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The 7 Best Conditioners for Dry Hair of All Types
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- Overall Best Conditioner for Dry Hair: Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate
- Best Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair: Biolage Color Last Conditioner
- Best Leave-In Conditioners for Dry Hair: OUAI Leave-In Conditioner Mist
- Best Conditioner for Damaged Hair: Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner
- Best Conditioner for Fine Hair: VIRTUE Recovery Conditioner
- Best Conditioner for Dry Curly Hair: SheaMoisture Conditioner Curl and Shine
- Dry Hair FAQs
From excessive heat styling and highlighting to summertime sun exposure and overwashing, many people are afflicted with the dreaded dry hair—you know, when it feels like straw that could almost snap off in your hands?
If your locks have seen better days, something as simple as switching up your conditioner routine can seriously help quench your parched hair.
In this ultimate list of the best seven conditioners for dry hair, we’re sure you’ll find the right moisturizer for your mane—from drugstore conditioners and leave-in versions to options for split end sufferers and curly girls, we’ll have your hair feeling silky smooth in no time.
| Best Overall | Best Drugstore | for Color-Treated Hair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Maui | Pantene | Biolage |
| Dry Hair Type | All | All | Color-treated |
| Cost | $8.12 for 13oz ($0.62/oz) Shop Now | $25.74 for 28.8oz* ($0.89/oz) *sold with shampoo and hair treatment set Shop Now | $38 for 33.8oz ($1.12/oz) Shop Now |
Best for: People with dry hair looking for a highly hydrating conditioner to smooth and moisturize hair.
With its ultra-hydrating ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, and macadamia nut oil, Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate is our top pick for the overall best conditioner for dry hair, as it can deeply repair and soften hair.
We also love that they swapped out water for aloe vera juice as the first ingredient in their formula, adding to the hydration factor.
While many other moisturizing conditioners are designed with a specific hair type in mind, this conditioner uniquely works for just about every hair type—especially those with frizzy hair, thick hair, coarse hair, coily hair, and curly hair.
The only hair type that may experience a bit of trouble with using this conditioner every day is people with ultra-fine hair—as shea butter can weigh down hair, fine-haired folks may consider using it once a week or so as a conditioning treatment.
Plus, Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate is affordable, vegan, sulfate-free, silicone-free, and has a coconut scent reminiscent of a tropical vacation—what more could you ask for?
Best for: People looking for an affordable drugstore conditioner for dry hair of any type.
Pantene is one of the most well-known hair care brands out there, making it easily accessible at most drugstores or big box stores—and Pantene Nutrient Blends Hydrating Glow is their best option for dry hair.
With zero parabens, sulfates, dyes, or mineral oil, Pantene is a step above many other drugstore brands—although it does contain a botanical/citrus fragrance, which can be irritating for some people.
We also love that this conditioner contains provitamin B5 (panthenol) to protect the skin barrier of the scalp and retain moisture, plus antioxidants and baobab to nourish brittle hair.
Pantene Nutrient Blends Hydrating Glow works well for all dry hair types, including being a gentle formula for colored hair.
Best for: Anyone with color-treated hair (including bleached hair) who wants to moisturize hair and elongate its color.
Whether you have color-treated black, red, brunette, or blonde hair, dying your hair a different color is a surefire way to introduce dryness.
Although any color can cause damaged hair, bleached blonde hair tends to be the worst offender—especially if your hair is naturally dark.
The low pH formula of Biolage Colorlast Conditioner helps to extend the life of hair dye of any type while also moisturizing and hydrating the strands.
According to the brand, this conditioner can prevent hair color from fading and enhance shine for up to nine weeks.
Like most conditioners, Biolage Colorlast Conditioner contains fragrance, but it also has natural scents like Orchis Mascula Extract to provide a top-rated orchid scent.
Best for: People of all hair types who want a deeply nourishing leave-in conditioner that doubles as a heat protectant spray.
Created by celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin, OUAI Leave-In Conditioner is a cult favorite leave-in conditioner, with its unique signature scent of violet, bergamot, Italian lemon, and white musk, and its ability to smooth, protect, and detangle hair.
This leave-in conditioner is perfect for dry hair of any kind, as it fights frizz, smoothes and detangles hair, and even protects against UV and heat damage up to 450°F.
Some of the key ingredients in this formula include an amino acid blend to fortify damaged hair, tamarind seed extract to boost hydration, and panthenol and vitamin E to condition and leave hair feeling smooth.
People of all hair types—even those with curly and coily hair—love OUAI Leave-In Conditioner across the board, and we can see why.
Best for: People with extremely damaged hair or dryness.
If you’ve been dealing with dry or damaged hair for a while, there’s no doubt that you have heard of Olaplex.
While all Olaplex products are nourishing, Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner is our top choice for the best conditioner for damaged hair.
This conditioner has the only patented system (“Bond Building Technology”) to noticeably repair extreme damage to dry and brittle hair, as it re-links broken bonds on split ends and hair breakages.
Olaplex works by penetrating each hair strand (rather than coating the surface) to repair damaged disulfide bonds from heat treatments, blow drying, straightening, bleaching or color-treating, and excess sun exposure.
However, Olaplexis not inexpensive, and it may be too heavy to use daily, especially in people with fine or thin hair.
Best for: People with fine hair or thin hair who need a lightweight conditioner that still repairs damage or dryness.
Most conditioners are known for their thick and creamy texture that deeply moisturizes hair—which is great unless you have fine hair that gets weighed down easily.
Enter VIRTUE Recovery Conditioner—the best conditioner for dry, fine hair that isn’t too heavy.
This lightweight formula uniquely contains a proprietary protein called Alpha Keratin 60ku(R), which is identical to our keratin that builds hair, skin, and nails.
Alpha Keratin 60ku(R) binds directly to areas of damage and fills them in, repairing damaged hair from heat, chemicals, or coloring.
This conditioner also contains hydrolyzed quinoa protein to enhance shiny hair color, baobab seed oil to retain moisture, and grapefruit extract to revitalize the scalp with its antioxidant properties.
According to the brand, 97% of women reported softer hair and less damage after just one use.
After five uses of Virtue Recovery Conditioner, women experienced a 22% increase in hair thickness (as verified by magnification in the lab), a 138% increase in hair vibrancy, a 67% reduction in frizz, and 95% reparation of split ends—impressive stuff!
Best for: Anyone with curly hair or coily hair that needs a nourishing conditioner for dryness or damage.
Curly hair is often more susceptible to dryness than straight hair—this is because the shape of the curls makes it more difficult for our naturally produced oils to travel from the scalp down the entire length of the hair.
Many conditioners aren’t entirely suited for people with curly hair, but SheaMoisture Conditioner Curl and Shine is designed with curly girls in mind.
It also works for people with coily hair—a type that is even more tightly curled, producing small coiled strands that are more fragile and prone to breakage.
The deeply moisturizing ingredients like fair trade shea butter, neem oil, silk proteins, coconut oil, and aloe vera help to penetrate the curly or coily strands deeply.
While SheaMoisture Curl and Shine conditioner is designed for curly hair, people with any type of dry hair could benefit from its ultra-nourishing ingredients.
Plus, we love that it’s ethically and sustainably produced,scented with essential oils (no synthetic fragrances!), and contains some Certified Organic and fair-trade ingredients.
Dry Hair FAQs
What Conditioner Works for Extremely Dry Hair?
Many conditioners are great for severely dry hair, including:
– Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate
– Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner
– VIRTUE Recovery Conditioner
– SheaMoisture Conditioner Curl and Shine
How Do You Rehydrate Really Dry Hair?
In addition to using a hydrating conditioner, you can add a nourishing shampoo and a leave-in conditioner or hair mask.
You can also use cooler water when you wash your hair (heat is drying), use hair serums, oils, and heat protectant sprays, stop coloring your hair as often, and try not to use heat styling.
Why Is My Hair So Dry Even With a Conditioner?
If you use heat styling every day (like blow drying, straightening, or curling your hair), using a conditioner may not help to repair the damaged hair enough. The same goes for over-coloring your hair (especially bleached hair), which is extremely damaging to your hair. You can also ensure you get regular haircuts or trims to improve your overall hair health.
What Is the Best Leave-In Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair?
We love the OUAI Leave-In Conditioner as a leave-in conditioning mist for people of all hair types to repair dry hair, including color-treated hair.
Why Is My Hair Getting Frizzy as I Get Older?
Most people know that hair gets gray or white as we age—but hair can also change texture, getting frizzy or dry. With age, our natural scalp oils and sebum decrease their production, resulting in dry or frizzy hair. Disruptions to hormone balance can also cause textural hair changes.
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