Pureology was founded in Irvine, California, by the hairdresser Jim Markham, according to the 2007 L'Oréal press release announcing that it had bought the brand. Glossy reports that the line first launched in 2001 and built its name as a professional, sulfate-free brand, made to keep color from fading. Since a 2020 relaunch, every formula is vegan and more concentrated.

The pureology leave in conditioner most people mean is Color Fanatic. The brand calls it its best-selling leave-in and says it has 21 benefits, grouped into prime, protect and perfect. That sounds like marketing, and partly it is. But in practice it does three things well: it detangles, it cuts frizz, and it protects from heat up to 450 degrees, helped by xylose, a sugar the brand uses as a thermal buffer. It also carries the brand's Antifade Complex for color.

That makes it the one I would give anyone with color-treated hair who blow dries most days. On very fine hair, two or three sprays is enough. On thick or coarse hair, use five or six and work it through with a wide-tooth comb. It will not replace the conditioner in your shower, but on rushed mornings it can stand in for one.

The first grid is Pureology, the leave-in plus the oils, serums and masks that go with it. The second grid is eight other leave-in conditioners I compared it with. My tip: spray it on towel-dried hair, section by section, and comb it through from the ends up before any heat touches it.

Color Fanatic Heat Protectant Leave-In Conditioner is the most reviewed Pureology product here and the one this edit is about. It detangles, primes and protects color, and it works on almost every hair type. Smooth Gloss Hair Treatment Spray is the heat-activated sister for frizz, and it shares the top rating in this grid, so choose it if your hair puffs up in humidity.

Hydrate Glow Catcher Hair Oil is a light oil the brand says hydrates for up to 72 hours, and it is the one to smooth over the ends after styling. Strength Cure Dream Healer Serum is a weightless serum for damage and split ends, for hair that has been bleached or ironed too often.

The four masks follow the same families. Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Deep-Conditioning Mask is for color, Smooth Gloss Hair Mask is creamy and glossy for frizz, Hydrate Hair Mask is for dry hair, and Strength Cure Hair Mask is for damage. Smooth Gloss and Strength Cure share the top rating too.

A simple routine is one leave-in, one mask a week and a little oil on the ends.

What I would skip: the oil and the serum on the same day on fine hair. Pick one, or your hair can look flat by evening.

Moroccanoil Detangling All in One Leave-In Conditioner is the most reviewed product in this edit, a light formula the brand says hydrates, detangles and softens for up to 72 hours. OUAI North Bondi is close behind in reviews, a multitasking leave-in for frizz, though its rating is the lowest in this grid. Briogeo Farewell Frizz Rosarco Milk is a light milk spray for frizz and heat.

For creams, Crown Affair The Leave-In Conditioner Cream is weightless and defining, and Ceremonia Guava Hydrating Leave-In Conditioner is creamy and good on curls. Both share the top rating here with COLOR WOW Money Mist, a mist for glossy, smooth hair.

Fable & Mane MahaMane is a light detangler with aloe vera, a good pick for fine hair that knots. amika Hydro Rush Leave-In has hyaluronic acid and squalane for very dry hair.

If your hair is fine, choose a spray or a mist. If it is thick or curly, choose a cream. If it is colored, compare with the leave-in in the first grid before anything else, since not every formula here makes heat and color claims.

What I would skip: a cream leave-in on fine, straight hair. It weighs the roots down, so keep creams to the mid-lengths and ends.

I think the pureology leave in conditioner is still the easiest leave-in to recommend for color-treated hair, because it covers detangling, frizz and heat in one spray. Add a weekly mask from the same family if your ends need more. If you want something lighter, compare Moroccanoil. If your hair is curly, try Ceremonia or Crown Affair. And whatever you use, never skip heat protection, because that is what keeps color and ends looking good the longest. Keep the bottle next to your dryer, not in the shower, so you remember it.