This New Spray Made My Hair Unbelievably Soft In Mere Seconds

In our series Trial Run, TZR editors and writers put the buzziest new beauty products to the test and share their honest reviews. This week, deputy beauty editor Erin Lukas is testing the buzzy Oribe Gold Lust Dry Heat Protection Spray.

Like clockwork, I notice my dyed espresso brunette hair starts to get dull and brassy about three weeks after going to the salon. This isn’t my colorist’s fault, but my own doing. Over the years, virtually every stylist and colorist who’s touched my hair has told me that I should be using a heat protectant to not only prevent my strands from breakage and dryness, but to keep my brown hair from fading. Sure, it sounds simple, but along with buying renters insurance and not picking my pimples, I just haven’t been able to bring myself to add the product into my routine. Washing and styling my hair provides instant gratification, whereas most heat protectants don’t deliver instant visible results. And thus, they’ve always felt like an unwanted extra step.

The new Oribe Gold Lust Dry Heat Protection Spray, though, dispels my preconceived notions about these products, so I felt compelled to give it a shot. On top of shielding hair from hot tools up to 450°F, this spray also conditions damaged strands so they’re softer and smoother. Could this multitasking protectant be a turning point in my hair routine after being scolded countless times for not using one? Ahead, my honest thoughts on using this spray.

Fast Facts

• Price: $46
• Size: 250 ml/5.2 fl oz
• Clean/Cruelty-Free: No/Yes
• Best For: Heat protection; refreshing hair between washes; all hair types
• Ingredient Highlights: Bio-restorative complex (plant collagen, caffeine, biotin, and niacinamide), coconut water, marine algae extract, brassica oil copolymer
• What We Like: Lightweight; easy to apply; makes hair instantly feel softer
• What We Don’t Like: Pricey
• Rating: 4/5

How TZR Keeps Score: 1/5: Making a return; 2/5: Keeping as a backup; 3/5: Finishing to the last drop; 4/5: Recommending to my group texts; 5/5: Already on auto-replenish

The Formula

As the latest addition to the brand’s beloved universal, repairing Gold Lust line, the Dry Heat Protection Spray is designed to offer the same restorative benefits of the other products in the collection on top of preventing future damage, specifically from styling hair with hot tools. “Our new Gold Lust Dry Heat Protection Spray is able to deliver a high level of heat protection without wetting the hair, while simultaneously conditioning and nourishing damaged strands,” Michele Burgess, executive director of product development for Oribe Hair Care, says.

Speaking of wet hair, the method of applying the product is what sets it apart. This heat protectant is more like a styler-treatment hybrid because it’s intended to be used on dry strands in-between washes. And that’s why Oribe has infused the formula with nourishing, conditioning ingredients, including brassica oil copolymer, a bio-restorative plant complex (plant collagen, caffeine, biotin, and niacinamide), coconut water, and marine algae extract. Externally, these ingredients soften hair and nourish it to minimize frizz and flyways. Internally, they reinforce strands from cuticle to tip.

And like the other products, the Heat Protection Spray is infused with the brand’s signature sun-soaked Côte d’Azur scent, which includes notes of white butterfly jasmine, Calabrian bergamot, and sandalwood.

My Typical Hair-Styling Routine

Like many dyed brunettes, color fading is my number one hair gripe. However, I regularly use hot tools, which can make dark hair get orange and brassy. Because my 1C hair is very thick, slightly course, and highly porous, air-drying it is a full-day chore. So drying it with my trusty Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer after washing it is a must. Not to mention, touching it up with my ghd Chronos Styler flat iron, whether I’m smoothing out dents from sleeping or adding slight bendy waves, a style I wear often. As far as products go, the less I put on my hair, the better in order prevent any further dryness and gritty build up, which can make espresso brown shades like mine look dull and lifeless. With that, I typically spritz a texturizing spray (I’ve been loving Andrew Fitzsimons Après Sexe) on my mid-lengths to ends to give my waves a lived-in finish and use Hair Rituel by Sisley’s The Invisible Hold Hairspray to tame any flyaways.

My Experience & Results

In theory, adding a heat protectant into my typical styling routine would allow me to space out my color appointments, which in turn, would put a little extra cash in my wallet. So, I knew the days following my most recent root touch-up would be the perfect opportunity to put Oribe’s heat protectant to the test. I ran a brush through my dry, second-day strands to get out any knots, then clipped up the top half of my hair. I sprayed the lower half with the product, then used my flat iron to add waves to it. Next, I took down the sections I threw up and followed the same steps. Immediately after spraying my hair with the product my hair was noticeably softer and smoother — as though I had just washed it the night before rather than two days ago. It also didn’t make my hair feel like it was coated with product, even after I added some texturizing spray. I used it twice more before finally giving in and shampooing my hair, and each time I didn’t experience the feeling of product buildup.

Is Oribe’s Gold Lust Dry Heat Protection Spray Worth It?

For anyone who routinely uses heat on their hair and/or experiences color fading and dryness, this product would be a welcome addition to your routine. While it is pricier than other protectants on the market, I like that it offers additional benefits, such as conditioning and frizz-smoothing, which incentivizes me to continuing using it. Plus, the mood-boosting scent is a nice bonus.