If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.
Pardon the pun, but dry hair can be at the root of many hair problems. Fighting frizz? Do your locks look lackluster? Is detangling after a shower a serious chore? There’s one simple solution that will solve all these problems: The best leave-in conditioners. Find the right formula for your hair type and you’ll be left with the luscious locks of your favorite A-lister. In just a single step, these multi-tasking conditioners add serious hydration to your hair, fixing countless woes.
More good news: There’s an option for whatever ails you, leaving hair shinier, stronger, smoother, healthier — you name it. To prove it, we’ve rounded up the best leave-in conditioners for every strand struggle and hair type.
Related Stories
1. Leonor Greyl Paris Tonique Hydratant Leave-In Mist
BEST OVERALL
Leonor Greyl Paris’ Tonique Hydratant Mist is the best leave-in conditioner for a reason — it checks off all the boxes. Spritz on this mist for a volume and moisture boost, to tame frizz, add shine and strengthen strands, courtesy of collagen. Since it leaves hair softer instantly, that also makes it easier to style. And since the mist is impressively lightweight, it’s ideal for fine hair. The nourishing formula is powered by seaweed extracts and amino acids for lasting perks. It can also be used in between washes to refresh and restyle hair. (Kim Kardashian, Claire Danes and Jessica Alba have used the French brand.)
2. John Frieda Frizz Ease Daily Nourishment Leave-In Conditioner
BEST DRUGSTORE LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER
All about hydration and hair health, this drugstore superstar from John Freida combines green tea extract with vitamins A, C and E for a deeply nourishing formula. Just a few sprays will do everything from detangle to smooth to add loads of shine. Even an unmanageable mane will be tamed.
3. dpHue Color Fresh Leave-In Mist
BEST FOR HAIR COLOR CARE
Keep your hair color from fading while priming and protecting your tresses before you blow dry with dpHue’s Color Fresh Leave-In Mist, which is good for all hair textures and types. The detangling and smoothing formula helps prevent breakage annd controls frizz and flyaways.
4. IGK Thirsty Girl Coconut Milk Leave-In Conditioner
BEST FRIZZ FIGHTER
Tame frizz with just one spritz of IGK’s Thirsty Girl Coconut Milk Leave-In Conditioner. (Hailey Bieber, Sofia Richie and Tessa Thompson use the celebrity hairstylist-founded brand.) It’s chock full of hyaluronic acid to deliver the moisture that frizzy hair craves while guarding hair from pollution and humidity. It’s also infused with nourishing pure coconut milk and together, the duo of potent ingredients fights frizz for up to a whopping 24 hours, leaving locks hydrated, stronger and shiny. It’s designed to work on all hair types and textures, from straight to coily and from fine to thick.
5. Pattern Leave-In Conditioner
BEST FOR TEXTURED HAIR
Whether you have curls or coils, this is the best leave-in conditioner for textured hair, courtesy of Tracee Ellis Ross’ Pattern haircare brand. Curly hair tends to be extra thirsty and this leave-in will quench that to seal in moisture, leaving your curls looking more defined. Post wash, the lightweight formula also helps detangle. The blend of honey and oils will feed strands lots of goodness. Plus, you won’t be able to get enough of the sweet floral scent, a blend of neroli, rose and patchouli.
6. Ouai x Byredo Mojave Ghost Leave-In Conditioner
BEST SCENTED LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER
Smell like a star with red carpet-ready tresses when you spray on Ouai’s exclusive leave-in conditioner with cult-favorite beauty brand Byredo, which brings one of its best-selling scent to the haircare label created by Hollywood hairstylist Jen Atkin (whose clients include Gigi and Bella Hadid and Kendall and Kylie Jenner). Designed for all hair types and textures, this detangling product can protect hair from heat damage up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and leaves locks smoother and hydrated with a blend of amino acids, tamarind seed extract and vitamin E. It’s infused with Byredo’s desert-inspired woody fragrance with notes of sandalwood, amber, Chantilly musk and magnolia.
7. Briogeo Farewell Frizz Rosarco Milk Leave-In Conditioner
BEST CLEAN BEAUTY LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER
Whether you have straight, wavy, coily or curly hair, this eco-conscious lightweight formula by clean beauty brand Briogeo helps to lock in moisture on all textures — without the pthalates, parabens, silicones, sulfates, artificial dyes and diethanolamine (DEA). Fight off frizz for up to 48 hours and get nourished and shiny tresses with this leave-in conditioner that contains rosehip, argan and coconut oils and rosarco milk that protects and strengthens strands and seals in moisture.
8. Drunk Elephant Wild Marula Tangle Spray
BEST DETANGLING LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER
Do you struggle to comb out your locks after every wash? The simple solution is inside Drunk Elephant’s bright bottle. Spritz on the cult-favorite beauty brand’s weightless mist to instantly smooth out knots, leaving hair manageable and shiny. The leave-in conditioner relies on the power of plant oils to condition hair, specifically sacha inchi seed, pracaxi seed, marula and argan oils. It’s also spiked with a multi-amino acid blend to strengthen strands and boost body.
9. Virtue Curl Leave-In Butter
BEST LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER FOR CURLS
For those that want to keep their tresses’ natural coils looking shiny and frizz-free, Virtue’s keratin-infused Curl Leave-In Butter was created to repair and protect all types of curly locks. Apply this rich conditioner to clean, damp hair to get stronger, softer and hydrated strands, even in humidity.
10. Sun Bum Revitalizing 3-in-1 Leave In Conditioner Spray
BEST UV PROTECTOR
The best leave-in conditioner for fun in the sun, Sun Bum’s conditioner spray is a triple threat detangles, conditions and offers UV protection. Whether you’ve spent too much time in the pool or at the beach, this savior spritzer will help heal some of that damage. And even if you’re not venturing far, the delicious scent provided by the coconut oil and banana pulp will make you feel like you’re on a tropical getaway.
11. R+Co On A Cloud Baobab Oil Repair Splash On Styler
BEST STYLING LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER
True to its name, this newbie from R+Co will leave your hair feeling as soft as a cloud thanks to its healing powers. Its ingredient list is all about repairing damage to make it easier to detangle and style hair. There’s baobab oil-protein to rebuild bonds and repair hair, a cold-sealing shine complex to seals the cuticle, grapeseed extract to fight off free radicals and add shine, and green tea and vitamin B5 to smooth and protect hair.
12. L’Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 Power Recharge Leave-In Conditioner
BEST FOR DAMAGED HAIR
Rich and creamy, L’Oreal’s Total Repair 5 Recharge leave-in conditioner heals damage while preventing new harm. The blend of protein and almond oil safeguards hair from heat damage up to 450 degrees, so you’ll feel a lot better the next time you pick up your hair dryer or curling iron. In addition to heat protection, it promises 97 percent less hair breakage. The versatile formula can also be used as a co-washing treatment or rinsed out as a regular conditioner. Bonus: It has a great floral scent with juicy green notes.
13. Marc Anthony Super Fast Strength Leave-In Conditioner
BEST FOR LONG HAIR
Those trying to reach Rapunzel-like lengths will want to spritz Marc Anthony’s Super Fast Strength leave-in-conditioner in their tresses. To help hair grow long, it strengthens with caffeine, ginseng and vitamin E, preventing breakage and split ends. The creamy leave-in will transform even brittle strands into soft, smooth and shiny locks.
14. Odele Leave-in Conditioner
BEST FOR MANAGEABILITY
When hair needs extra coaxing to be worked into a style, that means it’s parched and needs some help. Odele’s Leave-In Conditioner will do the trick. Don’t let the price fool you — it feels like a salon-grade product and works like one too, multitasking to detangle, control frizz and define texture. It’s chock full of amino acids that will improve hair health over time, leaving you with beautiful, bouncy locks.
