The Best Conditioner for Curly Hair, From Rinse Outs to Co Washes

The Best Conditioner for Curly Hair, From Rinse Outs to Co Washes

The best conditioner for curly hair depends on your wash day, so here are the rinse outs, masks, co washes and leave ins I would reach for. Start with the slip and softness that make detangling painless, then build from there.

Back in the 1980s, a Lebanese-born stylist named Ouidad Wise opened a salon in New York City dedicated to curls, and the brand still carries her name. Her idea, in the brand's own words, was to let curls be curls, with their own cutting techniques and their own products. That idea is why I start with conditioner. On curly hair it does most of the work.

The best conditioner for curly hair gives you slip first, because slip is what lets a comb glide through without breaking a curl. Ouidad Curl Quencher Hydrating Conditioner is a thick formula with chamomile and vitamins A and E, made to make detangling easy, and it is free of sulfates SLS and SLES. Olaplex No.5 Curl Bond Shaper is the bond builder of the group, and the brand says it cuts frizz in half, even in high humidity. Davines LOVE Curl is vegan, detangles gently and promises frizz control for up to 72 hours. Kérastase Curl Manifesto is the lightweight one, good when thick creams weigh you down. Briogeo Curl Charisma uses rice amino and shea to define. Living Proof Curl Enhancing is silicone free, Oribe Eternal Curls Intense is the deep conditioner for thick, damaged hair, and Pureology Hydrate suits dry, color treated hair.

A quick test: rake a palmful through wet hair and see if your fingers glide. If they snag, add more product before you reach for the comb.

Big numbers collage for Best Conditioner for Curly Hair: six products from Ouidad, Olaplex, Davines, Oribe, Kérastase and Curlsmith, each set beside a large numeral
Best Conditioner for Curly Hair

Rinse out conditioners for curls

Masks for thirsty curls

Masks are for the weeks your curls feel like straw. Use one in place of your regular conditioner once a week and leave it on for the time the jar says. Oribe Eternal Curls Deep Treatment is a silicone free mask with shea and cupuacu butters that tame frizz. adwoa beauty Blue Tansy Reparative Mask is a big 16 ounce tub for wavy, curly and coily hair that has been through color or heat. Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask is argan rich and made for medium to thick dry hair. amika Hydro Rush adds hyaluronic acid and squalane, and the brand says it keeps hair hydrated for up to five days. Living Proof Moisture Rescue is a five minute in shower mask with a silky finish. Kérastase Nutritive is the pick for very dry hair, with niacinamide and plant proteins. Pureology Hydrate Hair Mask promises up to 72 hours of hydration from mid lengths to ends, and Crown Affair The Renewal is a weightless weekly mask with yuzu extract.

How to use them: smooth the mask through soaking wet hair in sections, then scrunch upward before you rinse. Sections make sure every curl gets coated.

What I would skip: the heaviest butter masks if your curls are fine and go limp. Reach for Crown Affair or Living Proof instead, since both are made to hydrate without weight.

Hydrating masks for dry curls

Cleansing creams and leave ins

Some of the best wash day tricks happen before the conditioner, or after it. Curlsmith Curl Quenching Conditioning Hair Wash is a two in one shampoo and conditioner that cleanses without stripping natural oils, and it is vegan and free of sulfates and silicones. Davines LOVE Curl Cleansing Cream purifies the hair and scalp without stripping moisture, with a baobab pulp extract. Those two are your gentler cleansing options.

After the shower, a leave in seals things down. PATTERN Leave-In Conditioner for Curls and Coils has aloe, honey and jojoba oil and gives soft definition. Mizani 25 Miracle Milk is lightweight and protects against heat up to 450 degrees. Kérastase Curl Manifesto Leave-In Cream is a light cream for frizz control and shine. OUAI Melrose Place detangles and protects from heat too. Living Proof Leave-In Conditioner and Detangler Spray is the quick mist for the days you just want a refresh. K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask is a small treatment for bleach, color and heat damage, not a daily product.

How to use them: apply leave ins to soaking wet hair so the water gets sealed in, not dried out.

What I would skip: a spray leave in as your only moisture if your curls are coily and very dry. Pair it with a cream like PATTERN, which was made for curls and coils.

Co washes and leave in conditioners

Building your wash day

Start with what your hair tells you. If it is fine, try a lightweight rinse out like Kérastase Curl Manifesto. If it is thick and coily, go for the richer Ouidad Curl Quencher or Oribe Eternal Curls. Then add one extra step, not five: a weekly mask on a day you have time, or a leave in on the days you do not.

Give any new product three washes before deciding. Curls need a little time to show you what they like. Keep wash day simple, detangle only when the hair is full of conditioner, and let your curls dry without touching them. The best routine is the one you will actually repeat.