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The 8 Best Conditioner Options for Every Hair Type
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- Best Conditioner for Thin Hair: Jason Thin To Thick Extra Volume Conditioner
- Best Conditioner for Irritated Scalps: Derma E Scalp Relief Conditioner
- Best Conditioner for Dry Hair or Damaged Hair: Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate
- Best Conditioner for Frizzy Hair: Living Proof No Frizz Conditioner
- Best Conditioner for Fine Hair: OUAI Fine Hair Conditioner
- Best Conditioner for Thick Hair: PUREOLOGY Hydrate Conditioner For Thick Hair
- Best Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair: Biolage Color Last Conditioner
- Best Conditioner for Curly Hair: SheaMoisture Conditioner Curl and Shine
- Hair Conditioner FAQs
Designed to tackle tangles, repair split ends, and deeply moisturize, conditioners are an essential part of the hair-washing process if you want to avoid frizzy, dry, and straw-like locks.
With their first use dating back to the 1930s, hair conditioners were initially called “creme rinses”—a term you may still hear your grandma use—and didn’t have many varieties, but today, you’ll find hundreds of different options for every hair care situation.
Whether your hair is dry and damaged, frizzy and fine, or color-treated and curly, we’ve got you covered with the eight best conditioner options for every hair type.
| Thin Hair | Irritated Scalps | Dry Hair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Jason | Derma E | Maui |
| Hair Type | Thin | Itchy/irritated | Dry/Damaged |
| Cost | $11.76 for 8oz ($1.47/oz) Shop Now | $10 for 10oz ($1.00/oz) Shop Now | $8.12 for 13oz ($0.62/oz) Shop Now |
Best for: Anyone with thin or thinning hair who wants to boost volume without weighing it down or causing oily hair.
As people with thin or thinning hair don’t have as many strands for products to hold onto, deep conditioners can often be too heavy and leave hair feeling greasy, but that’s not the case with Jason Thin To Thick Extra Volume Conditioner, which adds volume and strength without weight.
Jason Thin To Thick Extra Volume Conditioner is one of the best conditioners for thin hair, as it contains hair-strengthening vitamins like panthenol and biotin to stimulate hair growth.
It also adds aloe for hydration, quinoa seed to strengthen hair, and vitamins C and E to nourish the hair shaft, increasing volume and reducing split ends.
We love that this conditioner is naturally scented(no synthetic fragrances) with herbs and flowers like lavender, plumeria, and calendula, and you won’t find any parabens, sulfates, or phthalates here.
Best for: People with irritated or itchy scalps who want a natural conditioner to promote scalp health.
Unlike most conditioners, which shouldn’t be applied on the roots of the hair to avoid greasiness, Derma E Scalp Relief Conditioner is designed to be massaged into all of your hair—scalp and all.
This formula is perfect for people who have itchy scalps, dandruff, eczema, oily hair, irritation, or product buildup, as it contains a plethora of scalp-supporting ingredients, including:
- Therapeutic Psorzema® Herbal Blend: A plant-based blend of neem, burdock, and bearberry replenishes dry, irritated, and scaling scalps, helping to promote scalp and hair health.
- Tea Tree and Menthol: Helps calm and cool itchy scalps and maintains scalp purity over time.
- Salicylic Acid and White Willow Bark Extract: Penetrate to remove excess flakes and surface buildup and support scalp health.
- Aloe Vera Extract: Contains enzymes that soothe, moisturize, and promote the scalp’s blood circulation.
- Vitamins A and E: These antioxidant-rich vitamins replenish the scalp and hair to promote manageability and shine.
- Provitamin B5 (Panthenol): Deeply hydrates and nourishes the scalp and hair follicles for shiny, stronger hair.
This conditioner is also naturally scented, contains no harmful ingredients, and is a sulfate-free natural alternative to many popular dandruff or scalp care conditioners on the market.
Use it in combination with Derma E Scalp Relief Shampoo, and you’ll be itch-free in no time.
Best for: People with dry hair or damaged hair looking for a highly hydrating conditioner to smooth and repair 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 best conditioner for dry hair, as it can deeply repair damage from sun exposure, heat styling, overprocessing, or coloring.
We also love that they swapped out water for aloe vera juice as the first ingredient in their formula, adding to the hydration factor for brittle hair.
Just about every damaged or dry hair type can use this conditioner—especially those with frizzy hair, thick hair, coarse hair, and curly hair types.
However, people with fine or very thin hair may feel this conditioner is too heavy for them.
Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate is also affordable, vegan, sulfate-free, silicone-free, and has a coconut scent loved by many.
Best for: People with frizzy hair looking for a conditioner to smooth things out.
For all our frizzy-haired friends, Living Proof No Frizz Conditioner is for you.
This formula uses a lightweight sugarcane-derived emollient to control frizz and jojoba esters to block humidity-related hair nightmares while also reducing damage from heat or environmental stressors.
Uniquely, Living Proof No Frizz Conditioner contains hemisqualane to seal in the hair cuticle and improve shininess and marine algae polysaccharides that help protect against pollution buildup on hair.
However, this hair conditioner is not inexpensive—the price we pay for fighting frizz!
Best for: Anyone with fine hair who doesn’t want to weigh it down with a heavy conditioner.
OUAI Fine Conditioner is an excellent conditioner for people with fine hair, which can be easily overtaken by heavy creams and oils.
Although fine hair and thin hair are often used interchangeably, they are different—fine hair means that the hair is smaller in diameter, while thin hair can be any thickness, but there are fewer strands growing.
Created by celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin, this OUAI conditioner—by the way, it’s pronounced “way”—moisturizes and hydrates without weighing down fine hair.
Some of the key ingredients include glycerin to hydrate, lightweight chia seed oil to reduce frizz and add shine, hydrolyzed keratin to repair damage, and biotin to strengthen and thicken hair.
While OUAI Fine Conditioner does contain synthetic fragrances, the “Mercer Street” scent you’ll find in this conditioner—a rose fragrance with notes of Italian lemon, jasmine, and white musk—is top-rated by reviewers.
Best for: People with thick or coarse hair who need a more hydrating conditioner.
Thicker hair can stand up to thicker conditioners—and PUREOLOGY Hydrate Conditioner is our top choice.
In this creamy formula, you’ll find green tea to support scalp health, jojoba to add moisture, sage leaf to nourish hair follicles, and multi-weight proteins to target damaged hair repair.
It uses synthetic fragrances but also adds natural ingredients like rosemary, menthol, and mint for an invigorating scent and tingly feeling.
PUREOLOGY Hydrate Conditioner is also great for color-treated hair, as it utilizes a patented Antifade Complex® to preserve hair color, and has SPF protection to block harmful UV rays from damaging your hair.
Best for: Anyone with color-treated hair (including bleached hair) who wants to preserve their dye and moisturize.
Color-treated hair typically needs specialized conditioners to ensure that the hair dye doesn’t fade away too quickly—and Biolage Colorlast Conditioner is our top pick.
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, this one contains fragrance, but it also has natural scents like Orchis Mascula Extract to provide an orchid scent that most people love.
Best for: Anyone with curly hair or coily hair that needs a nourishing conditioner for dryness or damage.
Curly hair needs to be treated differently than straight or wavy hair, including the need for deep conditioners that are hydrating and moisturizing.
As the shape of curls makes it more difficult for naturally produced oils to travel from the scalp down the entire length of the hair, curly hair is often more susceptible to dryness than straight or wavy hair.
SheaMoisture Conditioner Curl and Shine is one of the best conditioners for curly hair—and it also works for people with coily hair, a hair 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 help to penetrate the curly or coily strands deeply.
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.
Hair Conditioner FAQs
What Is the Best Conditioner for Really 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
Can You Fix Damaged Hair With Conditioner?
You can attempt to fix damaged hair with a conditioner, but you may need a little more help if your hair is extremely damaged.
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, and try not to use heat styling too often.
What Conditioner Is the Healthiest?
Conditioners that do not contain sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, or petroleum are considered healthy.
Some of our favorite healthy conditioners use mostly natural ingredients, like Jason Thin To Thick Extra Volume Conditioner and Derma E Scalp Relief Conditioner.
What Should You Avoid When Buying Conditioner?
Avoid buying conditioners with sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, or petroleum, as these ingredients can disrupt hormones, strip hair of its natural oils, and irritate the scalp. Some are even carcinogenic or linked to health problems.
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