Leave-in conditioner is a fairly self-explanatory hair care product. Unlike conditioners for your hair that you might use in the shower, leave-in conditioner is applied after you shower, and is left in the hair until the next washing. Many hair conditioners are fairly dense or contain oils, and you may notice that they’re difficult to wash out of the hair to get that squeaky clean feel. Leave-in conditioner tends to rely not on oils, (though some do use oil) which could make the hair look greasy, but instead use products like glycerin, which can help calm tangled hair or impart a little moisture to dry hair.

There are huge numbers of leave-in conditioners on the market. Thus, judging how effectively they work is difficult, since some are superior to others. If you’re looking to get rid of tangled hair, simple conditioners like No More Tangles®: make by Johnsons® is probably just as likely to be effective as more pricey brands. You will note extraordinary variance in prices, from about $2-3 US Dollars (USD) for brands like Johnsons® or Suave® to over $20 USD for the same size bottle made by famous hair designers like Jonathon, or even over $50 USD for leave-in conditioners from companies like Ojon®.

Some other hair products have leave-in conditioner built in. If you’re using hair gel, mousse, styling cream, pomade, or wax, the light oils or glycerin in these products will add extra moisture to the hair and may protect the hair slightly from exposure to the sun, or from damage caused by styling. It usually isn’t necessary to use a leave-in conditioner and another styling product too.

Leave-in conditioners that have lots of oil, and some do, may make the hair feel weighted down or simply leave it looking greasy. It’s a good idea to test out a few to see which one seems to provide moisture without making hair look unwashed. At beauty supply stores you can often get samples of different brands for less than a dollar, or even sometimes for free, so you can give a product a test before committing to buying hair product you won’t end up using.

Hair stylists often say that moisturizing the hair is just as important as moisturizing the skin. If you feel like your hair is a little dry, it may be time to investigate a few leave-in conditioners that might be right for you. Within this range of products, you’ll find those made specifically for vegans, those with more chemical ingredients (usually grocery store brands), different scents, and different oils. It can be overwhelming to be faced with so much choice. There are plenty of less well-known brands in the $10-20 USD range that are made of natural ingredients with fewer unpronounceable chemicals, and there are the old standbys like No More Tangles®, which though they do have more chemicals, also tend to work pretty well.