Leave-in conditioners are lightweight versions of conditioners that you can leave in your hair. All hair types and textures can benefit from using a leave-in conditioner. These are especially good if you find using curl creams heavy for your hair or feeling greasy after using regular conditioners.
When should you use a Leave-in Conditioner
Use a leave-in conditioner after washing your hair. The main function of a leave-in conditioner is to moisturize your hair. It is not the same as leaving a regular conditioner in your hair. Leave-ins are formulated to be lighter than regular conditioners. So they don’t make hair feel heavy or greasy like a conditioner would’ve if you left it in your hair. Is it the same as hair cream? Read this article to know the difference between leave-in and curl cream.
Uses of Leave-in Conditioner
Use a leave-in conditioner to prep your hair before styling! Prepping helps you maintain the desired styling. Use a leave-in before workouts! Or when you tie your hair up in a bun or braids. This way hair stays moisturized and nourished (compared to staying dry and breaking under tension of hairstyles!). Using a leave-in conditioner alone may not hold the curls for longer days. That is why we typically style using curl creams or hair gel after this.
Pro Tip!
For best results, apply on wet hair, detangle, and plop for 5 minutes before styling. You can also use *just* leave in conditioner if you prefer soft, natural, and lightweight curls! See tutorial below.
A few risks
Don’t apply this on your scalp to avoid buildup, itching and flaking. If you have acne-prone skin then avoid using one with pore-clogging ingredients like coconut oil. Learn more about coconut sensitivity here.
Best Leave-in Conditioner
Disclaimer: These are tried and tested products I use and recommend to my 1:1 consultations as well. Affiliate codes available only for my frequently used products. Codes help you get discounts and help me earn small commissions. All proceeds go back into purchasing new products for testing and review so I’m thankful for your support!
All the products listed here are CG safe; all free from SLS, SILICONE, PARABEN, DRYING ALCOHOLS.
Tap on the links to shop these leave-in conditioners online.
| Product | Protein | Coconut | Glycerin | Ideal Hair Type |
| @sugarboocurls Leavein Conditioner ★25% off with code HONESTLIZ | YES | YES | Budget/ Fine / Wavy/ Colored hair | |
| @discovertreluxe* Untie The Knot ★15% off with code HONESTLIZ15 | YES | YES | NO | Fine hair / Wavy hair looking for lightweight multipurpose products. This doubles as a rinse out conditioner also. |
| @miribelnaturals Hair Cream ★10% off with code HONESTLIZ | NO | NO | All/ especially matted tangled hair. Doubles as conditioner also. | |
| @Bouncecurl Leave-in Conditioner | NO | NO | All/ especially if you don’t like hair masks. Use this after special treatments like Olaplex, Acv Rinses, or Clay. | |
| @officialkinkycurly Knot Today | NO | NO | Thick Coarse Hair. Very concentrated and rich! Do not use too much. |
I’ve been testing products products since 2017 and only the best ones that work make it here on my honest lists. This is not a comprehensive list. I’ll be sure to add more as I continue testing new brands and new products in the future. Until then, I wish you happy hair!
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Much love, Liz
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Great article Liz! I love leave-in conditioners because they are so lightweight yet moisturising. Can you make a blog post about *whether* we need to style wavy hair and how to care for it? I feel like I’m doing too much and I need to step back and just use a leave-in conditioner. I’d love your thoughts on this cause I know your daughters have wavy hair.
Thank you for always educating us and encouraging our natural textures 🙂
– Love, Nemisha 🙂
definitely go with your instincts – i rarely use products for my daughters, unless im putting it up for school – and very litttle of it too. Now that its winter time def go with leavein only, and enjoy the flowly texture 🙂