Best Conditioner For Curly Hair [Review] in 2022

Whether you have curly or coily hair, every girl with curls knows the importance of upkeeping a good conditioning routine. Since our curls are beyond the driest hair type of them all, they need a hydration kick to combat frizz and define curls.

Having a good conditioner is the best place to start is with a gentle shampoo and a hydrating conditioner. I’m afraid this is no easy task, with having to avoid sulfates, silicones, mineral oils, and other harsh chemicals when looking for products.

Looks can be deceiving, too, typically when it comes to silicones. Many companies claim their product is “for curly hair” but then include silicones in the ingredients. You may be wondering what’s so bad about silicones?

I’ve covered all the good and bad bits around silicones, especially for curly hair in my full guide of everything you need to know about silicones so be sure to check that out for more details, but here’s a rough overview. 

Silicones form a film over your hair which leaves it softer, but this film is almost like a layer of plastic, and without a harsh sulfate shampoo, it cannot be removed. Since sulfates strip the hair, they are really damaging for curls, hence why so silicones are. 

After hunting for the products to include in my curly hair routine, I understand the struggle. But once you find a product that works for you and your curls, it is so rewarding; it’s all a bit of trial and error, but being ingredient savvy will get you a long way. 

Enough of me rambling onto everything you need to know when buying conditioner for curly hair. 

I know what you’re thinking, wash day is coming up, and you’re new to caring for your curls– you may be thinking, don’t you condition your curls as a normal person would? Well, yes, but there is a slightly different technique to include. 

There are two ways you can condition your curls, either through co-washing or after using your sulfate-free shampoo. I’m going to show you how to do both! If you’re unsure of how to wash your curls, I broke it down in a full guide here. 

Co-wash:

For those to the curly girl gang, co-washing is washing your hair with a cleansing conditioner. Many curly girls use a co-wash in between shampooing to help revive, hydrate, and refresh curls without using shampoo. 

Here’s how you co-wash your curls like a pro:

Fully drench your hair with water: 

Before you go in with the cleansing conditioner, you’ll need to soak until it is sopping wet; this should help loosen debris, making it easier to rinse out dirt and grime.

This should also help distribute the product evenly throughout the hair to prevent any greasy spots where you may have gone overboard with the conditioner or accidentally missed it.

Massage your scalp for a minute or two under the water (with no conditioner on). Massaging our scalp cleans our hair, so this step is crucial for breaking down the dirt and grime. 

Coat your hair with conditioner: 

Forget the BS about how you need a dime-size amount of conditioner; when using a cleansing conditioner, you need enough to cover the root of your hair to the tip.

For some people, if it can be as much as a golf-ball-size amount, don’t be shy with the conditioner as remember you’re not just conditioning your hair but also cleansing.

Massage, massage, and massage some more: 

You want to massage your scalp like no tomorrow to help evenly distribute the conditioner from the scalp to the ends. This should help break down any residue leftover from your styling products.

You should be massaging your scalp for at least 60 seconds to help stimulate the blood flow and remove all dirt and grime from your roots; you need to work it more than shampoo to notice the most benefits.

Once it has been evenly distributed and you have a spare few minutes, I recommend leaving it for 3 to 5 minutes (especially if your hair is particularly dry or damaged), and then it will act as a mask.

Then after those 5 minutes are up, I would recommend giving the ends of your hair a little scrunch, then rinse and apply styling products. The key is to scrunch styling, cream, gel, serum, etc., upside down to ensure the cuticles are absorbing the product.

Remember to apply your products to soaking wet hair. 

Conditioning after washing curls:

When it comes to caring for our curls, the conditioner plays an important role. Since we can only brush our hair while wet having a conditioner that helps detangle is super important. 

The first thing you’ll want to do is wash your curls twice with shampoo. Remember you should only really shampoo once a week unless you have quite fine, greasy hair, and it MUST be with a sulfate-free shampoo.

Sulfates can be very stripping to the hair and can really damage the ends of the hair, causing curls to dry out, frizz and even loss of definition in the curls. Once you’ve shampooed twice with a low-poo shampoo, you’re ready to go in with the conditioner.

Apply conditioner and start detangling:
With curly hair, brushing your curls while dry is a no-go. Instead, you have to detangle while wet, being extra careful as your hair is most fragile while wet.

This is why I recommend detangling with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb while the ends of your hair are soaked with conditioner; this will give your hair slip and help easily detangle knots.

Be patient and do this step in sections, starting underneath and working your way to the top; I do a rough detangle while the conditioner is on, then thoroughly after rinsing out and applying my leave-in conditioner.

Combing your hair while the conditioner is on the ends also helps encourage as much moisture as possible to enter the cuticle– which is ideal if you have low porosity hair.

As I said earlier, you have to be sure to avoid silicones in your conditioners, these leave a plastic film over the ends of your hair, and while your hair will look shiny, it will lead to buildup and can be quite drying.

Silicones can only be removed with a sulfate shampoo, so if you accidentally use silicones, be sure to do a ‘reset’ wash with regular, clarifying shampoo.

Apply styling products to sopping wet hair:
After showering, I prefer to work in sections when applying my styling cream or gel. Instead of applying them in the shower, I use a water spray, soak each section before applying my gel, and then style with my Denman Brush.

Most curly girls prefer to apply all their products in the shower before drying their hair, but I find I have a more defined curl when I use this technique. 

Want to know more? Check out my full guide to condition curly hair here. 

When buying any products for curly hair, we all know there are some key things to look out for and key things to avoid. We curly girls have learned to be very ingredient savvy when on the hunt for new products, but if you knowledge, don’t worry, I’m here to help!

Humectants: 

When buying any conditioning product for curly hair, the top thing you should keep an eye out for is whether the ingredients are humectants. Humectants are the common moisturizing agent found on most conditioners, shampoos, treatments, leave-in products.

Humectants rate best known for their ability to draw in moisture to the hair shaft while also retaining moisture and prevent loss of moisture. They’re also known to retain moisture while preserving the properties of products.

They are ideal for dry, damaged curls as they help prevent moisture loss which also helps combat issues like frizz.

Emollients:

Emollients are another super important thing to look for when looking for any conditioning product for curly hair; they work hand in hand with humectants. 

They are usually hydrophobic oils that form films over the hair’s surface; they help soften and smooth the cuticle to create this film over the strands. They are lubricants and provide extra slip making detangling a dream. 

This is crucial for curly hair as curly hair can only be combed through while wet, detangling properties play an important role in preventing breakage and help ease singles to prevent snagging or pulling. 

Occlusives:

Occlusives are another type of moisturizing agent, while humectants can help pull in water occlusive act as a barrier (similar to emollients) to hold in moisture. They are usually oil-based. 

Occlusives tend to be much heavier ingredients or sealants than emollients, which can help lock in moisture, such as olive oil. Olive oil provides a water/oil barrier, so water cannot escape the cuticle, and the cuticle cannot swell from the environment. 

Avoid silicones:

So we know that we must avoid sulfates when doing either the Curly Girl Method or just caring for your curls in general. Sulfates can be very stripping for the hair, especially curls; they can dry them out, cause damage, and even frizz. 

But there are a few other ingredients that you must avoid when caring for your curls, as, without sulfate shampoo, they cannot be removed, and silicones are the top ingredient you should avoid. 

Silicones are like plastic, and they’re used in conditioning products to smooth down the cuticle, make your hair feel softer reduce frizz.

However, without a sulfate shampoo to remove them, it can lead to product buildup, and over time, this makes hair frizzier, look limp and lifeless. It will also lose the life of your curl.

Silicones can only be removed with sulfates, and without sulfates, it causes buildup– not ideal, so it is best to cut it out completely. But don’t worry, you can still achieve silky soft hair without silicones; some people will tell you it’s even softer too!

Here are the silicones you should avoid:

• Dimethicone.
• Cyclomethicone.
• Amodimethicone.
• Phenyl Trimethicone.
• Cetearyl Methicone.
• Dimethiconol.
• Stearyl Dimethicone.

Basically, anything that ends in ‘cone’ at the end. I like to buy all my products on my desktop rather than my phone, so I can use the find button to catch out any silicones that my eyes may have missed. 

Mineral Oils and Waxes:

Mineral oils, petroleum, and other waxes, which are also commonly found in conditioners, just like silicones they cannot be broken down without a harsh sulfate shampoo which is a no-no for curls. 

They can also weigh down your hair, and without sulfates to remove them, they build up like silicones. 

Some waxes use natural ingredients which are safe to style curly or kinky hair. However, most waxes are s non-hydrous, meaning they won’t wash out with just water or co-washing. 

If you find yourself accidentally using waxes or silicones, then you can use your reset shampoo to remove them, then go back to the Curly Girl Routine.

How often should you condition curly hair?

There are four types of conditions: a leave-in conditioning treatment mask, a leave-in conditioner, a co-wash, and a regular condition. So let’s talk about them all!

As a general rule of thumb, you should do a deep conditioning treatment mask every 1-2 weeks. This will help restore moisture, help repair damage and strengthen hair. It is crucial in your curly hair routine. 

You should apply a leave-in conditioner every time you wash or co-wash your hair, especially if you have thick, coarse curls. If you have finer hair, you should apply a small amount every time you wash your curls. 

You should use a regular conditioner every time you shampoo your hair. When you’re co-washing your hair, using a leave-in conditioner is enough, but when you’re shampooing, you should always use a conditioner after.

When it comes down to co-washing, you should co-wash your hair in between your shampoos. You should shampoo your hair once or twice a week and co-wash it when your curls need reviving. 

What ingredients should you avoid when buying conditioner for curly hair?

When it comes to caring for curls, we all know by now that there are some ingredients that we should definitely avoid as they can damage the natural curl shape and texture along with being very stripping for the hair or not coming out with co-wash. 

Here are the top ingredients you should avoid:

• Sulfates
• Silicones
• Parabens
• Phthalates
• Mineral oil
• Waxes
• Harsh chemicals 

Can you make your own conditioner?

Absolutely, you can make your own conditioner at home without all the nasty chemicals, you’ll just need some trusty oils and hydrating ingredients and a good recipe and you’ll be good to go. 

I’ve made a full guide with a full list of my favorite recipes, check it out here!

Finding the right conditioner for your curls will transform your curls; sometimes, all our curls need is good conditioning to help tame frizz and give curls a bit of bounce. 

Once you’ve worked your hair porosity and curl type and know what ingredients to avoid, you should find that looking for a conditioner becomes quite an easy task. 

Choose any of the products I have selected for you today, and you won’t regret the results; they will leave your curls feeling nourished and moisturized for days to come.

It’s time to upgrade our curl game!