February 28, 2021

Best Leave-In Conditioners & Curl Creams

Continuing the Top 10 series, today I’m sharing the best leave-in conditioners and curl creams for all curly hair types. These range from drugstore to high end and have various price points. I’m rating each of them based on their moisture level, humectant ingredients, protein ingredients, and more.

What is the difference between a leave-in conditioner and a curl cream?

The easiest way to think of it is leave-ins are used as an extra step to exclusively add moisture for super dry hair. They are usually more light-weight than curl creams. Sometimes they contain ingredients to help retain moisture. Leave-ins are also commonly used to refresh because they’re lightweight and help detangle. They often provide slip and manageability.

Curl creams are designed to improve the appearance of your hair AND provide moisture. They’re considered a styling product because they can enhance your curl pattern/definition, encourage clumping, moisturize, and help retain moisture. Curl creams are usually a bit heavier than leave-ins, and sometimes contain oils and butters.

Both leave-ins and curl creams need to be layered under a gel or a mousse if you want lasting hold and frizz control. Although they moisturize dry hair, they will not fully tame frizz because they do not provide a strong “cast” or hold.

Top 10 Leave-Ins and Curl Creams

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How do you choose a leave-in or cream?

Most leave-ins and curl creams will work with all curly hair types. The ones I included in this post are suitable for most. However there are a few things to keep in mind:

Have fine hair? Opt for a lightweight leave-in or cream. Avoid heavy oils and butters as they may weigh down your hair.
Have coarse hair? Look for ingredients that provide slip and manageability. Oils and butters don’t usually weigh down coarse hair. Be mindful of using too much protein because it can make coarse hair more brittle.
Have high porosity hair? Be sure to top off all creams with a gel to seal in your moisture. Look for film-forming humectants such as aloe. Proteins will help provide strength and retain moisture.
Have low porosity hair? Avoid heavy butters and oils that can cause build-up and weigh down your hair. Opt for film-forming humectants such as aloe, flaxseed, slippery elm, marshmallow root to avoid moisture loss. Don’t overdo it with proteins, and opt for smaller proteins that won’t build-up such as amino acids and keratin.
Have medium hair that falls between all of these types? You can use a range of products. Just adjust depending on what your hair needs in terms of protein and moisture.