Leave-in conditioner tends to be the product people buy right after a great salon blowout, convinced it’s the secret behind how soft and smooth their hair looks leaving the chair, only to get it home and find it doesn’t behave the same way at all. A big squeeze rubbed in everywhere like hand lotion usually ends with roots that look greasy by the next morning, and ends that still catch on the brush. Before long, the bottle is collecting dust at the back of the bathroom cabinet.
Most of the time, though, the formula isn’t what went wrong. How to Apply Leave-In Conditioner, At a Glance: The Daily Shampoo: Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo, $30 The Nourishing Conditioner: Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Conditioner, $59 The Bond-Repair Leave-In Conditioner: Olaplex N°.5 Leave-In Conditioner, $34 The Blow Dry Serum: Kérastase Discipline Thermique Blow Dry Primer Serum, $52 The Heat Protectant: Verb Ghost Prep Heat Protectant, $22 The Blowout Balm: R+Co Hot Spell Thermotech Blow Out Balm, $34 The Finishing Serum: IGK Crybaby Smoothing & Finishing Serum, $32 “I always want a leave-in conditioner to give the hair what it needs without losing its movement,” says celebrity hairstylist Paul Perez, co-founder of Flore. That’s hard to pull off if most of the product ends up on your scalp, or gets watered down before it ever reaches your ends, which is why he’s quick to add that “placement matters just as much as the product.” A lot of it comes down to things that happen at the salon without anyone really noticing.
Your stylist wrings out your hair before reaching for any product, for instance, and that alone keeps a leave-in from sliding right off wet strands. They also tend to dry your hair a section at a time, starting underneath, which is a big part of why it comes out so smooth, and it’s exactly the kind of step that’s easy to rush through at home when you’re trying to get out the door. Below, hairstylists and a trichologist explain how to apply leave-in conditioner from start to finish, along with the products they’d reach for at each step.
Step 1: Apply Shampoo and Conditioner A leave-in can only do so much on hair that’s still coated in yesterday’s dry shampoo, which is why the process starts in the shower. Work your shampoo into your scalp, since that’s where oil and product tend to build up, and let the lather rinse through your lengths on its own rather than scrubbing the ends. Conditioner should go on your mid-lengths and ends, where hair is older and drier, and it only needs a minute or two before you rinse it out with lukewarm water.
It’s worth taking your time with that rinse, because any conditioner left behind will stack up with your leave-in and weigh hair down, something fine hair tends to feel first. If you use a lot of styling products, swapping in a clarifying shampoo every week or so will keep buildup from getting in the way. Step 2: Gently Towel Dry and Apply Leave-In Conditioner This is where most people go wrong, since it’s tempting to apply leave-in to hair that’s still dripping.
This dilutes your product and causes it to slide right off the cuticle,” explains trichologist Jay Small, co-founder of Arey. Instead, squeeze the water out with your hands first, then wrap your hair in a soft towel made for hair, like Arey’s Hair Wrap, until it feels damp rather than soaked. Before you reach for the bottle, run your fingers through your hair and notice which parts feel dry or rough, because, as Perez points out, “your ends may need more conditioning than the newer hair closer to the roots.” Iles starts with about “a nickel or quarter size,” rubbed between the palms and smoothed “from the mid-lengths to the ends,” keeping it off the scalp “to keep your hair from looking oily.” If your hair is fine, Perez suggests spraying the leave-in into your hands first instead of directly onto your head, then running a wet brush through to spread it evenly.
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