Best Leave In Conditioner for Coloured Hair

The best leave in conditioner for coloured hair is the one that suits how thick your hair is and the state it's in after colour. Not the one with the longest list of promises on the bottle.

Colour changes hair. Lightening takes some of its strength with it, and even a gloss or a semi-permanent means more washing, more styling and more sun for the shade to fade in. A leave-in won't lock your colour in place. What it does is simpler. It adds slip, so you can comb through wet hair without snapping it. It softens the ends, which take the most wear. And it keeps hair easier to manage between washes, so you wash less often. Washing less is still the easiest way to make colour last.

How to choose

Match the texture to your hair. Fine hair does best with a light spray or milk. Medium hair suits a lotion. Thick, coarse or curly hair can take a cream. Pick too heavy and your hair goes flat by lunchtime.
Check the label says it's for coloured hair. "Colour-safe" or "for coloured hair" is the quickest way to narrow the shelf.
Lightened and blonde hair needs the most. It's had the most done to it. Go for a milk or cream and start at the ends.
A leave-in is not a toner. If your blonde is turning yellow or your brunette is going brassy, a leave-in won't fix the shade. That's a job for toning products or a salon visit.
Feeling greasy by day two? Use less before you swap. Most people put on too much.

How to use it

Wash, then towel-dry until hair is damp, not dripping. Work a small amount through the mid-lengths and ends, then comb through from the bottom up. Keep it off the roots unless your hair is very dry. Put it on before any other styling product, then style as usual. Use it after every wash.

When a leave-in isn't enough

If your hair feels like straw, or breaks when you brush it, a leave-in on its own won't get you there. Add a weekly mask: start with our best hair mask for coloured hair. If you want something that stays in and does more work than a daily leave-in, compare the best leave in treatment for coloured hair. And if the damage goes beyond colour, from bleach, heat or a few years of both, look at the best leave in conditioner for damaged hair.

When you might not need one

If your colour is a gloss on healthy, short hair and you already use a good conditioner, a leave-in is optional. Buy one when tangles, dry ends or frizz turn up. If frizz is the main issue, the best leave in conditioner for frizzy hair is a better place to start. If your colour looks flat rather than dry, see our best leave in conditioner for dull hair.

Build the routine around it

A leave-in works best with a shampoo and conditioner made for coloured hair. Washing coloured hair with a harsh shampoo and then fixing it with a leave-in is paying twice. For shampoo, conditioner and masks made for colour care, see our coloured hair range. AMR stocks professional and salon brands side by side, so you can compare them in one place. If colour care isn't your main concern, shop all leave in conditioner.