The day you get your hair cut, colored or styled by a professional is the day you feel most confident about how it looks. To bring that style home, you often have to invest in high-quality hair care products and tools.
Using conditioner is an integral part of caring for your hair. It’s designed to improve the manageability, appearance, texture and feel of hair. It also reduces friction between strands of hair so it’s easier to comb or brush. If you’ve ever yanked through tangled hair or pulled out a knot, you know exactly how important conditioner is.
Using Consumer Reports, personal experience, Amazon reviews and several Reddit threads, we identified eight conditioner brands we feel confident encouraging you to use. They are listed below in no particular order – truth be told, we love them all.
Why We’re Covering This
The beauty industry is worth $528.6 billion, and hair products are a big part of that. Many of the companies intricately involved in the beauty industry make billions of dollars and control large parts of the stock market. As consumers face rising costs on everyday beauty products, choosing the right products the first time becomes important. Our goal is to help you find the right products fast so you don’t cut into your personal wealth trying to find affordable, quality products.
8. Verb Ghost Conditioner
- Free of harmful sulfates
- PETA certified cruelty-free
- Gluten-free
Great For All Hair Types
Verb’s Ghost Conditioner has over 3,100 ratings on Amazon with a 4.5 star rating. It works for frizzy, curly, fine, straight, coily, wavy and thick hair. It’s described as a lightweight, deep hair conditioner designed to nourish and smooth. The key ingredients are sunflower seed extract, green tea extract and moringa oil.
Verb’s Ghost collection includes shampoo, oil, air dry whip, prep heat protectant, hair mask, hairspray, exfoliating scalp nectar and dry oil. You can find an entire hair care regimen with just one collection.
7. Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner
- Cruelty-free
- Sulfate, phosphate and paraben free
- Repairs extreme damage
A Deep Conditioner That Really Repairs
Olaplex’s No. 5 Bond Maintenance conditioner is a deep conditioner designed to repair damaged hair. The company claims the product works at a molecular level to protect, repair and strengthen hair.
Users report that this conditioner improves manageability, reduces split ends and flyaways and produces shinier and healthier hair after each use. Olaplex is clearly a fan favorite with a 4.6-star rating on Amazon and over 69,000 reviews.
6. Redken All Soft Conditioner
- Bottle made of 96% recycled plastic
- Vegan formula
- Made in a factory that uses renewable energy
Includes Argan Oil to Moisturize Dry Hair
This product is ideal for dry hair types, as it’s intended to soften and moisturize. It contains argan oil and Redken claims it boosts shine, increases hair manageability and detangles. The company also claims it provides 15X more conditioning than similar products.
Redken has an entire line of All Soft products. These include shampoo and conditioner, a heavy cream mask, a restore leave-in treatment and argan 6-hair oil.
It’s clear that in the beauty industry, safe, eco-friendly practices are important to consumers. Redken has three additional suitability features. It’s manufactured in facilities that protect worker health, uses processes that reduce negative effects on the environment and is made with safer chemicals.
5. Matrix Biolage Color Last Conditioner
- Recycled bottle
- Cruelty-free
- Vegan formula
Ideal for Color Treated Hair
I’ve used this product since junior high and think the best thing about it is the smell. It’s formulated for color-treated hair, so it adds depth of color and shine after each use. The low pH moisturizes hair to extend the life of hair color.
Matrix encourages users to start with the Color Last shampoo and add an occasional Color Last deep treatment mask followed by the Color Last Shine Shake Spray. This product has a 4.8-star rating and over 21,000 reviews on Amazon.
4. Monday Haircare Moisture Conditioner
- Affordable
- 100% recyclable
- Widely available
The Drugstore Brand That Gives Professional Results
Most of the products we’ve reviewed here are professional ones that must be purchased from a hair care professional. This means they’re quite a bit more expensive, but we found an affordable conditioner option that won the Cosmo Beauty Award for Best Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner and costs around ten dollars.
The formula includes coconut oil, hydrolyzed rice protein, shea butter, vitamin E and panthenol. The results are shiny, hydrated, strong, voluminous, soft, nourished, healthy hair.
3. Biosilk Silk Therapy Conditioner
- Contains pure silk
- Sulfate and paraben-free
- Superior detangler
They Keep Coming Back for More
According to Biosilk, 96% of users would recommend this product after using it. Reviews say it’s the perfect choice for a detangling conditioner and can be used with other shampoos, although the company does offer a Biosilk Silk Therapy Shampoo.
The leave-in silk is designed to replenish and reconstruct hair to smooth, repair and protect it. This conditioner can be used on all hair types and includes botanical herbs and extracts that replenish moisture for dry hair.
2. amika 3D Volume & Thickening Conditioner
- Sustainability and reduction efforts
- Adds volume
- Cruelty, gluten, paraben and sulfate free
Adds Volume to Even the Dullest Hair
This product is designed for those with fine, limp or flat hair. It’s a lightweight conditioner that provides a thickening boost for volume. Add to the volume by starting with the 3D Volume and Thickening Shampoo and for a bit extra, add the 3D hair thickening treatment.
amika offers refill packets to cut back on waste and increase sustainability efforts. This product can be used by those with fine, medium and thick hair, or those with straight, wavy or curly textures.
1. Kristin Ess The One Signature Conditioner
- For all hair types
- Cruelty-free
- Color and keratin-safe
Combine Moisture and Volume
This author is particularly fond of Kristin Ess products and loves that they’re available to everyone and affordable. The One Signature Conditioner renews shine, softens, soothes and moisturizes. Other reviewers agree as the product has a 4.4-star rating on Amazon and over 3,200 ratings.
Kristin Ess also offers a shampoo to match the conditioner and a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup in the hair. The product does have a signature smell that some users may not like, but it can be used daily or rotated with a mask for extra moisture.
Hair Type and Texture and Personal Habits Matter
Those with thick, curly hair probably won’t benefit from a volumizing conditioner. Those with limp or thin hair want to avoid anything too sleek or heavy. The truth is that your hair and texture type matter. Some products can be used every day, while others (like Olaxplex) are deep conditioners designed to be used once a week. When choosing a shampoo or conditioner, consider your washing habits, the tools you use, and your hair type and texture.
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