8 Best Leave-In Conditioners for All Types of Hair

Ouai’s leave-in conditioner is beloved by many hair types, and it deserves the hype it gets. It’s a great formula that adds moisture without weighing hair down, and it makes an excellent seal on curly and wavy hair.

It is, however, kind of a thick spray. I have definitely sprayed too much in one area and been left with some mismatched texture. Instead, I prefer to spray it into my hands and smooth it over my hair, which I know sort of defeats the purpose of having a spray but it gets the job done more efficiently.

Kiehl’s leave-in product is excellent for softening frizzy hair and adding a bit of shine to an otherwise dry-looking head of hair. It’s oil based—argan and babassu—so it’s a great option for dry or frizzy hair. Still, it’s much lighter than a straight oil, and the subtle scent, a bit nutty from the oils, is really pleasant.

Olaplex is the best when it comes to addressing dry hair, split ends, and breakage. Ask anyone who has ever bleached their hair how they keep it healthy. There are a few options for leave-in treatments, but we like this one for both addressing breakage or damage as well as moisturizing.

The brand uses all its own patented blends (Olaplex Bond Building Technology and High-Adhesion Sealing Complex), and there’s really no product quite like it. It is, however, expensive for a tiny bottle and much too thick for anyone not in an emergency dryness situation.

It’s a 10 makes a leave-in conditioner that works for people across the spectrum of hair textures. It’s a lightweight spray, best used on towel-dried hair, and does a whole lot. It doesn’t just condition. It detangles, reduces frizz, and protects hair from heat and UV. It’s a great go-to, all-in-one type of product. The biggest complaint is not about the formula but about the bottle itself. The pump is not the most efficient, so it can be hard to get the right amount out.

Kevin.Murphy’s products are some of the pricier ones on the market, but they are beloved. The kind of product you buy once and realize why the expensive stuff is, well, the expensive stuff.

This leave-in is designed specifically for thinning hair. You can apply it right at the root. Oily leave-ins have will leave too much product buildup applied like this, but when you apply this at the root, it builds body in the hair.

R+Co’s Sun Catcher leave-in is a great product to have on hand for hair with dead and dry ends. You can use it on towel-dried hair, but you can also layer it with other styling products on top without too much product buildup. We also like how it’s light enough to use on dry hair when you need a bit more softness or shine throughout the day.

If you need an all-hands-on-deck leave-in, Oribe’s priming lotion is the best of the best. It’s a thicker lotion formula that smoothes out the hair cuticle, and you can use it on wet or dry hair. It makes frizzy and otherwise unruly hair more controllable. It is one of the pricier products, but you don’t need a ton of it, and it smells extremely good.

Bumble and Bumble’s curly leave-in conditioner is an excellent weapon to have in your hair arsenal. It can be used as a leave-in conditioner, of course, but it triples as a rinse-out and a co-wash, too. (Rinse-out meaning using it for extra conditioning in the shower; co-washing for curly-haired people who don’t like to shampoo alone or at all.)