Editors Pick Best Products to Tame Flyaway Hairs

Slicked-back ponytails and buns are a quick way to look polished between wash days, but stray flyaway hairs can undo the effect. To find products that actually work, NBC Selected editors spent three months testing dozens of taming wands, wax sticks and styling gels across price points.

For the best taming wand, editors favored the Dae Styling Wand. Reporter Zoe Malin, who owns three, said its cream-based formula keeps frizz down without making hair feel crunchy, though the brush bristles can splay over time and tangle in curly hair if pressed too hard.

For a wax stick, testers found one option gave a strong hold lasting a full eight-hour workday, though it can leave hair looking slightly greasy. Associate social media editor Caitlin Cusack said the applicator covered a lot of surface area with minimal flyaways showing by nighttime.

For damaged hair, a Vegamour styling wand was singled out for its lightweight gel containing peptides and exosomes meant to strengthen hair over time, without needing to be washed out.

For styling gel, testers with fine hair praised a lightweight formula with strong hold, available in a squeeze bottle or a travel tube with a three-in-one applicator — an edge brush, a comb and a mascara brush — that Malin called "the most versatile option" she's tested.

For those wanting two options, a duo set pairs a strong-hold wand for humid days with a lighter-hold wand for everyday flyaways, both with double-sided mascara-brush and comb applicators.

An intern, Lily Stern, praised a residue-free wand for producing subtle, non-greasy results, while a separate gel recommended for natural hair controls frizz on curly and coily textures without drying it out, thanks to silk protein.