13 Best Deep Conditioners for Every Single Hair Type (Yup, Even Yours)

If you’re here right now, I’m willing to bet you just got incredibly fed up with your hair, and you’re now frantically searching for a hair-restoring, life-changing deep conditioner that’ll fix all of your split ends, damage, dryness, frizz, poofiness, and general blahness overnight. But here’s a v important fact: Using the wrong deep conditioner can actually make your hair issues significantly worse. I know; I’m sorry, but it’s the truth, and nobody talks about it enough.

Some deep conditioners are meant to purely moisturize, and some are meant to repair and strengthen—but unless you’re absolutely positive of which one your hair needs (more on that below), you run the risk of adding fuel to the damage fire, like I once did with my own curly hair. But don’t worry—I gotchu, and I’ve helped many a friend find the best deep conditioner for their hair issues, whether they’re working with color-treated 4c hair, or ultra-fine, stick-straight hair.

So before you just blindly reach for a jar, please be sure of what you need first, starting with:

What are the best deep conditioners for damaged hair?

The best deep conditioner or conditioning mask for damaged, brittle, broken hair is going to be one that’s got a ton of moisture, and a bit of protein. Proteins help seal the holes in your damaged hair cuticle and give it strength and structure. “When you damage your hair with chemicals, heat, chlorine, or chemical treatments, you need to replace some of the protein that is lost,” says Gretchen Friese, BosleyMD-certified trichologist.

Usually, if your deep conditioner has any anti-breakage or tough-stuff lingo on the label (Strengthens! Restores! Repairs!), you can bet it’s packed with proteins. And, tbh, most deep conditioners are. But—here’s the super important part—too much protein will make your damage and breakage way, way worse. Why? Because when you use anti-breakage products 24/7, protein quickly builds up on your hair strand to the point of drying it out and breaking it off, which brings us to…

How do you pick the right deep conditioner?

“Most people think they need a ton protein to fix their hair issues, when they actually need more moisture,” says trichologist and curly hair expert Audrey Sivasothy. Think: you, chugging a third iced coffee when your body is begging for water. So you need to figure out what your hair trying to tell you. Like, has your hair recently been bleached, or chemically treated, or subjected to 24/7 blowouts, flat irons, or curling irons? Then you could probably use a (once-monthly!) protein-packed deep conditioner to repair some damage.

But if you use heat tools sparingly, you rarely highlight or bleach your hair, and yet your hair is still feeling dry, puffy, frizzy, or damaged, you should start with moisture-heavy deep conditioners, like a weekly protein-free formula, or a bi-weekly low-protein formula (options for both below), and then see how your hair feels after six weeks (note: This is going to be especially true for anyone with curly or natural hair).

Does a deep conditioner need to be “designed” for my straight/wavy/curly/coily hair?

Don’t get hung up on whether or not a deep conditioner specifically says it’s for “wavy hair” or “curly hair” or whatever hair. Why? Because your dry, thick, straight hair may need a ton of butters and oils to stay happy, while my thin curly hair just needs a touch of moisture to stay happy. That being said, if your hair is super fine and prone to grease, maybe skip the deep conditioner that has seven types of oils in it, you know?