17 Best Leave-In Conditioners for All Hair Types, Tested and Reviewed for 2024

Cavalcante (and a ton of stylists, FWIW) is a fan of this leave-in conditioner spray. It's lightweight yet supremely hydrating, making it suitable for just about any hair type—from fine and straight to thick and curly. Just spray it onto clean, damp hair, comb through, and let the moisturizing plant extracts work their smoothing and softening magic.

• Silicone-free? Yes
• Key ingredients: Guar extract (adds slip and shine); mango extract, basil extract (hydrating)

THE REVIEW: "I needed to find a spray in conditioner after a bad bleaching experience at salon," writes a tester. "I read the reviews and decided to try this one. This one is perfect for me—not heavy, just hydrating. I recommend it."

Save space in your bathroom *and* streamline your morning routine with this 10-in-1 leave-in conditioner. I use it to detangle post-wash, moisturize my hair, smooth stray hairs and flyaways, and help repair breakage and split ends. It also works great as an air dry cream or to prep your hair before heat styling too.

• Silicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Bonding technology (strengthening); castor oil (moisturizing)

THE REVIEW: "I finally found my favorite!!! It leaves my hair shiny and silky soft! I love the scent and don't find it too much at all! I have fine hair and this doesn't leave it feeling heavy or greasy!

Another favorite of Cavalcante's, this leave-in conditioner makes it waaaay easier to smooth out knots and tangles post-wash. It's filled with plant butters to increase slip and shine and smooth the hair cuticle. It's even got olive oil extract to soften strands and minimize breakage too.

• Silicone-free? Yes
• Key ingredients: Mango, murumuru, and cocoa seed butters (moisturizing and smoothing)

THE REVIEW: "I cannot even begin to explain just how much I LOVE this product," reads one tester review. "Bleaching and dying natural hair can take a toll on your curls, but THIS saves the day. I can’t imagine life without it now. It’s creamy and rich, but doesn’t weigh your hair down. My hair stays moist and hydrated for days. No frizzing, no overly dry days, just curls that get compliments."

This leave-in conditioner is a must for anyone who heat styles on the reg. It shields hair from thermal damage so, so you can use your blow dryer, flat iron, and curling iron without destroying your strands. Plus the detangling, smoothing, and hydrating benefits make hair easier to style.

• Silicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Coconut oil, sweet almond oil (moisturizing and smoothing)

THE REVIEW: "This product is amazing—I have long dry bleached hair and using this makes it soft, shiny and manageable! Well worth the price," writes one tester.

Part leave-in conditioner, part styler, this multitasking cream is ideal for anyone who can't be bothered with hair dryers and curling irons and prefers to air-dry their hair instead. The formula conditions and smooths hair while creating soft, flexible hold.

• Siicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Moringa oil (moisturizing); mushroom extract (antioxidant protection); vegan protein (smoothing)

THE REVIEW: "Love this so much! The whip brings out my natural waves so easily, and not having to style my hair with heat has been amazing."

Like a big glass of water for your hair, this leave-in conditioner from clean beauty brand Ceremonia is an absolute *gift* for anyone for thick, dry hair. The combo of water-loving blue agave extract, repairing avocado oil, and protective guava extract work together to increase your hair's moisture levels and make it super strong and healthy.

• Silicone-free? Yes
• Key ingredients: Guava fruit extract (UV protection); blue agave (hydrating); avocado oil (strengthening)

THE REVIEW: "This is such a great product—it smells amazing and makes my 3a curls so soft and keeps them hydrated all day long. Plus it doesn’t leave any build-up and you only need a small amount of product to get the job done."

Ideal for medium-weight hair (think: not fine or thin, but not super thick and coarse either), this leave-in conditioner cream leaves waves, curls, and straight hair feeling uber soft and smooth. The magic? Moisturizing shea butter and a humidity-repelling complex that work together to flatten your strand's outer cuticle and minimize flyaways.

• Silicone-free? Yes
• Key ingredients: Shea butter, beet root extract, castor seed oil (nourishing and conditioning)

THE REVIEW: "I loved this styling cream! It really helped me control any frizz—it really made my hair shiny and moisturized without making it look oily!"

I get it, leave-in conditioner might seem scary for those with fine hair (hi, me), but this one is super lightweight, so your hair won't fall flat or get greasy by lunch. I use it on damp hair from mid-lengths to ends to smooth flyaways and give my hair softness and shine, and the end result is always hair that's healthy and hydrated but never heavy.

• Silicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Wheat amino acids (moisturizing); amber extract, soy protein (smoothing)

THE REVIEW: "I have fine, thin, and flat hair," writes a tester, adding that "it's color treated also and been looking dull and lifeless. The first time I used this after towel drying I was like WOW! My hair is super shiny, it's not weighed down at all!"

Whether you get a single process in the salon or DIY your highlights at home, color-treated hair needs a little extra TLC, and this leave-in conditioner does exactly that. "It doesn't contain parabens, sulfates, SLS or other ingredients that can make bleached or highlighted hair more brittle or prone to breakage," says Saviano. "The coconut and olive oils in the formula help moisturize and add shine to dull, damaged hair too."

• Silicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Camelina oil (nourishing); olive oil (shine enhancing); coconut oil (moisturizing)

THE REVIEW: "I've been coloring my hair for years and this leave-in is the reason it looks so soft and healthy," writes one tester. "It's easy to use and makes detangling and styling so easy," writes another.

This leave-in conditioner will give coils and curly hair types the hydration they desperately need, thanks to the formula's honey, jojoba oil, and biotin—all of which help moisturize your hair and boost elasticity to minimize breakage. It's also perfect for anyone who regularly colors, heat styles, or perms their hair, since it's so freaking moisturizing.

• Silicone-free? Yes
• Key ingredients: Jojoba oil, honey (moisturizing); biotin (strengthening)

THE REVIEW: "This gives me the most beautiful, luscious, and bouncy curls! The formula is hydrating and is great at minimizing frizz and defining my curls."

Dryness can manifest itself in a ton of ways—split ends, breakage, tangles, you name it. But you can fight the good fight with this intensive leave-in conditioner designed for the driest of hair types. It uses coconut oil, lipids, and keratin to deeply hydrate and moisturize hair and turn straw-like strands into silk.

• Silicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Coconut oil (moisturizing and smoothing); hydrolyzed keratin (forties hair)

THE REVIEW: "This works wonders for my coarse, textured, and chemically colored hair," writes one tester. "It provides manageability and the frizz-free results last until my next hair wash, which is approximately five days after I shampoo."

This lightweight treatment from all-natural hair brand Rahua hydrates hair, protects it from heat-styling, and helps mend split ends, says Saviano. "The organic rahua oil, sunflower oil, and shea butter in the formula adds shine and helps repair damage too."

• Silicone-free? Yes
• Key ingredients: Rahua oil (repairing and nourishing); quinoa extract, sunflower oil (moisturizing)

THE REVIEW: "My hair is pretty thin, and after getting it bleached recently, my hair has been looking dry and damaged," says one tester. "After my first use, my hair felt so soft. I've been using this for about three weeks now and I've definitely noticed a difference in how healthy my hair is starting to look!"

Bond-building is one of the biggest things in haircare right now because the technology legit works. Get your fix with this leave-in conditioner from Redken—it helps reinforce weak bonds along the hair shaft (weak bonds = breakage, split ends, hair color fading and more) and makes hair softer, shinier, and more resistant to damage in the future.

• Silicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Citric acid (bond building)

THE REVIEW: "My hair was in bad shape—like super dry, dead, and over-processed—and this really made a difference," says a reviewer. "It made my hair look significantly softer and healthier."

Formulated specifically for blonde hair, this leave-in conditioner is infused with purple pigments to help neutralize brassiness and unwanted yellow tones (just like a purple shampoo) to keep your hair color—whether it's platinum or honey blonde—looking fresh.

• Silicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Argania spinosa kernel oil, macadamia integrifolia seed oil (nourishing and protecting)

THE REVIEW: "I quickly wash my hair and use a regular conditioner, and then when I get out of the shower I spray this leave-in on my hair before styling," says a tester. "It really brightens up my blonde color and makes my hair feel super soft too."

I've been a fan of this drugstore brand's shampoos and conditioners for years, so I had high hopes for this leave-in conditioner. And let me just say it is literally a dream—it smooths, softens, strengthens, boosts shine, protects from UV damage, and detangles hair too. Oh, and did I mention that it's under $10? An effective and affordable gem.

• Silicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Vitamin b5 (conditioning); amino acids (nourishing)

THE REVIEW: "This stuff is so incredible," says a tester. "It made my hair and my daughter's hair tangle free and super shiny after styling. It also helps with dryness, dullness, damage, and breakage too."

I get it—science, when it comes to hair, can be a bit confusing, but bear with me because this is pretty cool. This technology-first leave-in conditioner uses something called alpha keratin 60ku (aka keratin harvested directly from human hair) to help repair weakened follicles and cracks within individual strands. Other pros? It increases manageability, promotes minimal flyaways, and offers protection against environmental damage, like pollution.

• Silicone-free? No
• Key ingredients: Amino acids (nourishing); alpha keratin 60ku (damage repairing)

THE REVIEW: "I really love that this product contains keratin," writes a tester, adding that "it's visibly repaired my split ends and damaged hair." "This product really does everything it claims—I would purchase again!"

Naturalistas across the board swear by this super-hydrating leave-in conditioner that deeply penetrates the hair shaft using a blend of babassu oil and buriti oil. Hair bloggers like Miss Coily Hair and Noire Tropical Beauty also love it for its detangling and moisturizing properties, making it perfect to include during your next LOC-method twist-out.

• Silicone-free? Yes
• Key ingredients: Babassu oil, pomegranate extract, honey (moist
  

THE REVIEW: "Other organic leave in conditioners I've used in the past left my hair feeling sticky or caused my hair to look greasy but NOT this one," writes one tester. "The texture, the smell, really everything about this is perfect."