Best Aveda Conditioner

The best Aveda conditioner is the one built for your hair type, not the one with the most hype. Aveda makes conditioners for dry ends, flat roots, curls and coloured hair, and they don't all do the same job. Pick the wrong one and fine hair goes limp, or dry hair still feels rough after the rinse. This page groups them so you can match the formula to the hair in front of you, then shop from the full Aveda range if you want to see everything.

Start with how your hair feels after washing

Run your fingers through it while it's still damp. That tells you more than any label.

• Rough, tangly or straw-like: your hair needs moisture. Look for a rich, creamy conditioner and leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing. Our page on the best aveda products for dry hair covers the full routine.
• Soft but flat by lunchtime: your conditioner is too heavy. Go for a light, volumising formula and keep it on the mid-lengths and ends, away from the scalp. See our best aveda products for fine hair.
• Frizzy, with curls that won't clump: curls lose moisture faster than straight hair, so they need more slip and more weight. Our pick of the best aveda products for curly hair goes through what works on waves through to tight coils.
• Coloured and fading fast: choose a conditioner made for colour-treated hair, and wash in cooler water. Heat opens the cuticle and lets colour out quicker.

Rinse-out, leave-in or both

A rinse-out conditioner does the daily work: it smooths the cuticle after shampoo and makes hair easier to comb. A leave-in sits on the hair until the next wash, so it's there for detangling, frizz and protection through the day. Most people only need a rinse-out. Add a leave-in if your hair is long, curly, very dry, or knots easily. If your hair is fine, use a leave-in sparingly or skip it.

Match it to your shampoo

A conditioner works best when the shampoo before it isn't fighting it. A stripping shampoo followed by a heavy conditioner just swings your hair from one extreme to the other. Pick both from the same line where you can, so they're built to work together. If you're buying a pair, our guide to the best aveda shampoo and conditioner sets them out side by side.

How much to use

More conditioner isn't better conditioner. For shoulder-length hair, a twenty-cent piece is plenty; go up from there for longer or thicker hair. Start at the ends, where hair is oldest and driest, and work up. Stop before the roots unless your scalp is dry. Rinse until the hair feels smooth, not slippery. If it still feels coated once dry, you've used too much or rinsed too little.

When to change conditioner

Your hair changes with the seasons, with colour, and with how often you use hot tools. Summer humidity might call for something lighter; a run of bleaching might call for something richer. If your usual conditioner has stopped doing its job, it's usually your hair that has changed, not the product. Go back to the damp-hair test above and pick again.

We stock Aveda alongside the rest of our professional range, so you can compare options in one place and buy what your hair actually needs.

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