Katie Holmes Says It's a Summer of Air-Dried, Perfectly-Unpolished Hair

Samantha Holender

June 6, 2024 at 3:09 AM·3 min read

Katie Holmes walking in New York City wearing a tshirt and a canvas bag.

The second temperatures start to rise, my entire hair motto changes. I retire hot tools temporarily and refuse to embrace any hairstyle that requires hair to touch my neck. Typically, that means I’m wearing a slicked-back bun on repeat, but I’m all ears the second anyone offers up an alternate suggestion. Today, I swiped some relaxed summer hair inspiration for the one and only Katie Holmes.

The actress was spotted roaming the streets of New York City on Tuesday, June 4, in a very on-trend butter-yellow tee and white, wide-leg jeans. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of her off-duty look, though, was her haphazard hairstyle. The Dawson’s Creek alum first tossed her hair into a loose, low ponytail complete with a center part and a few wispy pieces framing her face.

Katie Holmes wears a butter yellow t shirt and white wide leg jeans in downtown manhattan

I’d be lying if it said this deliberately messy look was intentional. It’s quite the opposite. Just moments later, Holmes's hair was loose and wavy in all its air-dried glory. I bet she grabbed an elastic off her wrist and threw her hair up in about five seconds flat. It’s not fussy. It doesn’t require a mirror. It’s as low maintenance as low maintenance can be. It pays no mind to frizz or sweat or volume.

In other words, Holmes's style is the essence of summer hair—and provides a few moments for hair to regain its strength. “2024 is the year of the hair health journey and giving your hair the foundation it needs to thrive,” hairstylist Mara Rozsak previously shared with Marie Claire. “We’re going to be paying more attention to curating a routine that supports hair in whatever way you want.”

The more intense my deep dive into Homes’s hairstyles became, the more I realized she’s the poster child for air-dried hair, sideswiping hot tools and tugging as much as humanly possible (red carpets are the exception). More often than not, she chooses to let her hair, a mix of loose curls on the bottom and straighter strands up top, do whatever it pleases.

katie holmes wearing a butter yelow dress and jacket in new york city

Her secret to boosting shine and eliminating frizz is Oribe’s Supershine Light Moisturizing Cream. “Katie’s hair is a bit wavy, so this product is great to tame, control, and enhance her wave,” her hairstylist DJ Quintero previously told Who What Wear.

I’ll be adding this to my daily routine ASAP. Shop this Katie Holmes-approved product—and some of my other favorite air dry creams—for easy, low-maintenance summer hair ahead.