Redken Leave In Conditioner, From a Salon Lab to Your Shower

Redken began in 1960 with an actress and her hairdresser. According to the brand, Paula Kent and Jheri Redding, whose names form the name REDKEN, started the company with three products and an intensive education program for hairdressers. Encyclopedia.com adds that the name comes from "red" for Redding and "Ken" for Kent, and that the money came from a beer commercial Kent appeared in.

What I like is how consistent the thinking has stayed. The brand says it rests on protein technology, an acidic pH of 4.5 to 5.5 that matches hair and skin, and products recommended by licensed cosmetologists. You can hear that in the names today, with Acidic Bonding Concentrate and Acidic Color Gloss. L'Oreal bought the company in 1993, and the salon voice survived.

A Redken leave in conditioner is a broader category than it sounds. Some are sprays for frizz and detangling, some are repair treatments, and one is a rich cream for curls. The useful question is whether your hair is dry, damaged, color-treated or curly, because Redken has a bottle for each.

The first grid is eight Redken leave-ins and treatments. The second grid is eight other leave-in treatments and conditioners to compare. My tip: apply leave-ins from the mid-lengths down, never at the roots, and comb through so the product is even.

Redken One United is the one I would start with if you only want a single bottle. The brand says it delivers 25 benefits, from frizz control to detangling, heat protection and split-end prevention, and you can use it on damp hair for styling or on dry hair for extra nourishment. It is a vegan spray, so it suits most hair types, and it primes hair for styling.

For damage, there are three. Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment uses citric acid and a Bonding Care Complex, and Redken says it protects hair from heat up to 450 degrees and helps reinforce weakened bonds. Extreme Anti-Snap smooths the cuticle for brittle hair that breaks, and Extreme Length has biotin, for hair you are trying to grow. Pick Anti-Snap if it snaps, Length if it just will not get past your shoulders.

All Soft Moisture Restore has hyaluronic acid and was a 2023 Allure Best of Beauty winner, per its product description. It is the one for dry, color-faded hair. Acidic Color Gloss is a spray that locks in shine.

For frizz and curls, Frizz Dismiss Rebel Tame is a leave-in cream with heat protection up to 450 degrees, and All Soft Mega Curls Hydramelt is the deep-moisture pick for severely dry, curly and coily hair.

What I would skip: Mega Curls Hydramelt if your hair is fine and straight. It is made for dense curls and coils, and it will weigh a straight strand down.

Start with PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross Leave-In Conditioner for Curls & Coils, which seals in moisture and gives soft curl definition. It is the curl-first option here. Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Leave-In Hair Cream is a rich, high-gloss cream for medium to thick hair, and Olaplex No.5L Moisturize & Mend is a leave-in for split ends and shine.

For repair, K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask is the one with the big reputation. It was a 2022 Allure Best of Beauty winner, and the brand says it reverses damage in four minutes. Living Proof Triple Bond Complex is a weekly treatment you leave on for ten minutes before styling, according to its description. I think of both as treatments, not daily leave-ins, and I would keep them for wash day or the week your ends feel rough.

Mists are easier day to day. Gisou Honey Milk Active Repair is a light mist that detangles, smooths and protects. Kérastase Genesis is a heat-protectant spray for weakened hair. dae Mirage Mist is a milky, lightweight leave-in and an Allure 2024 Clean Beauty winner.

What I would skip: the K18 and Living Proof treatments as a daily leave-in. They are weekly or occasional treatments, and a mist like Gisou or dae is the better everyday pick.

I think the right Redken leave-in is the one that matches your hair's main complaint. Dry hair wants All Soft, snapping hair wants Anti-Snap, and a bit of everything wants One United. Then, if you want something different, the second grid has other ways to go. Try one at a time and keep what makes your ends feel softer. If you color your hair, the Acidic line is the place I would look first, since it fits the brand's whole pH idea. And if nothing seems to change after a few washes, switch bottles instead of adding more product, because more leave-in rarely fixes the wrong one. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Redken Shampoo and The Best Leave-In Conditioner Has Quietly Replaced the Blowout Cream.