These are the best leave-in conditioners of 2024, tested and reviewed

Hair Type: All | Formula: Lightweight cream | Ingredients: sh-Oligopeptide-78 (K18Peptide™), Hydrolyzed wheat starch | Scent: Floral with notes of jasmine and peony

This is, by far, not only the best leave-in conditioner I tried, but is the best hair product I've come across in ... as long as I can remember. Kaeding agrees: "I personally love K18’s Leave-in Molecular Repair Mask. It contains a patented peptide which works at the innermost layer of the hair (the cortex) and is clinically proven to repair damage from bleach, color, chemical services and heat in just four minutes. Because it works on this molecular level (where all hair is the same), this product is effective on all hair types — so I recommend it to literally everyone."

My experience with this mask is it made my hair silkier and shinier than it's been since my high school yearbook portrait. I wish it wasn't close to $30, but also I felt like the quality was worth it.

Hair Type: Fine and long hair | Formula: Lightweight spray | Ingredients: Biotin, coconut oil, shea butter

The best drugstore pick we came across, Marc Anthony's leave-in conditioner is effective and gentle (it's paraben-, sulfate- and phthalate-free) without breaking the bank. It's an excellent lightweight detangler, good for fine hair and long hair, moisturizing without weighing down your strands. One minor complaint: It's more of an old-school, everyday leave-in conditioner, and it won't repair damaged or ultradry hair like some of the pricier items on this list. 

Hair Type: All | Formula: Lightweight moisturizing spray | Ingredients: Fennel seed oil, coconut oil | Scent: Floral, with notes of ginger, amber, and musk

Mizani is a trusted shampoo brand for curls of all types, and its leave-in conditioner follows suit. It's made with coconut oil but is somehow not the least bit greasy. It protects hair from heat, detangles, moisturizes, gets rid of frizz and helps repair damaged hair. Best of all, it can be used on any hair type: natural, relaxed, straight, any kind of curl and even wigs and weaves.

Hair Type: All; color-treated, damaged | Formula: Lightweight spray | Ingredients: Sunflower seed extract, green tea leaf extract, silk amino acids, aloe vera, panthenol

One of the few leave-in conditioners you can spray on wet OR dry hair, It's a 10's Miracle formula includes both keratin and silk amino acids, which leave any type of hair softer, smoother and more manageable. The cult-favorite product has close to 20,000 reviews on Amazon, and almost 90% of them are good. 

Hair Type: All, including curly, coily and wavy | Formula: Liquid spray | Ingredients: Coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, olive fruit oil, silicones, humectants, vegetable protein | Scent: Fresh and floral with notes of rose, floral ginger and cedarwood

This leave-in conditioner detangles, adds shine and helps smooth frizz, plus the combination of coconut, olive and camellia seed oils hydrates dry strands. Said Yahoo Shopping Deputy Editor Izabella Zaydenberg: "Now that my bleach blonde days are behind me, I've resolved to make 2024 the year I'm way gentler on my hair. I'm a big fan of one-and-done products, and this Pureology spray is it: I just spritz it on damp hair and style as usual. I love that it provides heat protection, too, so when I choose to give myself an at-home blowout, my strands don't look or feel fried. It's also safe on color-treated hair, plus it smells incredible. I'm still on my first bottle, but I already bought a second as a backup, in case Pureology ever stops making this stuff (and if they do, I'll absolutely buy out their stock)."

Hair Type: All, including straight, wavy, curly and coily | Formula: Cream | Ingredients: Bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, coconut oil, fermented argan oil, vitamin E

This leave-in "bond smoother" from the ultra-beloved Olaplex line (this product alone has nearly 40,000 five-star Amazon reviews) started as a salon-only treatment, but during the pandemic, it was made available to its devoted fans (including Margot Robbie) for at-home use. Kim Kardashian loved the hair-softening, hair-strengthening effects of this formula so much, she once used "Olaplexing" as a verb. I wrote all about Olaplex last year and I had to know: Does it work? Yes, yes it does. My hair was noticeably smoother, less frizzy and softer after just one use. 

Hair Type: Extra-dry hair | Formula: Heavy-duty spray | Ingredients: Squalane, hyaluronic acid, blue algae | Scent: Vanilla with notes of citrus

I love nearly every product I've tried from Brooklyn-based Amika, and this heavy-duty, ultra-hydrating formulation is no exception. It's made with serious skin-care ingredients like squalane, hyaluronic acid and blue algae, but the scent is not sterile at all — it's a luxurious vanilla with a hint of citrus. Plus, it feels great in your hair. Pro tip: Avoid spraying at the very crown of your head, as the extra moisture might make your roots look oily.  

Hair Type: All | Formula: Ultra-lightweight mist | Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, propanediol, glycerin, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, behenamidopropyl dimethylamine, linum usitatissimum (linseed) seed extract | Scent: Light aloe scent

It's pricey, yes, but if your scalp is easily irritated or dandruff-prone, this high-quality French leave-in is worth the investment. The ingredients here are 98% natural; it's also cruelty free and contains zero silicone, parabens, harsh oxidants or phthalates. Plus, it works: It sprays on in a fine mist (making it ideal for thinner or finer hair), detangles handily and adds moisture and shine. 

Hair Type: All, including dry hair | Formula: Light serum | Ingredients: Plant-based proteins, niacinamide (vitamin B3), glycerin | Scent: Floral

If your hair is totally wrecked from sun damage or heat damage or color damage — any kind of damage — this is your (rather spendy) pick. It transforms hair literally overnight with a creamy, nutrient-packed formula and smells amazing. It also accomplishes all the other stuff you want — detangles, protects against heat damage — but it's the retexturizing, body-building, high-charge smoothing and moisturizing where this product shines. Pro tip: Use it sparingly, roughly once a week, for best results. 

This was almost perfect: It has a good spray and luxurious texture, and it detangled and softened. But after I blew my hair out, I realized the strands felt crunchy and sticky all day — a pet peeve for me, might work for you.

I wanted to love this popular leave-in conditioner, but while it definitely moisturized and detangled, it also weighed down my hair in a way that wasn't cute. Still, it's less than $10 and — with 30,000 positive reviews — worth a try. 

This is not a bad leave-in conditioner in any way— it softens and smoothes, for sure. On my hair, it didn't achieve any particularly notable results, and I felt the scent was too "beach vacation" for every day.