Found: The Best Moisturizers for Natural Hair

(Image credit: Getty Images/Dean Mitchell)

published 5 November 2020

Ask a naturalista to give you a rundown of their holy grail hair care products, and chances are you'll receive a laundry list of recommendations that promise to a) moisturize the hair, b) offer amazing slip for seamless detangling, c) prevent breakage, or d) do all of the above. But the biggest takeaway when it comes to caring for curly, coiled, and kinky hair textures: Make sure your regimen consists of high-quality moisturizers. From a heavy-duty curl cream to a lightweight hydrating spray, get ready to welcome the soft, shiny, manageable hair you deserve. Ahead, 13 moisturizers to keep your natural hair hydrated for the long haul.

1/13

tgin Butter Cream Daily Moisturizer

This Reparative Moisturizing Cream

Breath life back into your strands with this shea butter and vitamin E butter cream. Whether you're looking to refresh your hair or set your twist-out style in place, your curls will instantly feel soft, fluffy, and with an abundance of shine upon application.

2/13

Cantu Coconut Curling Cream

Coconut Curling Cream

Behold: a triple threat for $6. This coconut curling cream is a naturalista's dream and works to moisturize, define, and strengthen the hair.

3/13

Mielle Organics Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk

This Hydrating Hair Milk

Getting your hands on a product that effectively hydrates curly, coily, and kinky textures without weighing the hair down is no easy feat. Thankfully, this avocado and lavender-enriched hair milk will keep strands moisturized from root to tip without leaving behind unwanted buildup.

4/13

Ouidad Curl Quencher Hydrafusion Intense Curl Cream

This Softening Curl Cream

This curl quencher was designed with tight curl textures in mind. Formulated with intensely hydrating ingredients like milk thistle, sweet almond oil, and hydrolyzed silk protein to strengthen curls and stave off frizz, this moisturizing cream will leave behind perfectly defined, pillow-soft curls.

5/13

Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Moisture and Shine Leave-In Conditioner

This Strengthening Leave-In Spray

Detangling sessions just got a tad easier with this moisture-boosting leave-in conditioner. Infused with wheat protein and vitamin B5, this spray helps to awaken dry and dull strands for a shiny and manageable mane.

6/13

Luster's Pink Moisturizer Hair Lotion Original

This Moisturizing Hair Lotion

If you have naturally curly, coily, or kinky textured hair, chances are you'll recognize this hydrating hero from your childhood. Formulated with pro-vitamin B5 and vitamin E, this lotion penetrates the hair shaft to revive dry and damaged strands.

7/13

As I Am Double Butter Cream

This Daily Moisturizing Cream

Enriched with emollients like shea and cocoa butters plus castor and jojoba oils, this daily moisturizer will create the buttery soft curls of your dreams.

8/13

Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave In Conditioner

This Ultra-Hydrating Detangler

The beauty in this moisture-rich leave-in treatment is its multitasking capabilities. Enriched with coconut milk and blueberry extract, this conditioner softens, hydrates, and serves as the perfect curl detangler. Plus, the invigorating scent leaves your curls smelling divine.

9/13

Giovanni Direct Leave-In Treatment Conditioner

This Lightweight Leave-In

ICYMI: Hydration is the key to length retention. This leave-in conditioning treatment is jam packed with healing ingredients like vitamin E, sunflower seed oil, and pro-vitamin B5 and works overtime to renew brittle, damaged hair.

10/13

Pattern Beauty Styling Cream

This Moisturizing Curl Styler

There's nothing like a thick buttercream to lock in long-lasting hydration. Keep your twist-outs and wash-and-gos moisturized, yet defined with this delicious styling cream that's infused with shea butter and sweet almond oil.

11/13

Sunday II Sunday Revive Me Daily Moisturizing Spray

This Curl Revitalizing Spray

Here's the perfect daily refresher for your coils. Sunday II Sunday's Revive Me Daily Moisturizing Spray works to fight frizz and resurrect limp and dehydrated curls. Plus, tea tree extract helps to relieve an itchy scalp.

12/13

EDEN BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-In Conditioner

This Moisture Sealing Leave-In

Formulated with coconut, avocado, jojoba oils, and shea butter, this natural conditioning treatment hydrates and seals in moisture, all while delivering frizz-free curl definition.

13/13

Oyin Handmade Hair Dew Daily Quenching Hair Lotion

This Nourishing Leave-In Lotion

Enriched with castor oil and olive squalane, this hydrating hair lotion is the perfect leave-in following a wash day for keeping strands soft and supple.

Chelsea Hall is the Assistant Fashion and Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity style, fashion trends, skincare, makeup and anything else tied into the world of fashion and beauty