4 Leave-in Conditioner Secrets You Need to Know

Your leave-in conditioner is one of the most versatile products in your hair care arsenal. Yet, many are unaware of just how much a good leave-in has to offer. If you want to give your hair the utmost care, you need to know the real capabilities, limitations, and applications of your leave-in conditioner. And that’s where we can help. In this article, we’ll share with you 4 leave-in conditioner secrets you need to know. 

They Don’t Replace Conditioners or Deep Conditioners 

Many people believe a leave-in conditioner is a standalone product that can handle all of their hair’s conditioning needs. And it’s easy to see why. 

Leave-in conditioners come with a ton of benefits:

• They coat the hair and keep it moisturized all day long. 

• They add slip to hair for pain-free detangling. 

• Some protect against heat damage from styling tools. 

• They give the hair a natural shine and protect against color fade.

As you can see, they do many of the things that rinse-out conditioners do. 

But just because your leave-in has these benefits, it doesn’t mean that you can forgo conditioning sessions with a rinse-out conditioner or deep conditioner. Leave-ins aren’t designed to be used on their own - they provide light moisture and conditioning. Conditioners and deep conditioners provide deeper, longer-lasting hydration than leave-ins do. That’s why leave-ins are meant to be used along with your rinse-out conditioner and deep conditioner. 

There’s a Leave-in For Every Hair Type

Every hair type is different and requires targeted care to look and feel its best. So, you need to choose a leave-in conditioner that has what your hair needs:

• Dry or damaged hair needs a bit of extra love. A creamy leave-in that contains hydrating and protective ingredients is best. 

• Fine hair gets weighed down easily, so a lightweight spray can give it a volume boost.

• Color-treated hair requires color protection. Look for this in your leave-in.

• Frizzy or curly hair needs moisture, so reach for a leave-in that coats and smooths the strands to lock in moisture. 

Some of the best leave-ins are suited to all hair types. Here’s one of them. 

It Can Be Applied Whenever You Need It

The best time to use a leave-in conditioner is right after you wash your hair. Your hair cuticles are open and ready to receive the product. However, you can use it on dry hair to give it a quick dose of hydration. 

If you’ll be heat styling your hair, apply some leave-in conditioner to protect against heat damage. Lastly, you can use it as needed to keep your hair moisturized and shiny between washes.

It Should Be Applied Carefully 

Leave-in conditioner application is a mystery to some people, mainly because certain hair types require specialized application methods. Here’s the rundown: 

• Dry, damaged, or curly hair may need full coverage. Spray or spread your leave-in on and use a wide-toothed comb to distribute it evenly. 

• For straight or fine hair, which tends to be oily, apply the leave-in mainly to the ends.  

Even if your hair is already relatively healthy, the right leave-in can provide your hair with enhanced moisture, shine, volume, and damage protection. We urge you to put the secrets presented in this article into action so you can get the most out of your leave-in.

Author: Andrea Reyes

Andrea is a mother, wife, writer, and natural hair enthusiast of 15 years. Currently on her natural hair journey, she’s been trying countless products and techniques to understand and embrace her natural hair. She is the creator of NaturallyTextured.com, a new website featuring informative articles that share tips, tricks, and techniques aimed to help others learn to love their hair through proper hair care. She writes with the hope of making hair care easier to understand and implement.