If your hair's looking brittle, stressed out, and in need of a little extra TLC, it might be time to start looking for the best conditioner for dry hair. When hair starts to look dull and damaged, your first instinct might be to coat it in a hair mask, or leave-in conditioner. But if dryness is an ongoing problem, it’s also worth checking that you’re using a specially formulated shampoo and conditioner for dry hair.
When choosing a conditioner for dry hair, opt for a formula specifically designed for dry hair with hydrating ingredients like glycerin, shea butter, coconut oil or argan oil: “These components help retain moisture and nourish your hair from within,” says Vanessa Boland, Moroccanoil Education Manager at Joy Ltd.
How do you know if you have dry hair?
“Identifying dry hair is the first step towards finding the ideal conditioner,” explains Vanessa. If you’re trying to find out whether you have dry hair, look for these common signs.
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Brittle and fragile texture: “Dry hair tends to feel rough, brittle and lacks elasticity.”
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Excessive frizz: “It is difficult to manage and tends to become frizzy, especially in humid conditions.”
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Dull appearance: “Dry hair often lacks shine and appears dull and lifeless.”
heat’s best conditioners for dry hair, at a glance:
Best overall conditioner for dry hair: Garnier Ultimate Blends Glowing Lengths Hair Food Conditioner, £3 on Boots
Best conditioner for hydration:Aussie Deeep Moisture Vegan Hair Conditioner, £4.50 on Superdrug
Best conditioner for long-lasting results: Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Conditioner, £18.85 on Look Fantastic
If you’ve always been wondering what the best conditioner for dry hair is, we’ve made your life easier and listed our pick of the best ones to solve your hair woes and then some.
SHOP: The best conditioners for dry hair
Best overall conditioner for dry hair
www.boots.com
Description
Garnier’s Hair Food Mask might already play a crucial role in your haircare routine, but for washing your tresses, its Hair Food conditioner showcases the brand’s ability to transform dry and dull locks even further. With no silicones included, the formula is 100% vegan and instantly absorbs into locks to nourish, quickly detangle and add shine
Tried and tested by Style Writer Phoebe Denman: "I am in love with this product! This has massively transformed my hair, it leaves my locks feeling nourished and silky soft."
Pros
- Affordable
- Silicone-free
Cons
- Some users found the packaging made it difficult to squeeze out the last drops of product
Best conditioner for long-lasting results
www.lookfantastic.com
Description
This hydrating formula claims to help restore hair’s health and leave lengths feeling strengthened. After just a few washes, hair feels less dry and damaged with boosted elasticity.
Customer review: "The best conditioner. Always makes my dry hair feel lovely after washing."
Pros
- Hydrating
- Colour-safe
Cons
- Can leave your hair feeling greasy if you use too much
Best conditioner for restoring shine
www.lookfantastic.com
Description
Formulated with wheat protein, hydrolyzed elastin and guar (an anti-static conditioning agent) to deliver moisture where it’s needed most and strengthen strands, this plumping conditioner leaves hair looking much fuller. If years of hair colouring have taken their toll, try this softening pick.
Customer review: "Works well to increase smoothness and moisture of hair. Also reduces frizz for me."
Pros
- Hydrating formula
- Strengthening
Cons
- Slightly strong scent
Best lightweight conditioner for dry hair
www.cultbeauty.co.uk
Description
If you need a haircare hero to repair your damaged tresses but seek out lightweight products that won’t leave your locks feeling straggly or greasy, this conditioner could be the one. Famous for its honey-infused formula, this delivers intense hydration to dried-out strands.
Tried & tested by Style Writer Phoebe Denman: "The hydrating honey really does the trick in this formula, leaving my strands feeling stronger and looking shinier. I’m seriously impressed by this, it’s really effective for bringing a bit of moisture back into your locks and hydrating split ends."
Pros
- Very lightweight and nourishing
- Reparative formula
Cons
- Thicker hair types may find that the texture is too thin
Best bond repairing formula
www.cultbeauty.co.uk
Description
Vegan-friendly and reparative, this conditioner aims to strengthen strands and boost moisture. Providing a gentle but thorough treatment, this delivers serious frizz reduction and added shine. As if that wasn’t enough, it also reduces damage and breakage.
Tried & tested by Style Writer Phoebe Denman: "If your hair needs some general TLC, this will cover all bases. I was pleased to see my hair looking hydrated, shinier and less damaged after just a few washes."
Pros
- Restores hydration without adding excess weight
- Eliminates frizz
Cons
- Not ideal for fine hair
Best softening conditioner
www.lookfantastic.com
Description
Enriched with hyaluronic acid, this conditioner aims to inject moisture into strands by weightlessly coating hair fibres in a veil of hydration, leaving your lengths feeling satin-soft. It’s, quite frankly, magic.
Tried & tested by Style Writer Phoebe Denman: "This left my hair feeling full of moisture and more nourished, and looking less dull and damaged. My hair was also much easier to comb after washing, with some welcomed added volume and bounce to it."
Pros
- 100% recycled packaging
- Locks in moisture without weighing hair down
Cons
- Ingredient list includes sulfates
Best conditioner for hydration
www.superdrug.com
Description
This conditioner is so rich thanks to its nourishing blend of jojoba oil, avocado oil and macadamia nut oil – all of which strengthen hair follicles and promote hair health. It smells utterly amazing, too.
Customer review: "This is one of my favourite budget conditioners. I really love the fragrance and results!"
Pros
- Intense hydrating formula
- Great for thick and curly hair
Cons
- Not available on many popular retailers like Beauty Bay and Cult Beauty
Best conditioner for damaged hair
www.cultbeauty.co.uk
Description
Damaged hair often tends to be brittle, dry and prone to breaking – and this targeted reparative conditioner promises to offer a solution. It’s also the ideal salve for any hair type that’s parched and in need of some TLC – including heavily bleached locks.
Tried & tested by Style Writer Phoebe Denman: "Though it’s on the pricier side, I think this formula is worth the splurge, especially since it makes a notable difference from the first use. If you need to whip brittle strands back into shape quickly, this definitely delivers."
Pros
- Silicone and oil-free
- Reverses damage
Cons
- Can leave less dense hair slightly greasy
Best conditioner for frizzy hair
www.cultbeauty.co.uk
Description
This iconic, salon-worthy conditioner from Ouai uses hair-strengthening hydrolysed keratin to encourage smooth, frizz-free lengths. A blend of babassu and coconut oil grants virtually endless hydration to hair, while kumquat fruit extract adds tons of glossy shine.
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Customer review:** "Tried it for the first time last week and absolutely loved it, used it with the matching shampoo and it left my hair feeling so silky."
Pros
- Sleek packaging that'll look great in your shower
- Hydrating formula
Cons
- Slightly strong scent
Best conditioner for very dry hair
www.hollandandbarrett.com
Description
The budget-friendly price point is only one part of this formula’s allure. If your hair looks dry, frizzy or dull, you’ll love this Vita Coco Coconut Nourish Conditioner formula that features coconut water to help boost hydration and smoothness.
Tried & tested by Style Writer Phoebe Denman: "I was impressed by how smooth and soft this left my ends, and my hair definitely felt a lot stronger after a few uses. It’s a great all-rounder."
Pros
- Vegan
- Natural ingredients
Cons
- Not available on popular retailers like Superdrug and Beauty Bay
Best conditioner for reduced breakage
www.sephora.co.uk
Description
Made with Karmatin, a vegan silk alternative to keratin and silicone that strengthens strands without weighing them down, this reparative conditioner takes brittle and damaged hair and basically brings it back from the brink. Plus, it feels beautifully luxurious.
Customer review: "I can’t say enough good things about this conditioner, it’s the thickest, creamiest most dense conditioner I have ever used. It feels more like a mask than a traditional conditioner and it soaks right into my hair. It’s super nourishing, I have long, colour-treated hair that needs a lot of TLC and this conditioner delivers."
Pros
- Silicone-free
- Hydrating formula
Cons
- Not available on many popular retailers like Superdrug or Beauty Bay
How do you treat & restore dry, damaged hair?
Aside from consulting a hair stylist on whether or not your hair will need a trim to remove the damage, there are a few changes you can make to your haircare routine that will help. Here’s a few tips for fixing damaged strands.
1. Lower the temperature on your tools. Sadly, with a lot of heat styling comes heat damage – flyaways, brittleness and dryness. Unless you have super thick hair, you should be able to get the job done with a mid-range temperature setting on your tools.
2. Be careful with wet hair. Hair is at its most vulnerable when it's wet. The potential for damage really goes to the next level if your hair is fragile, curly or fine. Never try to pull a brush through your wet hair unless it’s a brush specifically designed for the task.
3. Stick to a consistent hair care routine. This will require some research to find out what’s best for your hair type and goals, but there’s tons of resources online and on social media to help with this. Make sure you look for products that are free of dyes, alcohols, sulfates and parabens.
4. Use hair serums. We can’t stress the importance of serums enough! Not only do they control frizz and protect your hair from heat styling, but they also leave your locks looking super glossy.
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5.** Look for bond builders. It’s tricky to get rid of damage once it’s been done, but a growing category of products promises to do just that. Bond-building treatments work by repairing the protein bonds that break when hair is damaged. Start with a good shampoo for damaged hair, like L’Oreal’s Bond Repair Shampoo which also softens locks.
6. Get your hair cut regularly. This is another simple fix but one that many of us fail to do. Split ends may seem harmless, but they can make your hair look frizzy and damaged, and if they travel further up the hair shaft they can cause some serious damage.