Hydration is the key to mastering your curls and keeping your hair looking glamorous even in the dry fall and winter months. The more moisturized your curls are, the better they will look. — That’s where leave-in conditioners can really come in and save the day. It moisturizes your hair and helps lock in moisture. Hence the “leave it” part. These work like magic overnight or all day, leaving your curls refreshed and silky smooth.
To understand more about this holy grail beauty product, we spoke with celebrity hairstylist and hair expert William Whatley. He gave us all his thoughts on how to properly treat curls and what to look for in a leave-in conditioner. Keep reading to see all the top-notch knowledge he dropped.
How should I care for curly hair?
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As for her top tips for handling and caring for your curls, Whatley told us that brushing your hair when it’s wet can damage your hair. This is especially true if you have naturally curly hair. Brushing your hair to make it grow longer actually causes more damage.
Whatley says that with curly hair, the cuticle layer is more exposed, and brushing it too hard will destroy the outer layer of the hair, meaning all that gorgeous shine usually comes from here. I explained that it was coming. If you constantly damage your hair with bad brushing habits, your hair will eventually lose its luster.
What ingredients should I look for in a leave-in conditioner for curly hair?
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When looking at a bottle of leave-in conditioner, Whatley says to always look at the ingredients listed right after the water. These are the main ingredients needed to moisturize, protect and give strength to damaged hair. The ingredients to look for are:
Panthenol aloe weightless oil and extract purified fruit oil hydrolyzed keratin.
Whatley also says that natural extracts and oils are great for moisturizing hair. This is exactly what we look for in a leave-in conditioner for curly hair.
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SEEN curly cream leave-in
This non-comedogenic and sulfate-free curl-defining cream is a great leave-in conditioner that helps remove frizz and style your hair while nourishing it. I love a good, versatile product like this. It also protects you from the heat, especially if you need to style it with hot tools.
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Briogeo Don’t despair, fix it!
This mask is my ride-or-die favorite. To be honest, I notice a big difference in my hair when I use it. And good news! It works wonders on my curly hair girls as well! Perfect for curly hair types that suffer from heavy damage and dryness. It locks in moisture and leaves your skin with a perfect glow!
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Cantu Argan Oil Conditioning Repair
One of the essential ingredients for hair is argan oil. It’s the number one thing people always recommend to people who are struggling to bring their hair back to life. Therefore, when combined with a leave-in conditioner that penetrates and is fully absorbed into the hair, your hair repair journey can get off to a great start. This product by Cantu is a favorite on Amazon, with over 13,000 reviews praising it.
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Carl’s Blueberry Bliss Mask
If you want to repair hair damage while fixing frizz, our mask is perfect for you. This one from Blueberry Bliss is very popular on Amazon as it also helps promote hair growth. Everyone loves this, right? At only $12, we think it’s a pretty good buy too.
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Divi 3-in-1 leave-in
This product has received rave reviews, with reviews pointing out that this leave-in conditioner magically transforms notoriously frizzy hair into smooth, shiny hair after use. I love this company because their products show real and immediate results. I use their hair growth serum and Holy Cow! My hair has never grown so fast in my life! This is a very good company and I highly recommend using them!
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paul mitchell full circle leave-in
I love a mask that moisturizes my curls, and this mask does just that. I mean seriously moisturizing. This mask is specifically aimed at giving your hair the ultimate bounce and shine so that it comes back to life after the dry summer heat. Also contains no parabens. This is good news for us (and your hair).
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OGX Quenching + Coconut Curl
This hair mask contains a lot of great ingredients. These include honey, citrus oil, coconut, and curl styling milk. All of this will help not only combat frizz and frizz, but also give your curls that “I can’t stop touching your hair” softness. Yes, please!
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Shea Moisture Jamaican Castor Oil Leave-in
A mask made from 100% pure Jamaican castor oil? It’s pretty hard to get it! And at only $10, you’re getting a great deal. Great for detangling your curls when they get a little unruly or have too many twists.
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