesn’t go flaky or make the hair dull. My hair is quite short these days so if I have enough time, I like to distribute it through damp, freshly washed hair and leave it to air dry. It dries a bit hard (similar to a gel) but as I said, there’s no flakiness or residue left behind after it’s been brushed out. When I used to use it with the hairdryer, it made the process so much easier and faster. I’ve used it for years and compared to the newer products, this stuff works better for me.

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I like Elvive Dream Lengths cream.

Marking my place

L’anza healing colour care trauma treatment

Hi all. Well I've got the ColorWow. So far, it's not bad at all but it's not quite as impressive as the demonstration video on my hair. Having said that I don't/won't use a hairdryer on my hair so I didn't blow it out after applying (you don't have to but you can). I will definitely use it up as it helped calm my hair without greasiness/stickiness, but by 50% I'd say, as in it still went back to being a little fluffy when it had dried from my hair, but still performed better than most of the oil/serum/cream products on my fluffy dry hair lengths.

However today as I was tidying up I found some Elizabeth Arden 8 hour miracle oil all-over spray (based on the cream of the same name), a forgotten duty free purchase from last autumn. It says it can be used on the face, body and hair, so I applied some to my dry hair (on hands, then smoothed through hair).

It definitely works as in it does not dry out of the hair fast, hair remains sleek and smooth, but I was slightly too liberal and applied too close to the roots at the back so they now look pretty greasy! It has the potential to give a stringy greasy look if too much is used. But it definitely does "weigh hair down"/define/sleek if that's what you want, which I did.

However with very careful smaller application, it definitely would have that long-lasting non-fluffy effect I was after, and it's high quality and feels like it will moisturise the dry ends.

Also good to know it doubles up as a moisturising all-over for face etc so if it doesn't work for hair, then at least it can be used up on face or body or dry heels or hands

It's called Elizabeth Arden 8 hour All-Over Miracle Oil and it looks yellow in the bottle. Not the white/clear Miracle Hydrating Mist.