When it comes to hair care, conditioner is an absolute must-have product. Whether you’ve got bright red locks or a subtle brunette tint, you need a high-quality conditioner to keep your hair in great shape. Even if you’re just sporting a few blonde highlights, the right products when it comes to the best conditioner for color treated hair can make a huge difference in how your hair looks and feels. But you certainly don’t have to spend $30 on a single bottle of conditioner!
Let’s use my hair as an example. I’m currently rocking Manic Panic’s Purple Haze over bleached hair. So I use a combination of the products on this list – two drugstore conditioners and two conditioners for bleached hair. I also pair them with two of the shampoos from our Best Shampoos For Color Treated Hair post. I’ve spent about $40 for SIX top-notch conditioners and shampoos. And my hair is honestly in excellent shape!
If I can save money and keep my hair in good condition, you can too! It truly doesn’t matter what color your hair is – there are tons of choices below for you to consider. If you’re looking to spend about $10 to $15 or less for a fantastic conditioner, you’re in the right place. Read on to pick out the best conditioner for color treated hair that suits your needs.
Best Conditioner for Color Treated Hair: Top 15
Best Drugstore Conditioner For Color Treated Hair
I personally prefer the best drugstore conditioners for color treated hair over any expensive brands! The L’Oreal EverPure line is fantastic, and it’s done wonders for my hair. It truly works better than a Paul Mitchell conditioner that I tried – and that cost about $20 for a bottle. Yikes! I’ve also found some deep conditioning gems at the drugstore. They’re listed below, and there’s one in the ‘Best Conditioner For Bleached Hair’ category, too. For money-saving options that truly work, try one of these conditioners:
L’Oreal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care System Moisture Conditioner – L’Oreal again? Hey, I can’t get enough of the EverPure line! Out of everything I’ve tried, it’s the best drugstore conditioner for ANY colored hair. I mentioned the shampoo that pairs with this conditioner in our best shampoo for colored hair post. Like the shampoo, this conditioner is sulfate-free and incredibly nourishing. I’ve used it on black hair, bleached hair, and my current purple hair. I get the same fantastic results every time. My hair color lasts longer and my hair feels soft and healthy. And I only pay a fraction of what salon conditioner would cost! It doesn’t get better than that.
Garnier Hair Care Fructis Damage Eraser Conditioner – Recently, I was doing some research on how to fix damaged hair – I always prepare for the worst case scenario before bleaching! Every forum and thread I read swore by using this Garnier conditioner. Lots of features stood out to me, but I love that this conditioner is A) packed with plant-based proteins to fix hair and B) protects hair from future damage. Many users suggest using this conditioner overnight while wearing a shower cap. From what I’ve seen, this is an excellent way to eliminate damage and nourish your hair. At this price point, it’s worth a shot!
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Conditioner – Though this product is not designed specifically for color-treated hair, it can certainly be used for some great nourishment. As the name suggests, this inexpensive conditioner is incredible at hydrating your hair. I don’t recommend using it after every shampoo, as you’ll want to use a shampoo for color treated hair. However, this amazing coconut-scented conditioner is an absolute steal, and it can do wonders for damaged, color treated hair.
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Color Conditioning Treatment – I’ve got a mini arsenal of Aussie 3 Minute Miracle conditioner in my hair care cabinet. Seriously, I stock up on these perfect purple bottles every time they’re on sale. This stuff is truly a dream! It smells heavenly, works in mere minutes, and produces fantastic results. I mention below that I use this product in a special DIY-hair trick to preserve my color, so keep an eye out for that! If you want a salon-quality product for a fraction of the cost, this Aussie conditioner is the way to go.
Best Conditioner For Color Treated Hair – Red
Red hair is definitely a difficult color to maintain! It looks fiery and fierce, but it can fade rather quickly. Fortunately, I’ve found two affordable, highly-rated conditioners that are designed to keep redheads looking fantastic. They happen to pair up with the two best shampoos for red hair in my last hair care post, too!
John Frieda Radiant Red Colour Protecting Conditioner – Right now, John Frieda is one of my favorite hair care brands. This brand’s touch up creme tames my hair nicely, so my pixie cut style is ready to go in mere seconds. John Frieda’s Radiant Red conditioner enhances the look of your red hairdo while deeply nourishing each strand. This leaves your hair looking vibrant and soft. Like the shampoo, it’s also got fruit extracts that leave your hair smelling fresh.
Joico Color Infuse Red Conditioner – This conditioner is slightly more pricey than others, but it’s still a steal at under $15! It’s a salon brand product that brightens your beautiful red hair. It also works excellently if you’ve got red highlights or lowlights in your hair, too. Like the shampoo, it’s infused with green tea and prime moisturizers to nourish your hair. I suggest using them together – and you save a good chunk of money buying them as a pair! If you want to skip the salon but get a salon quality wash, this is the product for you.
Additionally, you can try out the tips below listed under ‘Best Conditioner For Black Hair’. The tips are designed to make hair color last for as long as possible! If you’ve got bright red hair, give it a shot. Simply swap out the black Manic Panic dye for Vampire Red or Rock n’ Roll Red.
Best Conditioner For Brunette Hair
I’m a natural brunette, and I’ve used the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette line on my natural hair. I absolutely love it, though I didn’t use it on dyed hair. So, I made sure to do lots of research into what products TRULY work best for brunette babes. I found that these three conditioners are highly-rated, full of great ingredients, and overall pretty affordable! Give one of these a shot:
TIGI Bed Head Brunette Goddess Conditioner – TIGI products never fail to disappoint me, and the always have excellent user feedback. This conditioner is no exception! It adds shine to your brunette hairdo, and it has a yummy vanilla scent to it. The product is super rich and creamy, so it provides lots of moisture to your dyed hair. If you want to pair this conditioner with the ultimate smoothing cream, try using TIGI Bed Head After Party Smoothing Cream. It’s what I used before I chopped off over a foot of my hair, and it kept it looking 100% smooth no matter what!
John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Visibly Brighter Subtle Lightening Conditioner – If you have brunette highlights or a light brown shade, then this John Frieda conditioner is the ideal option for you. It provides gentle nourishment while making your hair color look brighter. It also gives your hair a nice, healthy-looking sheen. The entire Brilliant Brunette line also smells wonderful! In addition to looking fabulous, your hair will have a pleasant, subtle scent to it – you can’t ask for much more than that!
Best Conditioner For Black Hair
So, finding conditioner specifically for hair dyed black is quite difficult! After having black hair for so long – trust me, I know the pain. The only products available cost upwards of $30, and they tend to have mixed reviews. BUT, I do have a tip for getting your color to last longer! Simply purchase a black vegetable-based hair dye, and mix it into your shampoo and conditioner. I do this with tons of different hair colors and it produces excellent results.
I recommend using Manic Panic’s Raven Black; this brand is vegan and super gentle on your hair. You can even sleep with it in your hair overnight (wearing a shower cap, of course!). I personally mix about one tablespoon of Manic Panic dye into ½ cup of this conditioner. Keep this in an airtight container in your shower, and apply it after shampooing. Leave it in for about three minutes, though longer is always better! I also do this with the EverPure shampoo mentioned in our shampoo post. This can extend the life of your hair color for several washes! This tip also works well for “fun” colors that tend to fade – purple, green, blue, pink, and so on. Give it a shot!
Best Conditioner For Blonde Hair
John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Lightening Conditioner – If you want to subtly lighten your blonde hair or keep it light, this conditioner is a great choice. It moisturizes your hair while lightening it up to two shades! Like other John Frieda products, it also leaves your hair looking and feeling shiny and healthy. It works well if you’ve got blonde highlights that you want to keep bright, too. To get the ultimate healthy, beautiful blonde look, it’s best to pair this conditioner with the Go Blonder shampoo.
L’Oreal Paris EverPure Blonde Conditioner – This product is great if you’ve got light blonde hair and want to avoid brassy tones. It’s a rich conditioner that keeps the dreaded yellow look away. This is another product that’s excellent if you’ve got blonde highlights as well. It’s gentle enough for daily use, but strong enough to ensure your hair stays in great shape. Of course, pairing it with the sulfate-free shampoo it goes with will give you the best results. Sulfate-free shampoos are excellent for any hair type, but I especially love how gentle they are on lightened hair. Paired together, this duo is less than the price of one salon conditioner!
Joico Color Endure Violet Conditioner – This Joico gem is excellent for blonde hair of any shade as well as super-bleached, white-blonde hair. It’s sulfate-free, which prevents it from stripping color out of your hair. It contains a bit of violet dye – not enough to dye your hair purple! It simply keeps it from becoming too brassy or yellow. Many users note that it has a really lovely yet mild scent to it, which is a nice bonus! If you want to extend the life of your blonde bombshell hairstyle, this is a great conditioner to use.
Best Conditioner For Bleached Hair
If you Google ‘bleaching hair at home’, you’ll get lots of mixed results. Some people swear by it, and others say it’s an awful idea. In my opinion, do what you want as long as you do your research! I bleach my hair at home with great success, but I put tons of effort into studying it first. Part of bleaching your hair is knowing that a strong conditioner is ABSOLUTELY mandatory. It’s also very helpful to use a purple conditioner to remove brassy or yellow tones. So I’ve listed a few of my personal go-to products that I use when I bleach my hair. They work incredibly well and prevent breakage.
ConairPro Shiny Silver Ultra Conditioner – This conditioner is designed specifically to eliminate yellow tones from your ultra-light blonde hair. It gently conditions your hair to help repair the damage done from bleaching. I personally suggest alternating this product with a deep conditioner every few washes. It’s a super simple and inexpensive way to get the best white-blonde or silvery-blonde look. To really battle yellow tones, pair this with the Shiny Silver shampoo and the entire line of Shiny Silver products!
L’Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm – L’Oreal again…what can I say?! I’m a huge fan of L’Oreal products – makeup and haircare alike. In addition to having stellar mascara for super affordable prices, this brand offers this amazing conditioning balm. I LOVE this gem of a product. It’s perfect for damaged, bleached hair that’s fried and weak. You simply apply the buttery smooth conditioning balm for three to five minutes, and let it do magic! It works great as an overnight hair mask as well. If you have really damaged hair, try the Extreme Reconstructing shampoo and conditioner, too.
Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Conditioner – Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Conditioner is definitely one of the biggest go-to products for bleached hair babes. In addition to using it myself, I see it mentioned in beauty and hair care forums all the time! This purple conditioner reduces brassy tones to keep your hair looking pale and pretty. It’s also full of rich moisturizers to keep your hair feeling soft. You can pair it with Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Shampoo to get amazing results.
Carrington Farms Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil – Wait…what? I’m not going crazy, I promise! Coconut oil is perfect for restoring protein to your hair after it’s damaged by bleach. Use it as a deep conditioner once or twice a week, but don’t try to use it as a regular conditioner. Apply it to dry hair, leave it on for a few hours or overnight, then wash it out thoroughly. It’s a super thrifty way to keep your hair silky soft!
And that wraps up the options for the best conditioner for color treated hair! Whether you want the best drugstore conditioner or the best purple conditioner, there’s something for everyone on this list. Do you have questions about these products? Are you curious to learn more about my DIY hair tricks? If so, please leave a comment so I can share great info with you! If you want instant updates when I post, just sign up for our e-mail list – no spam, no gimmicks, just simple updates about BaumBeauty’s latest posts!
Amy Baum
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