I put my hair through a lot. There are the at-home blowouts with me curling and bending my hair through a Dyson Airwrap, frequent visits to the salon, and, not to mention, loads of gel and stylers to achieve a slick-back style. All this maneuvering means sometimes my hair is heat-fried, crunchy, dry—you name it. When my mane’s seen better days, my solution is always a deep conditioner.
Vogue’s Favorite Deep Conditioners
While it may seem like a more intensive version of your regular conditioner, the two actually serve different purposes. Celebrity hairstylist Castillo Bataille considers regular conditioner more of a maintenance step. “It keeps the hair soft, manageable, and hydrated after cleansing,” he says. “A deep conditioner is more like calling in reinforcements when the hair needs a little extra love.”
That extra dose of conditioning can be particularly helpful for dry, damaged, color-treated, or frequently heat-styled hair. Curly and coily textures can benefit, too, as they tend to need more moisture. Bataille says he sees the biggest difference among clients who color their hair, use a lot of heat, or wear extensions, adding that healthier-feeling hair is often easier to style because “you’re not fighting the hair as much.” Think of a deep conditioner as an intensive treatment designed to penetrate deeply into the hair shaft, providing long-lasting moisture, repair, and strength from within.
Still, more moisture isn’t necessarily better for everyone. Those with fine hair that gets weighed down easily may be better off choosing a formula suited to their specific hair type and using it strategically. “Haircare really isn’t one-size-fits-all,” says Bataille, who sees consumers increasingly approaching haircare the way they do skincare—as something to maintain before there’s a problem. “We’ve gotten really good at understanding that you don’t wait until your skin is completely dehydrated to take care of it, and I think consumers are starting to look at their hair the same way,” he says.
And perhaps that’s why there are more deep conditioners on the market than ever. From the U.S. to Korea, there’s a formula for nearly every hair type, texture, and level of damage. Below, Vogue’s edit of the best deep conditioners to add to your routine.
