Once a leave-in is down, a cream or a styler decides how your hair sits for the rest of the day. This is the part of wash day where I slow down, because the order matters more than the product count. Leave-in first, a cream or milk second, and a light hand with both.

The Coconut and Hibiscus Smoothie Curl Enhancing Cream is the one to reach for when you want definition and a softer-feeling curl. The Coconut and Hibiscus curl and style milk adds silk protein and neem oil, and a milk is where I start if a cream usually feels like too much. The Coconut and Hibiscus curl mousse is the airy option, which I like for shorter hair or for anyone who finds a cream too heavy on the crown.

Silk Press in a Bottle is the most interesting name on the shelf. It is a prep cream for blow-drying and flat ironing, with heat protection, used on clean, damp hair. Start with a little, since the label says too much can weigh hair down.

A test I like: rake a little cream through with your fingers, then leave your hair alone while it dries. Touching it early is what breaks up the curl pattern, not the product.

A leave-in is not a one-brand job, and I would rather admit that than pretend otherwise. Some mornings I want heat protection, some days I just want to get a comb through without a fight, and other brands have a few good answers for that.

Bumble and bumble's Hairdresser's Invisible Oil is a heat protectant leave-in and primer, a light one for blow-drying. Pureology's Color Fanatic is a heat protectant leave-in made for color-treated hair. Mizani's 25 Miracle Milk is another heat protectant leave-in, a spray made for waves, curls and coils. Moroccanoil's Detangling All in One is made for all hair types and is the one I would keep by the shower for comb-through time.

Crown Affair's leave-in cream is made for hydrated hair, and it is the simplest name in this grid. OUAI's North Bondi is a conditioning, detangling leave-in, and I like the name as much as the idea.

What I would skip: putting a heat protectant on soaking wet hair and then reaching for the hottest setting. Towel-dry first, use a lower heat, and keep the tool moving. I would also skip layering three leave-ins in a row, since hair that feels coated is not the same as hair that feels soft.

Here is how I would set this up without a spreadsheet. One leave-in that suits your hair most days, one cream or styler for wash day, and one heat protectant for the days you blow-dry.

Try a new product on its own for two weeks before adding anything else, so you can tell what is helping. Hair that feels soft and moves freely when it dries is a good sign. Hair that feels stiff, waxy or heavy means use less, or rinse and start again. Pay attention to the ends, since they are the driest part and the place where most people either skip or overdo it.

If your scalp feels itchy, irritated or sore, stop and ask a doctor or stylist. A leave-in is a finishing step, and the label is your best guide to how much to use. I keep mine by the shower door, which is about as scientific as my system gets.