When I first heard about JVN Complete Air Dry Cream, the product name and description were a bit vague to me and I didn’t understand the purpose of it. I wouldn’t have chosen to buy it on my own but I ended up getting a small sample of it along with a Sephora purchase I made about a year ago. I’ve now gone through that sample, an entire full size tube, and repurchased another full size of it.

Price: $26 for 5oz, or $12 for 1oz
Availability: JVN, Sephora, Amazon, Kohl’s

What It Is And What It’s Supposed To Do

JVN Complete Air Dry Cream is a lightweight “my hair but better” styling product with a consistency similar to a gel-cream. It is supposed to be compatible with any hair type and is meant to be an effortless way to enhance the natural texture of your hair. Think of it like a tinted moisturizer, a lip balm, or a brow gel — not very involved or difficult but adds an improvement that just feels better. 

I have fine, thin, straight hair and many products easily weigh it down. On my hair type, this primarily adds a bit of volume and control. It does not add any noticeable amount of moisture, softness or shine. The difference it makes is subtle and is easier to feel than to see. My hair just “flows” better when I use this, as if all the individual strands kind of hold together and move as one rather than splaying out and becoming staticky or stringy.

How I Use It For Straight Fine Hair

I apply a small dollop (about the amount shown above) to damp, just-washed hair and I almost always use a leave in conditioner as well (Ouai Detangling and Frizz Fighting Leave In Conditioner). Then I do a very quick blow dry with my head upside-down using mostly my hands and the occasional pass of a brush and get on with my day. 

It is marketed as an air dry product, meaning you can just apply it to wet hair and allow your hair to dry naturally. But personally, I feel like my hair looks less flat at the roots if I at least blow dry the roots right after washing.

It is neither runny nor very thick and it spreads through the hair quickly and easily without adding any kind of stickiness, crunchiness, or slip. It does not detangle and hardly feels like anything at all once I distribute it through my hair. Once my hair is dry, it doesn’t feel like I’ve got any product in my hair and I’m just having a better than average hair day.

It has a bright and clean but understated citrus-floral fragrance that is noticeable but not too strong. The fragrance lingers long enough to enjoy during application but dissipates as my hair dries. 

The effect this has is generally subtle and using a good conditioner makes a big difference in how effective it is. On days when I skip conditioner altogether, it doesn’t do a whole lot by itself. But if I condition and then use this, the effect is more pronounced.

Before And After

I mostly wear my hair down and it can very quickly look messy not even doing anything crazy and this keeps it looking neater longer before feeling the need to brush it back out. For the “before” photo, I just washed and conditioned my hair in the shower and used a leave in conditioner before doing a quick blow dry. For the “after” photo, I used the same shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in conditioner but also added the JVN Air Dry Cream to the mix. 

This is how I usually wear my hair up for work. I find this product helps keep my hair from falling out of the hair tie longer and gives the loop a bit more volume.

Pro and Cons

Things I like:

• Very lightweight but does add some texture and volume.
• Does not make my hair feel sticky, greasy, or crunchy.
• I don’t have to be super careful about the amount I use. A small amount is effective but if I use a bit too much, it doesn’t ruin my hair for the day.
• I’ve used this for about a year and it doesn’t seem to have caused any added damage over that time.
• The scent is nice. Noticeable and clean but not overpowering.
• Not that expensive and lasts a long time (about six months for me).
• I don’t have frizz but it does help keep static under control.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• The effect this has might be too subtle if you’re looking for a very obvious difference in your hair.
• Does not detangle or add any kind of slip to the hair.
• The aluminum packaging might be annoying for some. It helps to squeeze the product out and flatten it slowly from the top down to reduce the amount of crinkling that happens as you use it up.
• It is best stored lying flat. It stands up okay on its lid when it’s brand new but the lid is tiny and the tube becomes unbalanced as I use the product it up.