Best moisturizing leave in conditioner for 4c hair

For 4c hair, keeping the hair hydrated can be a real struggle. Because 4c hair naturally tends to be more on the dry side, good quality products are required to rehydrate hair and keep it soft. A good leave-in conditioner makes hair care for people with 4c hair easy. In this article, we’ve selected and reviewed the very best conditioners suitable for 4c hair on the market. If you are looking for the best options for your locks while staying on a slim budget, this is a perfect guide. 

• Aunt Jackie’s Quench Moisture Intensive Leave-In Conditioner–Best Overall
• Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner–Premium Option
• Cantu Shea Butter Hydrating Leave-In Conditioning Mist–Best Budget Option
• Marc Anthony Grow Long Leave-In Conditioner
• RENPURE Coconut Whipped Crème Leave-In Conditioner
• SheaMoisture Strengthen And Restore Leave-In Conditioner
• SheaMoisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Leave-In Treatment
• Mielle Organics Pomegranate And Honey Leave-In Conditioner
• What To Look For In A Leave-In Conditioner For 4c Hair
  • Products That Suit Your Hair’s Porosity:
  • Essential Oils
  • Water
  • Strengthening Ingredients
  • Price
• Best 4c Hair Leave-In Conditioner Brands
  • Aunt Jackie’s
  • Cantu
  • SheaMoisture
  • Mielle Organics
  • Renpure
• Is Leave-In Conditioner Good For 4c Hair?
• Can 4c Hair Use Leave-In Conditioner Every Day?
• How Do You Keep Your 4c Hair Moisturized All Day?
• What Does Leave-In Conditioner Do To 4c Hair?
• Top Leave-In Conditioner For 4c Hair, Conclusion

Aunt Jackie’s Quench Moisture Intensive Leave-In Conditioner–Best Overall

This moisturizing leave-in conditioner nourishes your hair in every way. It contains wheat proteins, which rejuvenate your strands if they are dry and brittle. Wheat protein also keeps you from over-moisturizing your hair. Aunt Jackie’s Quench Moisture Intensive Leave-In Conditioner provides great slip and is ideal for detangling, post-wash moisturizing, or daily use.

For its price, it gives you a lot of great natural ingredients like shea butter, marshmallow root, and olive oil. These ingredients add vitamins to your hair while locking in moisture effectively. With this product, your hair stays soft and hydrated for longer.

Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner–Premium Option

Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner contains water and coconut oil as the main ingredients. It has many other naturals, hair-rejuvenating ingredients that make it curly miracle milk for people with textured hair. Its anti-frizz qualities keep your hair frizz-free even in the driest of weather and keep it silky soft. If you have been looking for a conditioner for your relaxed 4c hair, worry not, this conditioner works great for all textured hair types.

Even though it is slightly more expensive than other products on this list, it contains a lot of ingredients that can bring new life to your coils and make them bouncy, hydrated, and shiny. So, if you can afford it, this is a perfect choice for hair repair, hair growth, and moisturization.

Cantu Shea Butter Hydrating Leave-In Conditioning Mist–Best Budget Option

If you have 4c hair, you might go through conditioning products quickly, because of how much 4c hair needs to be moisturized to stave off dryness. Naturally, if you use a lot of moisturizing products, you’ll want to go for the pocket-friendly ones so that your hair care doesn’t make a huge dent in your budget. Cantu Shea Butter Hydrating Leave-In Conditioning Mist is a great product that conditions your hair and gives it slip at a lower price.

This product makes high-quality products accessible to a lot of people who do not wish to spend too much on their hair care routine. It contains water, shea butter, and varieties of oils that deeply condition your strands and make them more manageable. It is suitable for daily use and doesn’t cause build-up, an undesired side effect of many products.

Marc Anthony Grow Long Leave-In Conditioner

Just as the name suggests, this conditioner helps your hair grow longer. It has a perfect blend of ingredients that reduce shrinkage, protect against split ends, and strengthen your hair. This allows your hair to grow longer with minimal breakage. It is useful for restoring strength and hydration to damaged hair. Marc Anthony Grow Long Leave-In Conditioner contains caffeine, biotin, and ginseng, a unique combination of ingredients that give you smooth, velvety coils.

Vitamin B7, also known as biotin, present in this conditioner stimulates hair growth by increasing keratin production in hair follicles. This increase in keratin production also functions to rejuvenate existing strands and give natural 4c coils more volume. This leave-in conditioner is a must-have for every natural hair enthusiast.

RENPURE Coconut Whipped Crème Leave-In Conditioner

This conditioner uses many ingredients in addition to coconut milk to fight frizz and give your hair a healthy, smooth look. RENPURE Coconut Whipped Crème Leave-In Conditioner contains ingredients derived from natural ingredients like palm oil, argan oil, moringa seed oil, grapeseed oil, and kernel oil. All these essential oils add a variety of vitamins to your hair which enhances its growth.

It contains proteins as well, which function in making sure that your hair grows strong and healthy. It can be used as a restorative moisturizer for women with damaged or very dry 4c hair. It can also be used as a detangler after washing, to make your hair smoother and more manageable.

SheaMoisture Strengthen And Restore Leave-In Conditioner

Created with Jamaican black castor oil and Shea Butter as the main ingredients, SheaMoisture Strengthen and Restore Leave-In Conditioner contains Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids and several other vitamins. It deeply conditions your hair, preventing it from thinning and strengthening the follicle.

This conditioner is suitable not only for deeply conditioning the hair but also for giving renewed life to weak, thin strands. If you’re experiencing breakage, this is a good product for you. It will help restore the strength of your hair and give it volume.

SheaMoisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Leave-In Treatment

Formulated mainly from coconut and shea butter, this product contains lots of natural ingredients that nourish both your scalp and hair. It has many different essential oils with vitamin E, an antioxidant that strengthens your follicles and prevents breakage. SheaMoisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Leave-In Treatment leaves your hair with a wonderful, clean coconut smell and deeply moisturizes your scalp and your strands from your roots to the ends of your hair.

It is perfect for daily moisturizing after-wash treatment. You can just spritz it on your hair, massage it into your curls and enjoy great hydration for the rest of the day.

Mielle Organics Pomegranate And Honey Leave-In Conditioner

This unique leave-in conditioner uses a variety of fruits and essential oils to add moisture to your 4c hair. Some of the fruits that can be found on the ingredients list include orange, apple, lemon, and pomegranate. Mielle Organics Pomegranate And Honey Leave-In Conditioner is essentially a blend of herbs and fruits specifically made for type 4 curly hair. It is made almost entirely of natural ingredients and doesn’t contain parabens, sulfates, phthalates, petrolatum, or mineral oils. It is also silicone-free, which makes it ideal for all women with 4c hair who follow the curly girl method.

This conditioner protects and nourishes your hair, replenishing your scalp with moisture. It works well on damaged hair or very dry low-porosity hair as well.

What To Look For In A Leave-In Conditioner For 4c Hair

When trying to choose a leave-in conditioner that will work well with your natural 4c hair, there are quite a few things to keep in mind. It is worth noting that just like all 4c hair is different, all leave-in conditioners are created differently as well. It might be helpful to know what natural ingredients work best with your hair and look for those when shopping for a leave-in conditioner. With that in mind, here are some things worth noting when searching for a new leave-in conditioner for your 4c hair.

Products That Suit Your Hair’s Porosity:

Porosity describes how easily your hair retains moisture and how much moisture your hair can hold. If you have high porosity hair, your hair gets hydrated easily, but it also loses moisture just the same way. Although low porosity hair does not absorb moisture quickly, it stays that way for a relatively long time when moisturized. Medium porosity is somewhere in between the two.

Knowing which type of porosity your hair has can be an indispensable guide in choosing which leave-in conditioner will work best for you. Low-porosity hair usually requires heavy-duty moisturizers, and not all leave-in conditioners are suitable for this 4c hair type. Aunt Jackie’s Quench Moisture Intensive Leave-In Conditioner is an example of an intensive Conditioner that works for low-porosity hair. Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner is a great option as well.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are indispensable for natural 4c coils. As a 4c hair queen, essential oils should be abundant in the products you use, as they work wonders for 4c hair. If you use the LOC method (Liquid, Oil, Cream) to moisturize your strands, you most likely are already familiar with all the nourishing benefits of essential oils. They represent clean hair care that doesn’t weigh your locks down. Common essential oils found in leave-in conditioners for 4c hair are coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil, rosehip oil, jojoba oil, and many others, depending on the brand.

Coconut oil softens your hair, locks in moisture, and makes your 4c hair more manageable. Almond oil goes deeper while moisturizing your scalp and nourishing it. Jojoba oil mimics the natural oils produced by your scalp and stimulates your scalp. This helps your hair grow longer and stronger. Jojoba oil also adds nutrients to your scalp and hair. Rosemary oil helps the blood on your scalp circulate well, which can lead to improved hair growth. Many leave-in conditioners on this list contain natural oils. A prime example is the SheaMoisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Leave-In Treatment.

Water

Because leave-in conditioners remain in the hair until the next wash day, bad conditioners are usually the main culprit when it comes to greasy build-up on your locks. To avert this problem, it’s important to choose a moisturizer formulated with water as one of its main ingredients. This means that water or aqua should appear among the first five ingredients listed on the product.

A leave-in conditioner that uses water as its base is less likely to feel heavy or weigh down on your head. It is less likely to make your hair feel greasy or sticky, and it is usually very lightweight. Another benefit of water in your leave-in conditioner is the rich hydration it gives your hair. A conditioner that contains a lot of water is a condition that has a lot of moisture to offer your hair.

Strengthening Ingredients

If you have hair that has been damaged by heat styling, damaging hairstyles, dehydration, or artificial products, you should reach for a leave-in moisturizer that contains strengthening ingredients. These kinds of leave-in conditioners are formulated to repair your hair while keeping it moisturized and smooth. SheaMoisture Strengthen And Restore Leave-In Conditioner contain ingredients that restore vitality to weak or dry, frizzy strands. Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner is another great option. It deeply conditions your hair and works on your hair follicles, preventing split ends and giving you added growth.

Examples of strengthening ingredients include biotin or vitamin B7, which stimulates your scalp to produce stronger follicles. Marc Anthony Grow Long Leave-In Conditioner contains biotin, among other strengthening ingredients. Shea Butter works well to seal in moisture and repair your hair. Vitamin E or tocopherol performs the same function–strengthening your coils and moisturizing your hair.

Price

The amount of money you’re able to spend on a leave-in moisturizer for your 4c coils can be a great pointer that determines which product you should get. If you need a simple addition to your hair care routine that gives your 4c hair basic and intensive conditioning, you might want to pick a lower-priced option. An example is the Cantu Shea Butter Hydrating Leave-In Conditioning Mist. This conditioner works well for 4c hair without leaving a dent in your budget.

However, if you’re searching for a more all-encompassing Leave-In conditioner,  Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner is an ideal option for you, though you might spend a little more. It takes care of your hair, revitalizing it and hydrating it at the same time.

Best 4c Hair Leave-In Conditioner Brands

The best leave-in conditioner brands for 4c hair are those that make use of natural ingredients and avoid harmful artificial additions like parabens, sulfates, mineral oils, and phthalates. Some of these good brands include:

Aunt Jackie’s

Founded on the principle that naturally curly hair is beautiful and should be flaunted, Aunt Jackie’s creates products with natural ingredients for women with naturally curly hair. They all cater to locks that have been through a lot of overprocessing. Their leave-in conditioner works well on any type of 4c hair.

Cantu

Cantu does not specially formulate its products for individuals with 4c hair alone, but many women of color agree that Cantu Shea Butter products work wonders on 4c hair. The Cantu Shea Butter Hydrating Leave-In Conditioner takes frizz and protects every hair type, including 4c hair.

SheaMoisture

SheaMoisture produces all their hair care products using shea butter as the main ingredient. They are focused on creating products that intensively moisturize curly hair. SheaMoisture uses all-natural ingredients to build their products, which helps prevent accumulation at the roots and hair damage. Their products are known and loved by many women of color, due to the supreme rejuvenating and rehydrating qualities they possess. 

Mielle Organics

Mielle Organics is a well-known go-to brand among African American women for making 4c curls pop. Their products keep the hair shiny and well hydrated without accumulating to cause build-up or make it greasy. Their use of purely organic ingredients makes them a suitable brand for those following the curly girl method. 

Renpure

Renpure products are gentle on the scalp and are very pocket-friendly. Being curly girl method approved, they contain only natural ingredients and no added silicones. Renpure products such as the Renpure Coconut Whipped Crème Leave-In Conditioner are crafted carefully for deeply moisturizing your hair while remaining lightweight.

Is Leave-In Conditioner Good For 4c Hair?

Leave-in conditioners do wonders for 4c hair. They are the key to maintaining a shiny, well-hydrated mane daily. If you want those long-lasting shiny, bouncy curls, your best bet is a leave-in conditioner. These conditioners also work as detanglers, giving your strands slip, so that they tangle less and are easier to manage.

For a woman with natural 4c hair, tangled, dry locks can be a nightmare. The scalp becomes painful, and the tangles can prove impossible to pull apart. When you apply a good leave-in conditioner, you can easily break the tangled coils by running your fingers through or with a wide-toothed comb. Good leave-in conditioners make wash day more enjoyable for both adults and children and eliminate the pain of styling 4c hair. It does all these by properly moisturizing your strands and locking the moisture into them.

Can 4c Hair Use Leave-In Conditioner Every Day?

Absolutely. If you have 4c hair, you can choose to rehydrate it with a leave-in conditioner daily. Girls with 4c hair run a really low risk of over-moisturizing their hair because usually, the hair loses moisture faster than it can be rehydrated.

Throughout the day, many things can potentially dehydrate your hair. During the winter months, in particular, the cold can be harsh on 4c hair causing it to be dry and brittle. In this weather, you should rehydrate your hair with a leave-in conditioner as often as possible. A woman with 4c hair who uses heat-styling tools fairly regularly will also need to moisturize with conditioner regularly because heat strips the hair of moisture.

Using leave-in hair conditioner daily, or as frequently as you need it, is completely safe, and wouldn’t harm your 4c hair in any way.

How Do You Keep Your 4c Hair Moisturized All Day?

We understand that keeping your hair moisturized all through the day can be difficult. All too often, many women with 4c hair begin the day with luscious, well-moisturized coils, only to end up with kinky, frizzy hair at the end of the day. 4c hair loses moisture faster than other hair types, so it is hard to retain moisture in them for a full day. However, if you follow these techniques below, your 4c hair will be able to remain moisturized, even on the busiest of days.

Don’t neglect water: The classic water and oil mixture in a spray bottle is the best moisturizing mix you can carry around. A few spritzes of this mixture throughout your day restore moisture into your hair and keep it soft.

Hands off your hair: It’s understandable if it has become almost second nature for you to reach up and touch your hair. We all sometimes feel the urge to do it. But, the more you touch and caress your coils, the faster they lose moisture. You’re transferring the moisture from it to your hands, and you don’t want that. If you want your coils to stay hydrated for as long as possible, keep your hands away from them.

Minimize the use of heat-styling tools: Although styling your hair with heat can help with maintenance, its health takes a hit over time. Moisture leaves your follicles, and they begin to wear or even break off. It’s best advised to only use heat tools when necessary, and deeply condition your strands once you take the style out.

What Does Leave-In Conditioner Do To 4c Hair?

A great leave-in conditioner nourishes and strengthens 4c strands. It makes it easy to detangle and style by softening the thick, textured coils. A good moisturizer is primarily moisturizing in function and locks moisture into the hair, which helps it stay hydrated for long periods.

When used with other hydrating, moisturizing products, it defines your curls and makes your locks look shiny for a long time. There are many Leave-In Conditioner products for 4c hair, such as the Marc Anthony Grow Long Leave-In Conditioner, with added benefits such as increased hair growth.

Top Leave-In Conditioner For 4c Hair, Conclusion

Using a leave-in conditioner on 4c hair is a good step towards keeping your locks moisturized and healthy. In this article, we’ve listed the top leave-in conditioners that work well with 4c hair. When you regularly use a leave-in conditioner that is well suited for your hair type, your coils end up looking bouncy, shiny, and healthy for a long time. These products are sure to leave your hair better than ever.

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