Best Conditioner for Curly Hair

The best conditioner for curly hair is the one that matches how thick your curls are and how dry they feel, not the one with the biggest promise on the bottle. Curls need more moisture and more slip than straight hair, but too much weight drops them flat. Everything here is a rinse-out conditioner suited to waves, curls and coils, so you can compare salon brands side by side and pick on what your hair actually does.

Why curls need a different conditioner

Natural oil from the scalp travels down a straight strand easily. On a curl it stalls at every bend, so the lengths and ends dry out first. Dry curls lose their shape, frizz when the air is humid and knot at the back of the head. A conditioner made for curls puts moisture and slip back into the lengths so the curl can clump together and a comb can get through.

That slip matters as much as the moisture. Curly hair is best detangled while it is wet and full of conditioner, with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb, working up from the ends. Do it dry and you break up the curl pattern and the hair along with it.

How to choose

Start with thickness, then look at dryness.

• Fine curls or loose waves: go light. A rich formula can leave fine curls limp and oily by day two. If yours fall flat fast, see our best conditioner for thin curly hair.
• Thick or coarse curls and coils: these can take a richer, creamier conditioner and usually need it. Leave it on for a few minutes before you rinse.
• Very dry curls: pick a formula built around moisture and think about a weekly mask on top. If dryness is a bigger problem than the curl itself, the best conditioner for dry hair is worth comparing.
• Coloured, bleached or heat-styled curls: chemical and heat damage can loosen a curl pattern over time. Look for a repairing formula, or compare the best conditioner for dry damaged hair.
• Curls that knot easily: slip comes first. Our conditioner for knotty hair is the place to start if tangles are the daily fight.

Whatever you choose, apply it from mid-lengths to ends. Most scalps don't need it, and curls sitting close to the roots go flat faster.

Rinse-out, leave-in or both

A rinse-out conditioner does the heavy lifting in the shower. A leave-in stays on to keep curls soft and defined until the next wash. Fine curls often get by with one. Thick or dry curls usually want both. If you're adding a second step, compare the best leave in conditioner for curly hair.

Your shampoo matters too. A harsh one strips out the moisture your conditioner just put back, so pair it with something gentle. If you'd rather buy a matched set, see shampoo and conditioner for curly hair.

For the full range, browse all conditioner, or find gels, creams and treatments in curly hair products.

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