Best hair conditioners for 4c hair

What’s up guys! I bring you a very hot and Juicy topic today that is sure to empower your hair game!

Do you know that the sound knowledge of conditioners might just be the missing link between you and the hair of your dreams? Trust me, it is no exaggeration. Getting your conditioners right could take your hair game from a zero to 200 really quick.

I implore you to hop on this joy ride as I present valuable insight on the very best conditioners currently out in the market.

Let’s get right into it.

What are conditioners?

Conditioners are hair care products, used most times after shampooing the hair. They are moisturizing agents generally made of ingredients such as silicones, oil, emollients and cleansing surfactants that get rid of excess oil in the hair. By doing this, the texture, feel, appearance, moisture retaining, and manageability component of the hair improves significantly.

Asides helping the feel and manageability of hair, some of these miracle hair products also have hair repairing and strengthening properties that help to minimize breakage and split ends.

My dear, if you haven’t been conditioning your hair, I must say that you have been dealing your strands a huge disservice. It is however not too late for a remedy.

Types of Conditioners

Now that we have established what conditioners are, and their importance in our hair care routine, it is necessary to discuss the major types of conditioners and their application.

There are basically four types of conditioners namely,

Deep conditioners
Cleansing (co-wash) conditioners
Rinse- out conditioners
Leave- in- conditioners

All four conditioner types listed above, are capable of the major responsibilities’ conditioners were created for. They however have subtle differences in their manner and frequency of use.

Please note that it is not necessary to use all the aforementioned conditioner types at the same time, they are instead used on different occasions and for different purposes.

I would be discussing these important details in a little bit. Before I proceed, permit me to delve into the full benefits of Conditioners to enlighten you a bit more.

Benefits of Hair Conditioners

In the past, I heard a couple of stylists mention that conditioners were exorbitant products made to rid its buyers off their hard earned money, with little to no tangible benefit.

Infact, they further watered down the importance of conditioners by arguing that only good nutrition and genetics help to make hair thrive/ grow adequately.

These statements I must say, are misleading lies from the bottomless pit of hell! While staying hydrated and eating well could help keep your hair healthy, conditioners are also known to give the extra push required. They are in no way exorbitant, considering the value they add to hair health.

Let’s outline their benefits!

Improve manageability; My 4c queens know that managing our kinky and coarse textures would be a world of torture without the gems known as conditioners. This is especially true for the leave-ins. Conditioners help to make the hair smoother, softer and silkier while providing deep nourishment to reduce frizz and dryness. This in turn improves manageability.
Prevents hair breakage; Most Conditioners are known for reducing nasty split ends. Thus, helping to reduce/ prevent hair breakage. Invest in good conditioners today and say no to hair breakage.
Double as heat protectants; Where my heat lovers at? If you rushed to show yourself, I am sure you can imagine the look I am giving you right now. Anyway, let’s not kid ourselves, many can’t let go of heat. For those who can’t, I have good news for you. A number of conditioners; leave ins especially sometimes double as heat protectants, protecting the hair from chemical and mechanical damage. This like I usually say is double for the trouble, amazing, isn’t it?
Provides shine and smoothness to the hair; One of the primary functions of conditioners is to provide instant shine to dull hair. There is really nothing like having smooth and shiny coils.
Increase Moisture quotient: Last but not by any means the least, Conditioners aid the moisture retaining capacity of hair strands. This single function solves about 50% of natural, kinky hair problems.

More details on conditioner types and application

We initially established the various conditioners available for use. It’s not enough to know them but also to understand their uses and applications. Let us dissect them one after the other.

The deep Conditioners

These are deep penetrating products, applied to damp hair shortly after shampooing to nourish hair strands. Extremely damaged hair would benefit greatly from deep conditioners. They are usually left in the hair for about 30mins to an hour before thoroughly rinsing them out.

Please note that these products should be put on damp hair and not soaking wet hair. This is because when the hair is soaking wet, there is a reduced chance of the strands actually absorbing the nourishing hair product. It is also very beneficial to add a bit of low heat corresponding to hair steaming to ensure the product is optimally absorbed before rinsing out. Be sure not to leave any residue please. Deep conditioning can be usually done twice a month on wash days.

The cleansing (co- wash) conditioners

Co-washing is a very familiar concept with my busy 4c queens. In case you never heard about it, I would explain. It is the act of washing your hair with conditioner alone, it is also known as a conditioner-only washing with no use of shampoo. Now this could suffice when there is very limited time to give the hair the detailed TLC it deserves. However, there should still be a proper cleansing of the scalp with a shampoo at least once every month as co-washing may fail to provide a thorough cleansing of product build ups. They are usually dispersed throughout the hair strands and rinsed out after leaving in for about 5-10 minutes. Co wash can be done every other week for the busy bees.

The rinse out Conditioners

These like the name signifies, are conditioners that are usually rinsed out almost immediately after massaging into the hair strands. They are quite similar to the cleansing conditioners; however, they are not stand-alone conditioners. They are instead dispersed round clean, damp hair shortly after shampooing. Rinse out conditioners vary, there are some rinse out moisturizing conditioners that manufacturers claim could be used daily while some urge use when hair is dry and brittle. They should be used at your discretion really. Whatever works for your hair is what you should key into.

Leave-in-conditioners

These are my absolute favorites. Nil stress involved, nil technique to be applied. The best part is that it can stay in your hair and get absorbed with absolutely no need to rinse the product out. All you need to do is get your favorite leave in conditioner along with your other LOC products (Oil/cream and your liquid) and apply them one after the other or put them all in a spray bottle for use. Aside their steady use in the LOC regimen, they are also applied shortly after a good shampoo and deep conditioning of the hair.

The use of these conditioning products would elevate your hair game when applied in the appropriate context.

TSJ’s favorite hair conditioners for 4c hair

After running you through the hair gold mines known as conditioners, it is only proper to share my current list of the best products out there in each category to suit your needs.

I would take you through those that I currently use/ have used in the past, these are the products I can truly vouch for. Then, illd also take you through products that are highly rated and sworn to be amazing by fellow hair enthusiasts. Trust me, these category of products are definitely on my to-buy list.

Let’s get started!

Deep conditioners

For deep conditioners top on my list are the Shea moisture’s Jamaican black castor oil, strengthen and restore treatment masque and Tasala’s restore deep conditioner.

Illd take you through what you need to know about these products one after the other.

Shea moisture’s Jamaican black castor oil, strengthen and restore treatment masque.

This is a deep conditioning masque that helps to restore strength and resilience to damaged, brittle or chemically processed hair. It’s like an all in one reparative product for brittle hair, and it does work perfectly.

It contains a special blend of hair-friendly oils and protein that reinforce healthy follicle growth for better overall hair health and restorative treatment. It also contains pepper mint that helps to stimulate the scalp for an invigorating experience.

How do you use it?

It’s pretty simple: After shampooing your hair, apply a generous amount of the strengthening masque from root to ends. Pay particular attention to hair ends. Comb through for even distribution. Place a plastic cap over hair and sit under a warm dryer for 10-20minutes. May be left on hair for up to 30 minutes without heat. Rinse thoroughly. Style as usual.

This product currently retails for about 13.99 dollars and in my opinion, is a great buy.

Tasala’s restore deep conditioner

This is a home grown brand and for this reason alone it is truly dear to my heart. Apparently the owner of this brand is a trichologist. Little wonder why her products are this amazing. Guys this product and my hair are best friends! Anytime I am dealing with hair breakage, this is my go to product. It gives me instant stoppage of hair breakage, I kid you not.

It is formulated with a blend of hydrolysed proteins and unique moisturising ingredients to create the perfect balance for dry or weak hair.

How to use

Apply all over freshly shampooed hair, making sure the strands are coated from roots to tip, and massage gently with your hands or a wide tooth comb, allow to sit for at least 20-30 mins. Heat could be added to assist better penetration and then rinse thoroughly before proceeding to hair styling.

The great thing about this product is that it can also serve as a rinse out conditioner. We would discuss this shortly. Further more, it is suitable for both natural and chemically processed hair.

Other great deep conditioners I have used in the past, especially as a relaxed babe which also give great benefits to 4c hair include;

Creme of Nature Pure Honey Moisture Replenish & Strength Hair Mask

Creme of nature Argan oil intensive conditioning treatment

Original by Africa’s best Coconut Creme restorative conditioner

Guys these products are true to their package descriptions. I am 💯 confident in them. Whatever their bottles say they can do is exactly what they would do. No lies detected.

The cleansing (co- wash) conditioners

This category is for my busy bees! I personally do not own too many of these. However the one that I have used and I can say makes absolute sense is;

Eden Body works natural cleansing co wash

Now this Eden Body works natural cleansing co wash product is amazing for so many reasons. It helps to break down residue and comes through with cleaning the scalp and hair to a large extent. It contains natural ingredients such as coconut oil, shea butter, aloe vera, and avocado oil, which seep into the hair to hydrate it from within. These ingredients also seal in moisture, keeping the hair tangle free, healthier and softer.

How to use

Wet your hair
Massage the conditioner into your entire scalp, just like you would a shampoo
Rinse out the conditioner thoroughly. Spend twice as long rinsing as you did lathering.

Remember to follow through with your leave in conditioner thereafter.

Rinse out conditioners

These like their name suggests, are conditioners that are usually rinsed out almost immediately after they are put in. Some deep conditioners could double as rinse out conditioners such as Tasala’s Restore conditioner. The only difference here is that there is no need for heat, and it is rinsed out after 5 mins.

Another great rinse out conditioner I can attest to is;

Shea moisture’s 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration conditioner

Now like I mentioned initially, rinse outs aren’t really my thing. If I am being honest with you, this was practically gifted to me. Regardless fam, this conditioner smells divine! Asides it’s smell, it does well to impact the moisture required when used infrequently.

One thing I observed about the Shea moisture’s 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration conditioner though was that when I used it daily, my hair started to break more than usual. So illd say that it is a good buy would definitely help with moisture retention if used in moderation. I certainly do not subscribe to its daily use, regardless of what the product name implies. Please note however that this product might work different on other hair types asides mine.

Another rinse out conditioner that I am sure would please is Afro virtue’s rinse out conditioner. Now the Afro virtue brand is a staple brand and I can vouch for many of their products.

Leave in conditioners

This category of conditioners has a special place in my heart, and I have tried quite a number of them. Let me start with my favorite!

TGIN’s miracle repair protective leave in conditioner

This leave in conditioner I must say is the bomb! It’s smell alone is divine. It combines all the necessary elements required of a great conditioner. Guys, there is no need to say too much. Just click on the link below to get a detailed review of the TGIN’s miracle repair protective leave in conditioner.

TGIN’s Miracle repairx, protective leave in conditioner review

Shea moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner.

Shea moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner is a reparative conditioner that does well to soften and detangle hair. It also nourishes, moisturizes and provides elasticity to hair so it resists breakage when detangling, thereby preventing split ends. And guess what guys! It has some Peppermint oil in it to stimulate the scalp for an invigorating experience.

Cantù’s leave in conditioning cream

Cantu Leave-In Conditioning repair cream is the very first leave-in I ever used as a relaxed babe. Funny thing is that I initially felt it was only for relaxed hair but I was definitely wrong. Even now as a natural babe, it still works great. It has two versions; the Shea butter version and the Argan oil version. Both give great value for money, however illd personally say that I prefer the Shea butter version.

Originals Coconut Creme leave in conditioner

The Originals Coconut Creme Leave in Conditioner is also another gem I used as a relaxed babe that works just great for natural and chemically processed hair. It smells divine and provides intense moisture to dry and brittle hair.

The mane choice Ancient Egyptian Anti-Breakage Conditioner

The first thing that attracted me to this product is it’s pretty container. Adorned in a cute purple container, this divine smelling product is beneficial to those who struggle with split ends and hair breakage.

I however didn’t find it as mind blowing as I did with TGIN’s miracle repair protective leave in and that my friends it’s the honest truth. It is however still a good buy.

Other great conditioners out there

Let me introduce y’all to conditioners on my current watch and to buy list. These products from my research are 4c enthusiast favorites and have been highly rated. Trust me to bring you the best only

Find them listed below with pictures