Before 1990, there was not really a product made for frizz. That year the London hairdresser John Frieda launched Frizz-Ease serum in the United States, and his brand still calls it the first name in the fight against frizz. According to a company history on Encyclopedia.com, the product grew out of salon clients complaining about hair they could not control, and Frieda promoted it himself at personal appearances and on daytime talk shows.

Classic smoothing serums rely on silicones, which coat each strand, reflect light and keep moisture out. The anti frizz serum shelf has spread out a lot since then. Now you can choose between a smoothing serum, a dry oil that disappears into hair, a bond-building formula that doubles as heat protection, and silicone-free leave-ins for a softer finish.

Frizz shows up when hair is dry or roughed up and pulls moisture from the air, so the practical rule is simple: put the serum on while hair is still damp, before humidity gets to it. A second tiny amount on dry ends catches whatever the blow-dry stirred up.

The first grid is anti-frizz serums and weightless oils. The second is more frizz fighters, including oils, a styling serum and leave-in milks. My tip: start with one pump for shoulder-length hair, work it through from the ends up, and add more only where you still see fuzz.

Kérastase Première Repairing Anti-Frizz Serum is the most complete here. It repels humidity, protects against heat up to 450°F and uses a peptide and glycine to strengthen damaged hair. Moroccanoil Intense Smoothing Serum is made for extreme frizz and puffiness, claims up to 72 hours of control, and has the highest star rating in this grid.

Olaplex No. 9 is a silicone-free leave-in with the brand's bond-building ingredient, red algae and heat protection, and it helps with static and tangles too. Living Proof No Frizz Vanishing Oil uses amaranth seed extract to block humidity and disappears into hair, which makes it a good match for fine strands.

Bumble and bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil is a clear blend of six oils with heat and UV protection, made for medium to thick hair. OUAI Lightweight Heat-Protecting Hair Oil is the most reviewed product in this edit, with heat protection up to 450°F and the brand's Rue St. Honoré scent. Verb Ghost is a weightless moringa and argan oil, and it is vegan.

Kérastase Gloss Absolu Glaze Drops are the shine pick, a wild rose oil that claims up to four days of anti-frizz, made for fine and medium hair.

What I would skip: a heavy oil on fine hair on a humid day. Reach for the Living Proof oil or the Glaze Drops instead, and keep them on your mid-lengths and ends.

This grid is for frizz control plus something else, like repair, a softer finish or a styling hold.

Augustinus Bader The Hair Oil is silicone free and fragrance free, with squalene and baobab oil, and the brand reports that it reduced heat damage from a straightener by 80% in testing. R+Co Bleu Surreal Styling Serum is the most flexible: use it wet or dry, to slick hair back or just to tame frizz, and it seals the cuticle without feeling heavy.

Anablue Hair Serum is a light argan oil and vitamin E serum made without silicones and scented with Moroccan rose. Love Me Do from hairstylist Sam McKnight is a light nourishing oil with argan, sunflower and camellia oils, and the brand recommends it for fine and bleached hair too.

Oribe Gold Lust is the classic, with argan and jasmine oils, and it also cuts drying time. amika Frizz-Me-Not is heat-activated, with a humidity shield the brand says lasts three days. Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil is highly concentrated, so a drop or two goes a long way, and it protects up to 450°F. RŌZ Milk is a silicone-free leave-in with hyaluronic acid for air-drying or a day-two refresh.

A pairing tip: use a leave-in like RŌZ Milk on damp hair, then a drop of oil on the ends once dry.

What I would skip: piling three frizz products on at once. One leave-in and one finishing oil is plenty.

I think the best anti frizz serum is the one matched to the weight of your hair. Fine hair wants a vanishing oil or a light serum. Thick or curly hair can take a smoothing serum or a leave-in milk. Apply it to damp hair, start with less than you think, and add a drop to the ends after drying if you need it. The shelf has changed a lot since 1990, but the rule has not: seal the hair before the humidity gets in.