16 Best Deep Conditioners For Natural Hair, According To Experts (2024)

Experiencing breakage? This mask's for you, saysLatoya Boothe, owner ofHoney Salonin Harlem, NY. It's what she turns to when clients "need a more intense treatment." It's packingnourishing Argan oil, restorative proteins, silky smooth shea butter, and Caryocar Brasiliense fruit oil which dishes out all the vitamins and fats your strands will happily eat up.

After your weekly shampoo, reach for this intense hydrating mask, says Boothe. Once you start making it a regular part of your routine, you'll notice shinier, stronger, and smoother strands. Because ofthe beating hair often takes from the sun, heat styling tools, and the styles you put it in, hair is constantly having toadapt and this stuff, says Boothe, can keep up.

Monica Stevens is a big fan of this curl restoring treatment because the hairstylist created it—plus, it works. This treatment is key to balancing "moisture and proteins in the strands," she says. The quinoa protein, mongongo oil, and mango butter "restore moisture-protein balance and improve elasticity"—a biggie for allowing curls to retain their length, shape, and strength. Leaving this in for just seven-to-ten minutes will maintain curl pattern uniformity and tame frizz, she adds.

Other than its natural ingredients which promise to reverse damage, nourish, and protect from stress brought on by over-processing, Hamilton's a fan of this mask because there's "no build up or a greasy [feel] after rinsing." Pro tip: If your hair's in need of even more TLC, once you massage the mask into your clean hair, put on a shower cap to really let it soak in.

Briogeo's Don't Despair, Repair "has B-vitamins to fight the damage caused by coloring and heat styling," says Hamilton. What's more is that it's silicone free, dye-free, cruelty-free, and won't warp your color, relaxer, or keratin treatments.

This is the "best protein treatment" full-stop, says Hamilton. Quick lesson: hair is pretty much just keratin proteins, so when you style it, dye it, or expose it to really hot or really cold temps, or chlorine (to name a few hair-damaging elements), keratin treatments "and ceramides [the fat keratin loves] rebuild those broken bonds," Hamilton says. In other words, this mask is a reset button for your hair.

Okay, okay, pretty packaging doesn't make a deep conditioner affective, but it sure is a nice perk. Now, onto the important stuff. Hamilton says this one's for the girls with the chemically damaged hair. The babassu butter works wonders on tangles and knots, while the yellow clay repairs your texture's natural structure.

If you're a fan of extensions or weaves, consider this conditioner a game-changer, says Hamilton. It's her"fave for detangling hair" once the extra pieces have been taken out.

Once you squeeze a bit of this rec from Hamilton (made by her client Tracee Ellis Ross) on your hand, you'll notice how rich and luxurious it feels. Then, once you start applying it to your hair, you'll see that a little goes a long way. And so you never have to worry whether the product knows what your hair needs, Pattern said it's for coilies right there on the bottle (the brand makes them for all types of hair).

"This conditioner is nourishing for the hair strands and helps frizzy hair conform to its natural texture," says Felicia Leatherwood, celebrity stylist and natural hair specialist. What she loves most about it is its ability to essentially give CPR to all texture types from curls, to coils, to waves—this treatment gives life back to dry and brittle hair.

You've been there. You're stunned, watching clumps of your hair circle the shower drain. Never again. This protein-rich mask "helps hair stop shedding and hydrates the hair, bringing out its natural shine," Leatherwood says.

"This conditioner is absolutely amazing," says Leatherwood, and the praises kept on coming. "It softens the hair, restores the life in the hair, makes the hair easy to detangle, and provides the hair with proper keratin to thrive, shine, and not look dull." What makes this potion so magical are the butters it's loaded with. They coat and seal in moisture, stimulate growth, and add volume and body.

The standout ingredient in this TikTok favorite is castor oil, a thicker oil known for stimulating hair growth. The mask itself is formulated with clean ingredients and can be used on color-treated or chemically processed hair to repair damage and reduce breakage.

As the name suggests, this thick formula was specifically designed with tighter curl patterns in mind. It has a buttery texture made with grapeseed oil to soften and hydrate the hair while slipping through your strands with ease.

Breathe life back into dry curls with this deep conditioner that moisturizes the hair while adding curl definition, frizz control, and shine.