The 10 Best Protein-Free Conditioners for Your Beautiful Locks

Each of your hair strands is made of  a type of protein called keratin, and your hair needs protein to stay healthy, strong, and shiny. But you can get too much of a good thing, and too much protein can leave your hair dull, dry, and prone to split ends and breakage. 

So, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best protein-free conditioners that will keep your hair soft, smooth, and beautiful without excess protein. Our carefully curated list includes protein free hair products designed for natural hair, fine hair, and even color-treated hair. We’ve also included some leave-in treatments together with pampering deep conditioners.

Because it’s essential to understand what’s going on in your hair strands, we’ll share the vital details on how protein affects your hair. We’ll also help you learn how to deal with protein overload and protein-sensitive hair. 

But let’s dive right in with our pick of the best protein free conditioners for beautiful tresses.

10 Best Protein-Free Conditioners

If you want to introduce protein free hair products into your hair care routine, here are 10 of the best protein-free deep conditioners, rinse-out conditioners, and leave-in conditioners to reach for.

Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment

Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment does exactly what the name says. It’s a protein-free deep conditioner that moisturizes and smoothes your natural hair without leaving it flat and limp. As well as being protein-free, you’ll find no silicones or waxes in this conditioner, so it won’t cause build up on your strands. 

You can leave this treatment on for up to an hour, which makes it perfect for low-porosity hair that struggles to absorb regular conditioners. Intensive moisturizers like cocoa butter, shea butter, and avocado oil deliver serious moisture deep into the hair shaft, leaving even the thickest, driest curls feeling soft and looking defined.

Choose between two fragrance options (Island Fantasy or Citrus Lavender) and a fragrance-free version. 

Mielle Organics Mongongo Oil Protein-Free Hydrating Conditioner

A combination of mongongo oil and coconut oil makes this deep conditioner perfect for protein-sensitive hair that needs extra hydration. 

It also gives great slip to make detangling curly hair easier and leaves your hair feeling silky and soft from root to tip. This conditioner is great for all natural hair types but especially suitable for types 3A to 4C. 

Aunt Jackie’s Coconut Crème Recipes Coco Wash Hair Conditioning Cleanser

Unlike the other products on this list, Aunt Jackie’s Hair Conditioning Cleanser is a triple-action cleansing cowash that you can use in place of shampoo. The rich, creamy formulation removes impurities, adds hydration, and softens your strands. 

This conditioner is enriched with coconut milk and Apple Cider Vinegar to cleanse your hair and scalp, and a blend of nutrients that nourishes from within for stronger, healthier hair. It also helps add bounce and definition to curly, coily, and wavy hair.

Eden Bodyworks Peppermint Tea Tree Conditioner

Eden Bodyworks Peppermint Tea Tree Conditioner contains a blend of organic aloe with rosemary, lavender, peppermint and tea tree essential oils to soften and strengthen your hair. It helps balance your scalp pH to treat dryness and also stimulates the follicles to help promote hair growth.

This lightweight moisturizing conditioner is ideal for oily hair and can help treat scalp problems associated with natural hair. It will soothe an itchy scalp, thanks to the menthol in the peppermint essential oil, while the antibacterial tea tree oil helps clear product build-up and dead skin cells from your scalp.

However, this product isn’t suitable for color-treated hair as it may fade your color.

Curlsmith Double Cream Deep Quencher

Curlsmith Double Cream Deep Quencher is perfectly formulated for very dry and dull hair, whether you have straight type 1A or coily type 4C. The rich, buttery texture of this moisturizing mask will melt onto each individual hair strand, delivering intense moisture in minutes without leaving your hair feeling heavy. 

This vegan and cruelty-free Curlsmith deep conditioner is free from sulfates, silicones, and phthalates. It’s Curly Girl Friendly and formulated with Andiroba oil and Resurrection Flower oil to quench thirsty hair in just 15-30 minutes.

TGIN Honey Miracle Hair Mask

TGIN Honey Miracle Hair Mask is a rich and creamy protein-free deep conditioner that’s enriched with vitamins A, E, and D, raw honey, jojoba oil, and olive oil.

It smoothes the cuticle layer for frizz-free curls and gives amazing slip, which makes detangling type 4 hair easy and reduces hair breakage for better length retention. And the fragrance will leave your hair smelling amazing!

This sulfate- and parabens-free deep conditioner is ideal for very dry and damaged hair or over-processed locks. For ultimate pampering, leave it on for up to an hour without heat or 10-15 minutes under a hair steamer or hooded dryer. 

Davines The Renaissance Circle

Some protein free deep conditioners use silicones to give your tresses added shine. Davines The Renaissance Circle deep conditioner is protein-free and silicone-free but still leaves your hair feeling silky-smooth.

That’s down to a generous dose of rich babassu butter that leaves your hair soft without causing build-up and gives excellent slip for easy detangling. This hair mask also contains yellow clay to help repair weak or brittle hair so your mane feels strong, healthy, and manageable without being weighed down. 

Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner

Deep conditioners aren’t just for thick or coarse hair. Thin and fine hair also benefits from deep conditioning, especially if it’s regularly exposed to chlorinated water, chemical processing, or heated styling tools.

Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner contains lightweight hydrating ingredients like Safflower seed oil and glycerin. These deliver shine and moisture that keeps fine hair soft and smooth without leaving your strands heavy, flat, and greasy.

Although this deep conditioner is too light for dry hair, it’s perfect for moisturizing and detangling fine waves and curls. 

SheaMoisture Miracle Styler Leave-In Conditioner

Are you looking for a leave in conditioner that can nourish and soften your natural hair while also detangling, fighting frizz, and protecting against heat damage?

SheaMoisture Leave-In Treatment Conditioner offers all of that in a formulation that’s free from silicones, sulfates, parabens, and phthalates. It contains a light blend of shea butter, sugarcane extract, and meadowfoam seed oil that softens and smooths your hair, adds shine, and even keeps your color looking vibrant. 

And because it doubles up as a pre-styling protectant spray, this conditioner is the perfect multi-use product to pack for your summer vacation. 

Matrix Keep Me Vivid Color Lamination Spray

If you have fine, low-porosity hair, most deep conditioners will sit on the outside of your strands, which leaves them looking and feeling greasy. Matrix Keep Me Vivid Color Lamination Spray is a lightweight, protein-free leave in conditioner with a touch of coconut oil to moisturize your locks without weighing them down. 

It’s part of the Matrix Keep Me Vivid system that helps keep your color looking salon-fresh for longer. Free from sulfates and suitable for use a few times each week, this conditioning spray will leave your hair soft, smooth, and vibrant. 

Why Should I Use A Protein-Free Conditioner?

Your hair needs protein because the protein that’s naturally present in your strands is easily damaged. Everyday exposure to hot styling tools, sunlight, and chemical processing can leave your hair looking dull and brittle. 

However, too much protein can be just as bad for your hair as too little protein, especially if you have protein-sensitive hair. So it’s essential to maintain the right protein-moisture balance for good hair health. Too much moisture can lead to hygral fatigue, but too much protein can lead to protein overload. 

Because many shampoos, conditioners, serums, and styling products contain proteins, it’s very easy to apply too much protein to your locks. This creates an imbalance between the moisture and protein in your strands and dehydrates your hair.

Introducing protein free hair products into your hair care regimen will help you maintain a healthy protein-moisture balance. And protein-free conditioning treatments are a great way to reduce the amount of protein applied to your locks, while helping them to look soft, strong and beautiful again.

How Do I Know If I Have Protein Overload?

Hair that’s suffering from protein-overload will feel stiff and hard to touch. You’ll also find that it dries out quicker than usual. Many hair-care products contain protein, so if you notice a change in your hair but you haven’t recently switched hair care products, this is likely due to protein overload.

You can use a clarifying shampoo to remove the protein residue from your strands. If the proteins start to build up on your strands again, using one of the recommended protein free hair products in this list will reduce the amount of protein in your hair care regimen.

What Is Protein-Sensitive Hair?

Protein-sensitive hair reacts to protein products by becoming dry, dull, and brittle. Even if you wash and deep condition protein-sensitive more often, nothing makes it feel soft again.

Of course, not all dry and brittle hair is protein-sensitive. However, if you start experiencing more breakage and shedding than usual, it’s worth checking to see if your hair is protein-sensitive. 

You can test for this by dampening a section of your hair and applying a rinse-out protein product. Let it sit for the recommended length of time, then rinse the product out and dry your hair. If it feels hard and breaks easily, your hair is likely protein-sensitive.

How To Spot Protein In Conditioner

If you want to reduce the amount of protein in your hair care routine, it’s essential to understand the ingredients in your hair care products.

Of course, if you see protein mentioned in the ingredient list, you know that your conditioner contains a type of protein. But there are other terms that you need to look out for, including amino acids, anything that is hydrolyzed, keratin, and collagen. If you see any of these words in the first five items on the ingredients list, your conditioner probably has medium to high protein levels. 

These are the most common terms that show your conditioner contains proteins. However, there are many more, so researching new products is vital for good hair health.

How To Choose The Best Protein-Free Conditioner

Not sure which is the right protein-free conditioning treatment for curly hair? These tips will help you choose the right protein-free hair products for your locks:

• If your hair isn’t very dry, choose a light conditioner that mentions smoothing and frizz-fighting properties to moisturize your locks without weighing them down.
• Dry and damaged curls need more intensive care, so look for a conditioner that will repair and protect your hair from damage.
• Intensive deep conditioners are a great way to pamper your locks, so look for nourishing ingredients like avocado oil, shea butter, or coconut oil (cocos nucifera) in your protein free hair products.

FAQs

If you’re still looking for more answers about protein-free hair products, these frequently asked questions may help:

Is It OK If I Use Protein-Free Conditioners Every Day?

Protein is good for your hair, so you don’t want to remove it entirely from your hair care regimen.

If you have healthy but dry hair that hasn’t been damaged by hot styling tools or chemicals, you can use a protein-free deep conditioner weekly and a low-protein conditioner in between. 

If your hair shows signs of damage from heated styling tools or chemical processing, you can use a high-protein deep conditioner once a month and then stick to protein-free conditioners for the rest of the month. The proteins in your shampoo, serums, and styling products will be enough for your hair.  

Can Low Porosity Hair Benefit From Protein-Free Hair Products?

Low porosity hair has tightly packed scales on the cuticle layer, so it’s hard for the hair shaft to absorb the ingredients in your hair products.

This can cause a build-up of proteins on the outside of the strand, leaving it feeling hard and brittle. Adding protein-free hair products to your hair care routine can help you care for your hair and maintain a better protein balance.

Not sure if you have low porosity hair? Our Guide to Hair Porosity has the answers!

Is There Any Protein in Coconut Oil?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Database, there is no protein in coconut oil (cocos nucifera).

The Bottom Line

If your hair is suffering from protein overload, or you have protein-sensitive or low porosity hair, protein-free hair products are an essential part of your hair care routine.

The 10 protein free conditioning treatments listed in this article are all designed to ensure your hair gets the protein it needs for strength and health without overloading your strands with too much protein. 

Whichever one you choose will help to keep your hair soft, shiny, easy to manage, and looking great!