5 leave ins under $10

For my Coily Queens on a budget. Here are 5 decent leave ins under ten dollars. These products are great for those with normal hair. If your hair is chronically dry, see my list of leave in conditioners for extra dry hair. 

This one is getting RAVE reviews. ORDER HERE!

True Nourishing leave in $9.99
If you love mango butter you will love this leave in.  

• Lotion consistency
• Full of mango, aloe Vera, glycerin.
• Awesome detangler
• Shea butter FREE (none listed in ingredients)
• Strengthens as it moisturizes, from hydrolyzed keratin.
• Not tested on animals.
• Filled with sage to promote hair growth
• Scalp soothing from chamomile extracts.  

ORDER HERE

Elasta QP Olive oil and mango leave in $8.99
This is a personal fave. This product functions as a leave in and a styler. It creates great twist outs. It is thick creamy and rich. (okay for normal hair)

• Mango butter no shea.
• Good definition
• Smooths frizz
• Olive oil (growth)
• Good for breakage

ORDER HERE

Cantu leave in Shea Butter leave in repair cream $5.97
This leave in works similar to the shea moisture curl smoothie. It functions as a leave in and styler. Good styler for normal hair. 

• Strengthens strands
• Good definition
• Long lasting
• Does not mix well with most gels
• A little goes a long way

ORS olive oil moisturizing lotion $6.74
Gets good reviews. For normal hair.

• Delivers moisture to your hair
• Protection against breakage
• Provides shine
• A little goes a long way
• Long lasting

Curly Curl Cream

Taliah Waajid Shea Curly curl cream $7.99 
This is a personal favorite! It gives your hair moisture and hold. It creates awesome twist outs.

• Great styler
• Combats frizz
• Elongation of curls
• Rich and creamy, lasts a long time
• A little goes a long way

The best conditioning ingredient for 4C hair or dry hair

Does your hair feel hard?

Dry or brittle? Knots?

Does your hair not hold moisture all day?

If any of these are your hair issues, then you should use products high in glycerin.

Pillow soft twist outs!

Glycerin is a super softener and humectant.

Nothing makes your hair as soft as glycerin.

Glycerin is the best softener, conditioner and detangler for coily hair. Look for glycerin in the top 5 ingredients. Glycerin is okay to use all year round, but it does not mix well with flat ironing.  

A leave in conditioner is any product that contains ingredients which can be left on the hair and provides conditioning to your hair. 

It does not have to be labeled as a "leave in" conditioner. 

TOP GLYCERIN BASED HAIR PRODUCTS 

1. Coily Custard, by Miss Jessie's

2. SCURL Curl activator

3. CQR-Super Detangler, Conditioner

If you rather make a completely natural glycerin leave in, her is an awesome recipe.

This can be used as a detangler and a leave in conditioner

4. Cantu curl activator

5. Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie

CONS:

When using the Scurl or Cantu curl activator, you might find you need to use more of your hold product. The high glycerin content in these products tend to make the hair so soft, that it does not hold a style well. 

If you intend to heat straighten or roller set your hair do not use the scurl product or the cantu curl activator. A large amount of glycerin does not work well with flat irons. It also does not set the hair very well and can make it gummy when mixed with heat from a flat iron. 

Shea moisture curl smoothie compared to the cantu leave in conditioner

The leave in conditioner is the most important product in your hair care regimen. The leave in conditioner is left on the hair all day. The leave in conditioner will also fall on the scalp. Any product that will stay on your hair all day should be a product that contains natural, nourishing ingredients. 

If the current state of your hair is dry,  full of knots and does not style well, then stay away from products with ingredients names you have a hard time pronouncing.   There are many popular products, naturals use, that only give you the illusion of healthy hair. These products contain cheap ingredients which coat the hair and gives you instant softness. However you will find that using these products on a regular basis will dry your hair out long term. 

PRODUCT COMPARISON
Below are the first ten ingredients which make up the popular cantu shea butter leave in conditioner. Compare those ingredients to the first ten ingredients of the also popular shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie. 

CANTU SHEA BUTTER LEAVE IN
Water , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean) , Propylene Glycol , Polyquaternium-37 , Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate , Dicaprate , PPG-1 Trideceth-6 , 


SHEA MOISTURE CURL ENHANCING SMOOTHIE
Deionized Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut ) Oil*, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Magnifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter*, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Silk Protein, 

The Shea Moisture smoothie has more natural nourishing ingredients than the cantu product. Notice how the ingredients of the smoothie are easy to pronounce. Look for leave in conditioners that contain, natural oils, extracts and butters. Those ingredients nourish the hair, softens the hair in a healthy way and help to seal in moisture. 

VERDICT
If you are a college student on a budget and you are not dealing with dry hair, the cantu shea butter leave in, would not be a bad investment. However, if your hair is invaded by knots, excess tangles and you have a hard time keeping moisture in your hair, you should  purchase the shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie. 

Shea Moisture smoothie is a more superior product. You can find both of these products at stores such as Walmart, CVS, Target and beauty supply stores.