In today’s fast-paced world, having a product in your back pocket that allows you to simply spritz and run is a major game-changer. Leave-in conditioners fit the bill, working overtime for your hair to make it look and feel shiny, soft, and healthy—without having to rinse! What’s more, you can find one for every type of hair, whether you’re rocking natural texture, a wavy mane, thick hair, or fine strands.
There's no time like the present to introduce this vital step into your hair care routine. Below, we break down how to use leave-in conditioner and go into more detail on what this miracle product can do for your tresses. Plus, we’re shouting out 20 of our best leave-in conditioner products according to your specific hair type.
What is leave-in conditioner?
Leave-in conditioner is a hydrating hair care product that plays a lot of different roles. The best leave-in conditioner will address dryness, battle frizz, serve as a nice detangler, and even protect your hair from heat styling damage. There are many different formulations, so finding one that addresses your hair texture and specific concerns is key.
How To Use Leave-In Conditioner
Leave-in conditioners are thin, often milky-like formulations. There are leave-in conditioner sprays and creams, so find the application process you prefer. Whatever type you choose, application is easy! After washing and conditioning your hair per usual, the product is sprayed or applied evenly onto damp, towel-dried hair. Not sure how much product to use? When in doubt, always refer to the directions on the bottle.
True to its name, you don’t need to rinse the leave-in conditioner after applying. Because of its lightweight formulation, you can use a leave-in conditioner every time you shampoo for a boost of shiny, healthy-feeling goodness.
Best Leave In Conditioners By Hair Type
Ready to introduce a leave-in conditioner into your hair care routine? Just find your hair type below and pick the one that speaks to you!
If You Have Fine Or Thin Hair:
Total Results Miracle Creator Repairing Nourishing Leave-in Conditioner
A multi-tasking leave-in conditioner that repairs, protects and nourishes hair.
Matrix Total Results Miracle Creator Leave-In Conditioner
If you have fine hair, you need a lightweight leave-in treatment that will nourish and moisturize your locks. A leave-in mist like Matrix Miracle Creator Hair Multi-Tasking Treatment has 20 beautifying benefits for your hair, including boosting shine, adding moisture, conditioning lightly, and priming hair for styling.
Biolage Advanced Full Density Densifying Treatment
This leave-in product from Biolage is formulated specifically for fragile, thinning hair to address hair loss and make hair feel and look thicker. Its unique formulation even increases each strand's diameter up to 9 percent.
If You Have Dry Hair
All Soft Mega Hydramelt Moisturizing Hair Lotion
A leave-in treatment delivering lightweight moisture to severely dry, coarse hair.
Redken All Soft Mega Hydramelt
A leave-in conditioner is a crucial product for anyone with parched locks. However, not every product will provide the level of softness your locks need. That’s why it’s important to search for the best leave-in conditioner for dry hair, specifically, such as Redken’s All Soft Mega Hydramelt, which provides all-day nourishment for severely dry hair.
Hydra Source Daily Leave-In Tonic
A leave-in treatment for dry hair.
Biolage Hydrasource Daily Leave-In Tonic
If your dry strands are lacking shine, Biolage Hydrasource Daily Leave-In Tonic is a leave-in conditioner spray that’ll come to the rescue. Not only does it instantly make hair glossy, but it also works behind the scenes to moisturize hair and protect it from environmental damage, so hair is truly nourished from the inside out.
If You Have Curly Hair
Total Results Curl Please Contouring Lotion
A leave-in hair treatment for curly hair.
Matrix Total Results Curl Please Contouring Lotion
Searching for a leave-in that will nourish your ringlets while adding moisture, volume, hold, and frizz control? Look no further than Matrix Total Results Curl Please Contouring Lotion, one of our best leave-in conditioners for curly hair. It helps strands become a better version of themselves by fighting hair breakage and adding strength to each curl for more manageable styling.
If You Have Color Treated Hair
Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray for Color-Treated Hair
A multi-tasking leave-in treatment with 21 essential benefits for color-treated hair.
Pureology Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray
It can take several sessions and a pretty penny to achieve the color of your dreams, so make sure you’re protecting your investment. This Pureology leave-in conditioner is a lightweight mist that primes, protects, and perfects while delivering 21 essential benefits for color-treated hair. The formula features Pureology’s exclusive AntiFadeComplex, which protects against color fade.
If You Have Vivid Salon Color
Total Results Keep Me Vivid Color Velvetizer Protectant Balm
A non-sticky hair balm that protects hair from UV rays and heat.
Matrix Total Results Keep Me Vivid Color Velvetizer Protectant Balm
If you have a vivid salon hue—like hot pink, bright red, or neon green—you know your color has a tendency to fade real quick. Help your salon hue last longer with Matrix Total Results Keep Me Vivid Color Velvetizer Protectant Balm, a leave-in treatment featuring a color-protecting UV filter and heat protection.
If You’re Dealing With Frizzy Hair
Redken Frizz Dismiss Rebel Tame Leave-In Hair Treatment
If frizz is keeping your hair from reaching its potential, reach for Redken Frizz Dismiss Rebel Tame Leave-In Hair Treatment. Formulated with sustainably sourced babassu oil, this multi-benefit smoothing cream for all hair types hydrates and detangles strands for ultimate frizz control.
Total Results Mega Sleek Iron Smoother Leave-In Spray
A hair smoothing spray that doubles as a heat protectant.
Matrix Total Results Mega Sleek Iron Smoother Leave-In Spray
Frizz and flyaways don't stand a chance against Matrix's Total Results Mega Sleek Iron Smoother Leave-In Spray. Formulated with shea butter, it gives frizz the boot for smooth strands, helps protect your hair against heat styling damage, and works overtime to make your hair style last longer.
If You’ve Got Damaged Hair
Advanced Oil Renew Multi-Tasking Oil-in-Cream Leave-In Treatment
An oil hair treatment for dry hair.
Biolage Advanced Oil Renew Multi-Tasking Oil-In-Cream Leave-In Treatment
Biolage's concentrated daily care powered by lightweight micro-oil particles can help transform damaged, porous, moisture-deprived strands into quenched, protected, healthy-looking hair. This multitasking leave-in conditioner boasts five benefits, including instant absorption, instant protection, enhanced manageability, increased nourishment, and reduced frizz.
Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave In Conditioner for Damaged Hair
Intense leave-in conditioner that provides strength repair to damaged hair
Redken Acidic Perfecting Concentrate Leave-In Conditioner
For a seriously intense leave-in conditioner that addresses damage, apply this no-rinse concentrated treatment from Redken. It rebalances your hair's natural pH levels and reinforces weakened bonds for healthier-looking, stronger hair.
If Your Hair is Bleached
Strength Cure Miracle Filler for Damaged, Color-Treated Hair
A blow-dry reparative lotion that strengthens, repairs and protects the hair's cuticle.
Pureology Strength Cure Best Blonde Miracle Filler Treatment
If your recent bleach session has your strands feeling fragile and brittle to the touch, pick up a bottle of Strength Cure Best Blonde Miracle Filler. This leave-in conditioner spray fills in gaps in fragile, porous hair, leaving high-lifted or highlighted blonde soft and shiny.
Extreme Bleach Recovery Cica Cream Leave In Treatment
A repairing leave-in treatment to deeply nourish ultra-sensitive bleached hair
Redken Extreme Bleach Recovery Cica Cream Leave-In Treatment
Boasting centella asiatica (cica), this leave-in conditioner for bleached hair helps repair and nourish your hair from the inside out. Use it regularly to maintain healthy-looking, beautiful locks in between your salon appointments.
Matrix Total Results Unbreak My Blonde Reviving Leave-in Treatment
The final step of any blondie's hair care routine should be a leave-in conditioner. Matrix Total Results Unbreak My Blonde Reviving Leave-in Treatment helps reinforce weakened bonds caused by bleaching and highlighting and leaves hair feeling and looking soft, shiny, and strong.
If You’re Battling Brass
Matrix Total Results Brass Off Blonde Threesome Leave-In Cream
If you’ve been searching for a leave-in cream that will make brass a thing of the past and tackle multiple hair problems at once, you’ll love the Matrix Total Results Brass Off Blonde Threesome Leave-In Cream. The product softens, smooths, and even protects strands from heat damage up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
If You Have Split Ends
Serie Expert Pro Longer Leave-In Cream
Heat protecting leave-in cream for repairing length & split ends
L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Pro Longer Leave-In Cream
A multi-tasker extraordinaire, L'Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Pro Longer Leave-In Cream boasts a lightweight formula that addresses thinned, split ends while protecting hair from heat up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Biolage Advanced Fiberstrong Intra-Cylane Fortifying Leave-In Cream
This fortifying leave-in cream helps smooth hair by filling in gaps in the cuticle of damaged strands. Used consistently, it can help prevent breakage and split ends while repairing fragile hair at the same time.
If You Have Extensions
Length Goals Extensions Perfector Multi-Benefit Styling Spray
Multi-benefit styling spray that detangles, revives and eases blow-dry for extensions.
Matrix Total Results Length Goals Extensions Perfector Multi-Benefit Styling Spray
Whether you’re new to extensions or you’ve been slaying them for years now, you’ll need to switch up your hair care routine to care for them properly. Lucky for you, Matrix went and took the guesswork out of it by creating their own range of products specifically for extensions. The Length Goals Perfector is a multi-benefit styling spray that detangles, revives, and makes heat styling extensions a breeze.
For All Hair Types
25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner
A lightweight leave-in conditioner with heat protection that detangles, calms frizz, and treats damage and dryness.
Mizani 25 Miracle Milk
Every once in a while, a product comes along that lends a hand to every head of hair. One of those products is Mizani 25 Miracle Milk, a leave-in treatment that works for fine, thick, textured, straight, and every hair type in between. The formula boasts 25 benefits including reducing dryness, aiding in restoring softness, helping prevent split ends, and priming hair for styling.
All-In-One Coconut Infusion Multi-Benefit Spray
A multi-benefit, leave-in hair treatment spray with coconut oil.
Biolage All-In-One Coconut Infusion Multi-Benefit Spray
Formulated with concentrated coconut oil, this lightweight, leave-in hair treatment spray keeps your locks nourished, conditioned, and smelling fresh. The best part? Every hair type and texture—from curly to straight, thin to thick, fine to course—can all benefit from this all-in-one essential.
Searching for more hair products? Shop the best salon-quality products at Hair.com.
Total Results Miracle Creator Repairing Nourishing Leave-in Conditioner
A multi-tasking leave-in conditioner that repairs, protects and nourishes hair.
All Soft Mega Hydramelt Moisturizing Hair Lotion
A leave-in treatment delivering lightweight moisture to severely dry, coarse hair.
Hydra Source Daily Leave-In Tonic
A leave-in treatment for dry hair.
Total Results Curl Please Contouring Lotion
A leave-in hair treatment for curly hair.
Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray for Color-Treated Hair
A multi-tasking leave-in treatment with 21 essential benefits for color-treated hair.
Total Results Keep Me Vivid Color Velvetizer Protectant Balm
A non-sticky hair balm that protects hair from UV rays and heat.
Total Results Mega Sleek Iron Smoother Leave-In Spray
A hair smoothing spray that doubles as a heat protectant.
Advanced Oil Renew Multi-Tasking Oil-in-Cream Leave-In Treatment
An oil hair treatment for dry hair.
Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave In Conditioner for Damaged Hair
Intense leave-in conditioner that provides strength repair to damaged hair
Strength Cure Miracle Filler for Damaged, Color-Treated Hair
A blow-dry reparative lotion that strengthens, repairs and protects the hair's cuticle.
Extreme Bleach Recovery Cica Cream Leave In Treatment
A repairing leave-in treatment to deeply nourish ultra-sensitive bleached hair
Total Results Unbreak My Blonde Reviving Leave-in Treatment
A reviving leave-in treatment for blondes to provide additional softness and shine.
Serie Expert Pro Longer Leave-In Cream
Heat protecting leave-in cream for repairing length & split ends
25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner
A lightweight leave-in conditioner with heat protection that detangles, calms frizz, and treats damage and dryness.
All-In-One Coconut Infusion Multi-Benefit Spray
A multi-benefit, leave-in hair treatment spray with coconut oil.
