Back in middle and high school, I used leave-in conditioners on my hair but I didn’t like the way they made my hair feel. My hair sometimes felt stiff, weighed down, sticky, or greasy. That’s because of the ingredients that were used in most products for relaxed hair back then and I wasn’t using leave-in conditioners that were good for my relaxed hair. So I stopped using leave-in conditioners for years.
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While that temporarily made my hair feel better it ended up doing more harm than good. Once I started using leave-in conditioners again on my relaxed hair and ones that had better ingredients I noticed a big difference in my hair. That shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise because leave-in conditioners help make your hair smoother and stronger, increase elasticity, and can help with detangling.
Here’s my list of top leave-in conditioners for relaxed hair. Many of these are ones that I’ve used and liked. A few are ones that I’ve seen other relaxed hair bloggers give high marks to.
While this list isn’t necessarily ranked I did want to start it with my current favorite leave-in conditioner. This is a protein-free leave-in conditioner that my hair really likes. If my relaxed hair and/or new growth are feeling dry I can apply this to my hair and it comes back to life.
I’d seen TGIN in the store for a couple of years before I decided to try it. Typically it was on the shelf right next to SheaMoisture and I had deemed it a SheaMoisture knock-off because the packaging looked so similar. So I wrote it off and didn’t give it a try.
I can’t recall what made me change my mind. It may have been some review that I read or watched. The first time I applied the TGIN Green Tea Super Moist Leave-in Conditioner to my hair I was like “Wow! Is this for real?” My hair felt great soon after and the next morning. Before I realized that I had protein overload my hair was feeling really dry and this was the only thing keeping my hair from going off of the deep end.
This is one of the least expensive leave-in conditioners on this list and probably the most accessible because you find it in stores like Target and Walmart.
I first started using the original Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioner Repair Cream and my hair responded well to it. So when I saw there was a version that had argan oil in it I had to try it.
I like that it’s thick and creamy and sinks into my hair which is a good indication that it’s going to moisturize my hair. With this leave-in conditioner if I forgot to moisturize my hair during the week I could apply it to my hair at night, cover my hair with satin wrap or cap, and in the morning my hair would feel hydrated and manageable again.
restore the natural moisture balance of the hair, add shine, and provide maximum heat protection.
Some of the positive reviews I have seen have said that applying just a little bit makes their hair feel really hydrated and adds lots of shine. You do have to be careful with this hair moisturizer though because if you apply too much it can make the hair feel greasy and weighed down.
This was one of the first leave-in conditioners I used when I started my healthy hair journey. While I haven’t used it in a while I remember that it worked so well for my hair. The Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-In Conditioner has a thick but not too thick consistency which my high porosity and thick hair liked. I could use this leave-in conditioner on my hair every day and not get any product build-up.
I love that the first few ingredients are listed aloe vera, coconut oil, jojoba, safflower seed oil, and avocado oil. All ingredients my hair likes and responds well to.
I’ve never tried this hair moisturizer but I’ve seen several relaxed hair bloggers and relaxed hair ladies who swear by this for their hair. The common reasons I’ve read for why these ladies make Scurl No Drip Curl Activator a key part of their hair regimen is it helps to soften their new growth and their hair to retain moisture for long periods.
One of the things that interested me as I was doing research is that argan oil and olive oil are listed within the first 10 ingredients. This means they’re some of the more concentrated ingredients in the product.
7. TGIN Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer
The reason I decided to give this moisturizer a try is that I liked the TGIN Green Tea Super Moist Leave-in Conditioner so much. Plus, I got an excellent deal as I bought it during a sale.
While that temporarily made my hair feel better it ended up doing more harm than good. Once I started using leave-in conditioners again on my relaxed hair and ones that had better ingredients I noticed a big difference in my hair. That shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise because leave-in conditioners help make your hair smoother and stronger, increase elasticity, and can help with detangling.
Here’s my list of top leave-in conditioners for relaxed hair. Many of these are ones that I’ve used and liked. A few are ones that I’ve seen other relaxed hair bloggers give high marks to.
1. TGIN Green Tea Super Moist Leave-in Conditioner
While this list isn’t necessarily ranked I did want to start it with my current favorite leave-in conditioner. This is a protein-free leave-in conditioner that my hair really likes. If my relaxed hair and/or new growth are feeling dry I can apply this to my hair and it comes back to life.I’d seen TGIN in the store for a couple of years before I decided to try it. Typically it was on the shelf right next to SheaMoisture and I had deemed it a SheaMoisture knock-off because the packaging looked so similar. So I wrote it off and didn’t give it a try.
I can’t recall what made me change my mind. It may have been some review that I read or watched. The first time I applied the TGIN Green Tea Super Moist Leave-in Conditioner to my hair I was like “Wow! Is this for real?” My hair felt great soon after and the next morning. Before I realized that I had protein overload my hair was feeling really dry and this was the only thing keeping my hair from going off of the deep end.
Where to purchase
2. Cantu Argan Oil Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream
This is one of the least expensive leave-in conditioners on this list and probably the most accessible because you find it in stores like Target and Walmart.I first started using the original Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioner Repair Cream and my hair responded well to it. So when I saw there was a version that had argan oil in it I had to try it.
I like that it’s thick and creamy and sinks into my hair which is a good indication that it’s going to moisturize my hair. With this leave-in conditioner if I forgot to moisturize my hair during the week I could apply it to my hair at night, cover my hair with satin wrap or cap, and in the morning my hair would feel hydrated and manageable again.
Where to purchase
Related Reading: 7 Protein-Free Hair Conditioners For Relaxed Hair
3. ORS Olive Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion
I've never used this leave-in conditioner before but have heard several great things about it. It claims torestore the natural moisture balance of the hair, add shine, and provide maximum heat protection.
Where to purchase
4. Mielle Avocado Moisturizing Hair MilkI decided to try this kind of on a whim when Mielle was having one of their $5 or $6 dollar sales. I’d seen a few good reviews on it and had been wanting to try a hair milk so I said to myself why not try the Mielle Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk because it’s supposed to be good and it’s on sale.
At first, I didn’t care for it but over time I came to like it and will sometimes use it when I roller set my hair. I like that this is a thick hair milk but it’s not so thick that it weighs down my hair.
The Mielle Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk also adds a lot of moisture to my hair and helps give me smoother roller set results. When I tried substituting another leave-in conditioner for this Mielle hair milk I noticed a real difference in moisture, smoothness, and no frizz.
Where to purchase
Related Reading: Low Cost Hair Products For Relaxed Hair
5. Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-In Conditioner
This was one of the first leave-in conditioners I used when I started my healthy hair journey. While I haven’t used it in a while I remember that it worked so well for my hair. The Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-In Conditioner has a thick but not too thick consistency which my high porosity and thick hair liked. I could use this leave-in conditioner on my hair every day and not get any product build-up.I love that the first few ingredients are listed aloe vera, coconut oil, jojoba, safflower seed oil, and avocado oil. All ingredients my hair likes and responds well to.
Where to buy
6. Scurl No Drip Curl Activator
I’ve never tried this hair moisturizer but I’ve seen several relaxed hair bloggers and relaxed hair ladies who swear by this for their hair. The common reasons I’ve read for why these ladies make Scurl No Drip Curl Activator a key part of their hair regimen is it helps to soften their new growth and their hair to retain moisture for long periods.One of the things that interested me as I was doing research is that argan oil and olive oil are listed within the first 10 ingredients. This means they’re some of the more concentrated ingredients in the product.
Where to purchase
7. TGIN Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer
The reason I decided to give this moisturizer a try is that I liked the TGIN Green Tea Super Moist Leave-in Conditioner so much. Plus, I got an excellent deal as I bought it during a sale. What I like about this moisturizer is how thick it is. My hair responds really well to thick products. But don't worry, it doesn't weigh the hair down if your hair also likes thick hair creams.
This moisturizer does have some protein in it but it's further down the ingredient list and I've been using it every day for weeks and haven't noticed any issues or a re-occurrence of protein overload.
Where to purchase
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