Babassu Deep Conditioner — Protein-Free for Dry, Curly Hair

Babassu Deep Conditioner is a protein-free deep conditioner for dry, damaged hair that puts softness and elasticity back into curls and coils with babassu oil, avocado oil and panthenol. No hydrolyzed proteins, so protein-sensitive hair comes out soft, not stiff.

Moisture here, protein there. If your hair needs rebuilding, that's the Babassu Hair Therapy Mask. This jar is for thirst.

Who it's for

Type 3A–4C hair that feels dry, rough or snaps easily — it's as much a deep conditioner for 4C hair as for 3A curls. Protein-sensitive, low porosity (with heat) and color-treated hair, too.

What's inside this deep conditioner, and why it works

• Babassu seed oil — a light oil that melts close to body temperature, so it spreads and absorbs instead of sitting greasy on the strand.
• Avocado oil — high in oleic acid, which sinks into the shaft rather than coating it.
• Panthenol (provitamin B5) — a humectant, meaning it pulls water in and holds it inside the strand, which keeps curls flexible instead of brittle.
• Cetrimonium chloride + stearamidopropyl dimethylamine — cationic (positively charged) conditioners that cling to rough spots on a dry strand and smooth them. That's the slip.
• Rice bran oil — the oil, not rice protein.

How to use

1. Cleanse with the Coconut Shea or Neem Tea Tree Shampoo Bar.
2. Apply generously and comb through root to tip.
3. Cover with a plastic cap for 30 minutes. As a low porosity deep conditioner, it needs heat — a steamer or heat cap helps a tight cuticle let the conditioner in.
4. Rinse with cool water.
5. Follow with a leave-in: Curl Moisture Cream (lighter), Sweet Almond Heavy Cream (richer) or Twist Whip Butter for a twist-out.

What to expect

Softer, easier-to-detangle hair on the first rinse. Give it three wash days to judge how long the moisture lasts. It was named 2018 NaturallyCurly Best of the Best, but your curls get the final vote.

Size: 8 oz / 226 g.

FREE FROM: mineral oil, petroleum, sulfates, parabens. Vegan and cruelty-free. pH-balanced at 4.5–5.5 — the slightly acidic range where the cuticle lies flat.

Full ingredients

Purified Water (Aqua), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Stearyl Alcohol, Vegetable Glycerin, Orbignya Oleifera (Babassu) Seed Oil, Cetrimonium Chloride, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Panthenol, Gluconolactone and Sodium Benzoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Phthalate- Free Fragrance (Parfum).

*Note: Cetyl Alcohol and Stearyl Alcohol are moisturizing agents.